ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the passionate nature of emotions: their nature as involving motive states that the author call states of action readiness. With regard to emotions, the psychologists thinks a somewhat different distinction is useful: object relatedness, finality, control precedence, and behavioral prosody. Emotional behavior largely consists of approach and withdrawal; opening up or exposing oneself; shielding off, entertaining, enhancing, or weakening interactions; efforts to influence other individuals; or suspending interaction. Emotions in general tend to assume precedence in the control of action and attention. There is solid evidence for the near-universality of at least six, and probably more, linguistic emotion categories that tend to correspond with modes of action readiness. "Aesthetic emotions" are real emotions that do usurp interest and that can grip the body. Virtual emotions also exist as emotion anticipations: representations of the emotion one would have under certain circumstances, including virtual readiness for particular types of action and posture.
