ABSTRACT

A number of psychologists have offered variations of the old James-Lange theory of emotions in attempting to account for emotional reactions. Contrary to common sense, this classic doctrine maintains that the subjective emotional state is the consequence, rather than the cause, of the individual's first response to the arousing situation. S. Schachter's cognitive theory is probably the most familiar version of this new wave of ideas. What the individual specifically feels and how he acts in the instigating situation supposedly depends upon his understanding of his internal sensations. The primary aggression measure was the mean intensity of the shock administered to the learner in each of four blocks of trial and over all trials. Emotionally aroused people seek to attack a particular target when they interpret their internal sensations as "anger," and they believe this specific target had been the cause of their feelings.