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The James-Lange theory of emotions was developed in the late 19th century, separately and almost simultaneously, by William James and Carl Lange. Both published different papers on the origin of emotion that had a basic concept in common: that emotion was the result of physiological changes in response to a stimulus.
Willian James (1842-1910) was an American psychologist, historian, and philosopher who published an article in 1884 called What is emotion? where he explained a new theory about the nature of emotions, which was contrary to the hypotheses that were in force at that time. Later, in 1890, he developed these new ideas in his work His The Principles of Psychology , a book on consciousness, will, habits, and emotions.
Carl Georg Lange (1834-1900) was a Danish physician who was noted for his contributions to psychology and psychiatry. Independently, he published his work On the Emotions: A Psychophysiological Study , in 1885. Lange held that all emotions were physiological reactions to stimuli. He differed from James by stating that emotions were, specifically, changes in the blood vessels.
Due to the similarity between the two scientists’ works, these hypotheses were included under their names, as the James-Lange theory.
The James-Lange theory and emotions
To understand the James-Lange theory and the difference between other similar theories, as well as its relation to the origin and processing of emotions, it is necessary to understand some issues.
Before a stimulus in one or more sensory organs, sensations occur, that is, impressions that our nervous system captures instantly. The brain processes the information it obtains through sensations and perceives them in different ways, depending on the context and our previous experience. The interpretation of the sensations that the brain makes from the different responses (which Lange called “feedback”), that is, the different physical changes, allows us to explain the different emotions.
The James-Lange theory suggests that emotions arise from the physical changes that occur in the organism, before a stimulus. Our nervous system reacts to the stimulus and causes physiological effects such as tremors, sweating, increased cardiorespiratory frequency and crying, among others. Later, according to the interpretation of these changes in the body, the emotions are shaped. According to James and Lange, those reactions of our body to a certain situation make up our emotional experience. This can be expressed by the following scheme:
Stimulus → Physical change → Feedback → Emotion
To explain his point, James used the famous example of the bear. In it he argued that if we were in a forest and suddenly saw a bear, we would feel our heart rate begin to accelerate and we would be ready to run. These physical changes would be the feeling of fear.
Therefore, the theory states that the change in heart rate does not occur because we are afraid, but because that change is precisely the emotion of fear. The same happens with other emotions: we feel sadness because we cry, joy because we laugh, or fear because we tremble.
James also argued that physical reactions are essential to feeling emotions and that otherwise our experiences would be devoid of the warmth and nuance that emotions produce.
Although the James-Lange theory was questioned at the time, and later relegated, it was the precursor of other theories and served as a starting point for subsequent studies on human emotions.
Other theories about emotions
The James-Lange theory is based on the physiological, but what constitutes the main difference between this theory and others that oppose it is the cognitive aspect, which is reflected in the way we perceive our environment and all the stimuli to which we are exposed. that we expose ourselves One of the theories that opposed that of James-Lange is the Cannon-Bard.
The Cannon–Bard theory
Walter Bradford Cannon (1871-1945) and Phillip Bard (1898-1977) were two American physiologists who opposed the James-Lange theory. Cannon developed his hypotheses trying to understand how emotions are produced; Later, his disciple, Bard, expanded his work.
In 1920, Cannon and Bard introduced some innovative ideas about the origin and processing of emotions. This theory suggests that emotions are not just physiological responses to environmental stimuli, but are separate and simultaneous processes that interact with each other.
Cannon and Bard assumed that external stimuli were processed in the thalamus and passed through the cerebral cortex until they reached the hypothalamus. This, in turn, sent the information to the rest of the body (muscles, organs, tissues) and back to the brain, causing physical responses and emotions at the same time. In this way, we feel sad and cry, we feel afraid and tremble, we feel joy and smile.
The Cannon-Bard theory contemplates a greater cognitive role in the processing of emotions instead of being more than just a physical one. It can also be represented with the following scheme:
Stimulus → Perception → Physical change and emotion
In this way, the different physical changes and emotions will depend on the personal interpretation of the individual, according to the perception they have of the environmental stimuli.
The Schachter–Singer theory
Years later, in 1962, the American psychologists Stanley Schachter (1922-1997) and Jerome Everett Singer (1934-2010) developed the Schachter-Singer theory, also known as “the two-factor theory.” This theory supports some of the hypotheses of both James-Lange and Cannon-Bard and maintains that two factors are needed to produce emotion: the physical response and the cognitive aspects.
Among other things, it suggests that emotion can trigger physical changes, and that the brain interprets what those changes mean, and vice versa. For example, if someone suddenly hears a loud noise, they will startle and their brain will interpret it as fear. On the other hand, if someone starts laughing, as they do during laughter therapy, this will cause the emotion of joy. Another example may be that if a person experiences strong anger, he may experience a rapid increase in blood pressure.
This theory also recognizes the importance of perception and context, as well as its relationship to physiological and emotional responses. For example, the emotional response to a hug from a loved one and important to a person will be different from the emotion that a sudden hug from a stranger can produce.
In addition, the Schachter-Singer theory highlights the importance of internal stimuli in the origin of emotions; for example, the role of thoughts.
Bibliography
- Santiago, J. Psychology for Beginners: Introduction to Basic Psychology. (2019). Spain. Justin Santiago.
- Semenovich Vygotsky, L. Theory of emotions . (2004). Spain. Akal Editions.
- Fernández-Abascal, EG Psychology of Emotion . (2010). Spain. Ramón Areces University Editorial.
- Rodríguez Sutil, C. Emotion and cognition. James, over a hundred years later (1998). Epistemology of psychoanalysis. Institute of Relational Psychotherapy. Available at https://www.psicoterapiarelacional.es/portals/0/ Documentacion/CRSutil/CRSutil_Emocion.PDF .
