Some questions can be answered if and only if a standpoint is taken. Such is the case regarding theories of emotions. Theories of emotion cover a wide spectrum of scientific theories, from physicalist hypotheses to embodied cognition and meaning theories. Moreover, theories of emotions are related to theoretical adjacent fields (such as theories of mind) and to clinical practices (neurological disorders).

The aim of the authors was to provide the reader with current main theories and findings related to emotions and its biological aspects. Therefore the non-biological theories (phenomenology, meaning theories) are not presented, though not rejected by the authors.

This book offers a comprehensive, detailed and referenced, synthetic and analytic (rare enough to be noted) insight into emotional experience and its physiological substrate. The most fascinating thing is that the authors manage to keep the uncertainty of causality throughout the book, explaining the reader the different theories and assumptions:  is biology determining our emotional experience? Is the emotional experience defined according to the subject experiencing or to the biological events? What if the biological events and the awareness of the subject differ?

This book starts with seminal 19th century works and theories, namely James and Wundt accounts of emotions, and follows a century of researches and theories. Through popular knowledge and cases (i.e Phineas Gage), unknown experiments pedagogically reported and personal anecdotes, the complexity and history of neurosciences and biological theories of emotions are told in a very accessible way.

The book does not give a standard definition of emotions (because there is none) and provide the reader with each theory’s definition. The authors bridge theories according to their definitions and this reflexivity (and epistemological work) on the discipline is definitely interesting.

Each chapter disentangle one field of research (i.e. neurobiology) and related concepts or aspects (i.e. role of the body, memory, sensations, feelings). The last three chapters are the most interesting and surprisingly philosophical while not aiming at any philosophical account. Indeed, these last chapters show how working on emotions led researchers to reframe their theoretical models. The duality mind/body seems by the end of this book not to be relevant anymore leaving the ground to a systemic, global approach (maybe functionalist).

It seems like those last three chapters might be a reference basis for interdisciplinary studies of emotions. they provide the reader with all the complexity (sometimes contradiction) of the current knowledge and conclude trying to redefine emotions and fields of research.

Finally yet importantly, the satisfaction (for a clinician) throughout this book consisted in the evocation or comprehensive study of certain phenomena, such as pain and specific disorders. The only deceived expectation, is the one of a chapter devoted to what is nowadays thought as emotional disorders, and the different categories (i.e. alexithymia), but this is probably a different book.

Definitely recommending this one, to the curious neophyte as to the researcher looking for a synthesis.

 © 2016 Marie Chollier

Marie Chollier, Clinical Psychologist, PhD student, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University Cheshire Campus