Demystifying Emotions
A Typology of Theories in Psychology and Philosophy

A detailed analysis of emotion theories in psychology and philosophy and the proposal of a new skeptical, goal-directed theory.

Agnes Moors (Author)

9781107066342, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 August 2022

250 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.7 cm, 0.7 kg

'This modestly titled 'Typology' is in fact enormously ambitious. Moors has provided a lucid guide through the intricate history of emotion theory, tracing its many twists and turns over the past decades of accelerating research, and her accounts of both psychology and philosophy are even-handed and impressively systematic. And with all that, Moors does not merely explicate the complex debates to which emotion has given rise; she also makes a compelling case for an original synthesis, built around her contention that emotional processes are best understood as goal-directed rather than stimulus-bound.' Ronald de Sousa, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Canada

Demystifying Emotions provides a comprehensive typology of emotion theories in psychology (evolutionary, network, appraisal, goal-directed, psychological constructionist, and social) and philosophy (feeling, judgmental, quasi-judgmental, perceptual, embodied, and motivational) in a systematic manner with the help of tools from philosophy of science, allowing scholars in both fields to understand the commonalities and differences between these theories. Agnes Moors also proposes her own novel, skeptical theory of emotions, called the goal-directed theory, based on the central idea that all kinds of behaviors and feelings are grounded in goal-striving. Whereas most scholars of emotion do not call the notion of emotion itself into question, this review engages in a critical examination of its scientific legitimacy. This book will appeal to readers in psychology, philosophy, and related disciplines who want to gain a deeper understanding of the controversies at play in the emotion domain.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Theory development and concepts
2. Demarcation-explanation cycle applied to emotion theories
Part II. Emotion Theories One by One: 3. General precursors
4. Evolutionary theories
5. Network theories
6. Stimulus evaluation theories
7. Response evaluation theories
8. Psychological constructionist theories
9. Social theories
Part III: 10. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]