Exploring Emotions in Social Life

This volume explores emotions from social scientific perspectives, covering desire, empathy, freedom, happiness, hate, disgust, humiliation, guilt, unemotionality, and despair. It appeals to scholars across the social sciences interested in emotion, affect, and contemporary culture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 18 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume offers a diverse array of scholarly investigations into a wide range of emotions from various social scientific perspectives. By bringing together experts from disciplines such as sociology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, the book delves into a multitude of emotions, including desire, empathy, freedom, happiness, hate, disgust, humiliation, guilt, unemotionality, and despair. Through in-depth examinations of these emotions, it explores their core aspects and considers the ways in which they manifest and intertwine with our cultural and social experiences. This work will be of immense interest to scholars across the social sciences, particularly those who are passionate about emotion, affect, and contemporary culture.

Introduction:
Emotions play a central role in human life, shaping our thoughts, behaviors, and relationships with others. They are complex and multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of experiences and sensations. This volume aims to provide a comprehensive exploration of emotions from various social scientific perspectives.

Emotions and Social Sciences:
The social sciences offer a rich framework for studying emotions. Sociology, for instance, examines the social and cultural factors that shape emotional expressions and experiences. Psychology focuses on the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying emotions, including their regulation, appraisal, and expression. Anthropology explores the cultural variations in emotional expressions and their significance within different societies. Philosophy examines the ethical and philosophical dimensions of emotions, such as their role in moral decision-making and the nature of human consciousness.

Emotions in Everyday Life:
Emotions are not limited to the academic realm but are experienced in our everyday lives. They are intertwined with our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations, influencing our behavior and decision-making processes. For example, desire is a fundamental emotion that drives human motivation and action. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, which is crucial for social interaction and relationships. Freedom is a highly valued emotion that reflects our desire for autonomy and self-determination. Happiness is a positive emotional state that is associated with satisfaction and well-being. Hate is a negative emotion that is directed towards individuals or groups, often driven by prejudice or discrimination. Disgust is a negative emotion that is triggered by unpleasant or repulsive stimuli. Humiliation is a negative emotion that is experienced when one feels inferior or embarrassed in front of others. Guilt is a negative emotion that is associated with feeling responsible or guilty for actions or behaviors. Unemotionality is the absence of emotional expression or response. Despair is a negative emotion that is characterized by hopelessness and a sense of loss.

Manifestations and Cultural Influences:
Emotions are expressed and experienced in diverse ways across different cultures. Cultural norms, values, and beliefs play a significant role in shaping how emotions are perceived, expressed, and valued. For example, some cultures prioritize individualism and self-expression, while others emphasize collectivism and interdependence. Different cultures also have different emotional norms, such as the acceptable range of emotional expressions and the appropriate ways to express emotions.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this volume presents a comprehensive examination of emotions from social scientific perspectives. By bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines, it provides a rich understanding of the multifaceted nature of emotions and their significance in our cultural and social lives. The book will appeal to scholars across the social sciences, particularly those with interests in emotion, affect, and contemporary culture.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032305233