Understanding Emotions

by Keith Oatley, Jennifer M. Jenkins

This new textbook is the first book to fully span the fast growing field to research on emotions. It ranges across a broad range of disciplines, covering the entire lifespan from infancy to adulthood. Its main theme is that emotions have functions: they set priorities among our concerns and they provide the underlying structure of human friendships, to the excitements of sexuality. Understanding Emotions is designed as a textbook for second- and third-year university courses, and the text itself is fully supported by introductions and summaries, suggestions for further reading, plus a comprehensive bibliography and a glossary.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Emotion, Textbooks, Reference, Science

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[aikaterine]

For the course about the Psychology of Emotions.
So very interesting!

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good revision. Worth using over older additions. Great textbook. Easily the best in its category at present.

[Maja]

I’m here to say that emotions scientific and clinical aspects was one of the messiest and badly structured courses I have experienced in my life. the book was fine though whatever 🙄🙄

[Judit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent textbook. Has all the elements of a good textbook or non-fiction book: gives details about experiments, cross-references various studies, mentions the links to biology, all in all an excellent book on the topic.
In college I took a course on the psychology of emotions that was lead by a researcher on the topic. The course didn't have a recommended textbook or too much written information besides some slides provided by the lecturer, and the information was fascinating but I always felt something was missing. This is a really good introduction to the topic, so if you are thinking of taking a similar course this will be a good base for it.
I would however not recommend it to anyone who does not enjoy non-fiction, and even then if you like non-fiction, but dislike the constant references to other scientific work within the text, then you'll see this as boring, so just skip this.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good comprehensive psychology textbook on Emotion. Authors have a good sense of humor, and know literature and the history of ideas about emotion that enriches this book and makes it better than the average textbook. Would be good people to talk to I think. They are Canadians and it shows!

[Hom Sack · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent textbook which is not too difficult to read for the layperson on the subject. Highly recommended.

[junia]

Interesting.
A little wack.
Read through speedily twice.
Once before midterms and once before finals.

Dacher is a good lecturer :-)

[Amanda]

Gerald Cupchik's class