Toward a General Sociological Theory of Emotions

Key ideas from expectation‐states theory, symbolic interactionism, dramaturgical analysis, power‐status theories, attribution theory, and psychoanalytic theories are combined in an effort to generate a more general theory of emotional arousal in face‐to‐face interaction. The level of emotional arous...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the theory of social behaviour 1999-06, Vol.29 (2), p.133-161
Main Author: Turner, Jonathan H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Emotions
Philosophy
Philosophy of action
Social Interaction
Sociological theories
Sociological Theory
Sociology of Emotions
Theoretical Problems
Theory Formation
Theory of values and moral philosophy. Philosophy of action
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Summary:Key ideas from expectation‐states theory, symbolic interactionism, dramaturgical analysis, power‐status theories, attribution theory, and psychoanalytic theories are combined in an effort to generate a more general theory of emotional arousal in face‐to‐face interaction. The level of emotional arousal in interaction is seen to reflect the degree of incongruity between expectations, including expectations for confirmation of self, and actual experiences. Such arousal involves the conversion of primary emotions into first and second‐order combinations. The nature of emotional arousal is, however, further complicated by the activation of defense mechanisms and attribution processes. The composite theory is formalized into a series of propositions which can serve as hypotheses for empirical tests.
ISSN:0021-8308
1468-5914
DOI:10.1111/1468-5914.00095