Emotions are complex biological states related to the central nervous system primarily affected by neurophysiological modifications resulting from various psychological experiences, thoughts, emotions, and a subjective level of pain or displeasure. Currently there is no universally accepted definition of emotions. Nevertheless, most people agree that emotions are complex and multifaceted, including basic emotions such as joy, anger, fear, and sorrow, as well as more sophisticated ones such as self-esteem, motivation, personal control, competence, power, achievement, and happiness. They also include physiological responses to events such as breathing, heart rate, blood flow, temperature, and many other aspects. Our interpretation of emotion depends upon our experience and previous knowledge.
Aristotle's (aristocles) Theory of Emotions was one of the first theories of emotions to be described in detail. According to this theory, all emotions are motivated by the desire and the motivation of others. Anger is considered the strongest emotion, because it is related to basic needs such as food, safety, and other such necessities. The object of one's anger is therefore not simply the person who gets the things he is angry about, but also the object or situation that gets him angry.
Over the last two centuries, various theories of emotions have been developed and refined by philosophers. The most influential among these are the three theories presented by Aristotle. He believed that emotions were essentially cognitive and instinctual, and were inherited through evolutionary psychology from human ancestors. In addition, he held that emotions were dependent on reasoning and the ability to differentiate between what is good or bad through a process of comparison. In his view, emotions are independent of personal attributes and serve only as an accessory, allowing humans to achieve their goals and plan their actions.
Charles Darwin's (books I and II) Theory of Evolution, on the other hand, maintains that natural selection has occurred in order to provide humankind with the ability to experience emotions. According to this theory, certain physiological and psychological changes have taken place over time to enable human beings to experience emotions. Darwinian theory concerning emotions states that people develop feelings and become aggressive and violent when confronted with threats or painful stimuli. Moreover, the feeling of fear may lead humans to make mental adjustments and changes in behavior in order to survive the threat or pain.
Among the most influential works on the topic of emotions is Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species." Although Darwin's primary focus was on species classification, he did include an explanation of emotion because he saw that some behaviors seemed to be universal. According to this view, anger, fear, and similar emotions are present in all animals and plants. Furthermore, he noticed that certain animal species displayed certain physical changes before they became capable of experiencing anger and fear, which he believed were later developed as a result of natural selection.
Among the theories regarding basic emotions is the Theory of Cognitive Therapy. This approach believes that emotions arise from cognitive processes. Therefore, a person becomes angry due to cognitive factors such as the memory of hurtful events. In addition, the Theory of Cognitive Therapy suggests that people become disgusted or sad as a result of the presence of negative memories. According to this view, feelings such as anger and disgust are necessary for the survival of human beings, but when they exceed what the body can tolerate they cause psychological problems.
The theories concerning the connection between bodily actions and emotions emphasize two concepts. According to the first concept, the autonomic nervous system controls the expression of physiological responses to events and provides the basis for emotions. According to the second concept, abnormal behavior is considered as an abnormality of the nervous system, which is responsible for the abnormal expression of emotions. However, both concepts are based on strong arguments and remain controversial.
According to Carl Jung, people achieve an emotional awareness through various ways. Some use visual means, while others rely on auditory and tactile senses. He further explained that emotions occur due to the intrusion of unconscious contents such as instinctive reactions and automatic cognitions into conscious decision-making. This definition of emotions is the most naturalistic approach since emotions occur according to biological needs. According to John Bowlby, emotions occur at the same level of consciousness irrespective of their nature. Bowlby defined emotion as the unrestful, unperceived, unplanned operation of an unconscious mind that involves an active control through emotions.
