James-Lange Theory of Emotions

Brief Introduction

            The emotional experience and expression are fascinating aspects of human behaviour. Life without emotions is just like a smartphone without active internet connection. Emotions are the reactions consisting  of subjective cognitive states, physiological arousal, and expressive behaviours (Baron, 1993). William James (1884) and Carl Lange (1885) differed with early viewpoint of explanation of emotions.

The Early Viewpoint

            This view point assumed that on confronting emotional provoking stimuli or situation first we experience emotion then undergo physiological changes. For example if we see a Cobra, first we experience fear then we run for safety or decide to fight.

            These two gentlemen challenged this notion and proposed a theory commonly known as James Lange Theory of Emotions. 

James Lange Theory

            The theory suggests that the stimuli emanating from environment prompts internal changes (Physiological arousal) in the viscera (internal organs) that initiate the muscular movement. They argued that emotional behaviour precedes emotional experience i.e. the physiological arousal led to the labelling of the emotion. In other words, “I am in love because when I meet her/him my heart struggles to jump out”. This theory suggests that subjective emotional experiences are actually the result of internal changes in the body. James said, “We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, and afraid because we tremble” (Baron, 1993). This theory has been supported by the results of studies that dealt with Facial-feedback-hypothesis (FFH). The FFH has its origin in Charles Darwin (1898) in the book “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals” wrote that the expression of an emotion intensifies it, whereas its repression softens it (iresearchnet.com). It suggests that facial expressions influences emotional experience. In other words facial expressions provide the feedback to the brain concerning the emotion being expressed which in turn causes and intensifies the emotion (Cicerreli and Mayer, 2016).  For example if we smile we feel happier, if we frown we feel sad, if we raise our eyebrows we feel surprised and so on.

Major  Implication

            The particular event, or stimuli provoke particular physiological changes and the individual’s perception of these changes results in the emotion being experienced (NCERT, XI).

References:

1.         NCERT,  (2013). XI Psychology Text book.

2.         Ciccarelli, S. K. & Meyer, G. E. (2016). Psychology. Noida: Pearson India.

3.         Baron, R. (1993). Psychology.

4.         https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/emotions/facial- feedback-

hypothesis/.

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