ABSTRACT
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE EMOTIONS in society? I would argue that they are quite fundamental. This is especially so if one conceives of emotion as a form of social energy which can take any state ranging from completely passive inactivity on through strong affectual arousal. The crucial mid-range of this continuum is a series of variations in social confidence, which manifest themselves in feelings of solidarity—membership in social groups. At their stronger levels, such feelings of confidence are important in the organization of property and authority.
