Abstract
“The path of definition and classification followed by psychology over the course of several centuries led to the fact that of all the chapters of this science, the psychology of feelings appeared to be fruitless and tedious” (Vygotsky, 1970, p. 127). Definitions of the term “emotion,” which, in their most focused form, would of necessity have to reflect the degree of our penetration into the nature and internal structure of the given phenomenon, are, as a rule, of the abstract—descriptive type or require additional explanation. Let us cite some examples of such definitions in order to demonstrate the reason for the dissatisfaction that led us to seek a fundamental answer to the question: “What is emotion?”
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Simonov, P.V. (1986). What Is Emotion?. In: The Emotional Brain. Emotions, Personality, and Psychotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0591-8_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0591-8_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0593-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0591-8
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive