ABSTRACT
In investigating theater spectators and their aesthetic experiences, a sociological and a psychological orientation on contemporary theater research were compared. If occasionally the spectator's emotional experience is explored, the Aristotelian viewpoint prevails, resulting in the identification hypothesis. The Aristotelian paradigm is quite common among literary scholars, in practically oriented art studies, and in lay theory. Concerning the experiences of spectators, it focuses mainly on traditional-whole-characters, with whom spectators supposedly identify. If, for instance, the results for "in love" were analyzed, only those spectators who attributed that emotion to the character were included in the analysis. The results suggest that the object of emotion was in aspects of the fiction rather than in aspects of the artefact, both on stage and for the spectator. In emotion psychology, pleasure is mentioned as one of the basic or prototypical emotions. This chapter argues that the object may also be personal reminiscences and associations, specifically when it concerns empathy or prototypical emotions.
