Neuropsychological Theories of Emotion

The expression “neuropsychological theories of emotion” refers to the set of theoretical models that have accompanied and oriented clinical and experimental studies aiming to clarify the relationships between emotions and the brain. Neuropsychological theories of emotion have been largely influenced by two factors, on the one hand, by more general psychological and neurobiological models, and on the other hand. by the characteristics of emotions and of brain structures taken as models in studies conducted on specific subjects in a given historical period. As for psychological theories of emotion (analysed in detail in this volume by Scherer, Chapter 6), they have always influenced from two complementary points of view studies aiming to clarify the problem of the representation and organization of emotions in the human brain. From the first viewpoint, the representation of emotions is considered as a loosely organized and fuzzily demarcated behavioural system. Studies conducted along this line have basically tried to determine if data obtained by neuropsychological investigations can be better explained by making reference to the organizing principle of the emotional dimensions (arousal level, emotional valence, motoric direction, and so on) or to that of the discrete emotional categories.