The concept of ‘emotion’: An historical perspective

Though the concept of ‘emotion’ is often accepted uncritically, a historical approach shows that, in the form it takes in modern psychology, it is a product of the 19th century, and replaced an earlier more differentiated vocabulary. In the 17th century there had been another significant shift in the meaning of emotion words when they came to refer to subjective feelings in a new way. There has been much controversy about the concept of ‘basic’ emotions, which is unpopular with historians of emotion. However, I am persuaded that some such distinction is needed; a distinction between primary and secondary emotions is somewhat akin to the earlier distinction between passions and affections. Emotions have various manifestations, including behavioural, physiological and subjective. These are often aligned, though they do not have to be. There has been considerable interest in the couplings between different manifestations. Most current work on the history of emotions is being done by historians but it would be good to see more psychological interest in a historical approach to emotions, and cross fertilisation between the work of historians and psychologists.