ABSTRACT
Distinguishing the elements of Schachter's theory as we have done raises fundamental definition and process questions about the various elements. The theory of emotion, which postulates interaction of cognitive and physiological factors to bring about an emotional state, is outlined by Singer. Any theory of elegance and power is bound to stimulate research which exemplifies, extends, clarifies, and even attacks the original statement of the theory. In certain of his studies of emotion, Schachter has measured behavior but Schachter has conceived of that measurement, not precisely as a measure of behavior which the emotion causes, but simply as a measure of the emotional state itself. Schachter, working within the context of the James-Cannon controversy, spoke of internal cues as arising from a state of visceral arousal: a racing heart, sweaty hands, and so forth. Schachter's initial approach to the study of obesity was to view it as the result of both oversusceptibility to external cues and undersusceptibility to internal cues.
