BASIC AND DISCRETE EMOTION THEORIES

Basic and discrete emotion theories have profoundly influenced emotion research, and have been the focus of intense controversy, for 50 years. Much of the controversy reflects widespread misunderstanding of the core of this theoretical perspective, as well as failure to acknowledge its updating and diversification during the 21st century. This chapter begins by summarizing the historical background of basic and discrete emotion theories, differentiating an often-referenced, oversimplified version of basic emotion theory from Paul Ekman’s actual proposal in the early 1970s, and reviewing the evidence addressing Ekman’s actual proposal. The chapter then turns to modern versions of the basic/discrete emotions perspective, highlighting the impact of insights from 50 years of research as well as new and future directions in the questions asked. The chapter concludes by clarifying the role of theory in affective science, and calling for researchers to move beyond “nature vs. nurture” framing to ask how evolved and culturally constructed mechanisms interact to generate lived human emotion.