W. Gerrod Parrott (2007)
Components and the definition of emotion
Social Science Information, 46, 3, 419 – 423
(Whole volume of SSI devoted to the question “What is emotion’)
Parrot bases his response on Scherer’s work, critiques the inclusion of bodily as a component and would remove it from the list of 5 components. However he would now add regulation to that list.
Chooses Scherer’s work because p422 ‘ thinking of emotion as involving components has created a flexible framework that has allowed emotion research to develop despite fuzziness, conceptual change and lack of correlation between components’
Takes Schrerer’s 5 components of emotion
1. Appraisal
2. Action tendencies
3. Facial and bodily expression
4. Subjective feelings
5. Bodily systems
All except bodily systems can be considered at 3 levels of explanation
· Physiological
· Individual
· Social/cultural
Parrott argues that bodily systems do not meet the criteria of being considered at all 3 levels of analysis. He suggests rather that it is p421 ‘ a peripheral contributor to subjective feeling’ that it is a contributor to the other 4 components ‘ that has retained its place in the list of components because of its established place historically’
