JAMES-LANGE THEORY OF EMOTIONS. The usual way of thinking about the emotional experiences and their facial or other bodily manifestations is that the emotional expe rience is excited by the perception of some object, and that the emotional feeling then expresses itself in the bodily manifesta tions in question. The feelings, in other words, are commonly regarded as causing, or expressing themselves in, the physical manifestations, and that is why these are called the "expressions" of the former. In opposition to this view, the theory of C. G. Lange (1834-190o) and W. James (184o-191o) states that the so-called expressions or bodily changes are the direct results of the perception of the exciting object, and that the emotion is just the feeling of these bodily changes as they occur. Common sense says, we lose our fortune, are sorry and weep; we meet a bear, are frightened and run; we are insulted, are angry and strike. But this, says James, misrepresents the actual sequence. Really we feel sorry because we cry; we feel angry because we strike; we are frightened because we run away. The main argument by which this theory is supported is that it is impossible to imagine a strong emotion, like anger or fear, in the absence of all those widespread organic disturbances which constitute its bodily symp toms. But this would only show that emotions cannot be expe
rienced without these organic disturbances; it does not prove that these sense experiences are the whole emotion. There are organic sensations, like hunger and thirst, which are not emotional at all. It has been shown, moreover, that different organic changes may be connected with the same emotion, and similar organic changes with different emotions. The mere sight of a bear, in fact, does not even produce any organic disturbances unless it is felt to threaten the instinct of self-preservation, and so induces fear. As James Ward has said, "Let Professor James be confronted first by a chained bear and then by a bear at large; to the one object he presents a bun and to the other a clean pair of heels" (Psychological Principles, p. 586).
See PSYCHOLOGY ; PSYCHOLOGY, HISTORY OF; W. James, Principles of Psychology (189o) ; J. Ward, Psychological Principles (1918) ; G. F. Stout, Manual of Psychology (1919).