James Lange Theory

James Lange Theory of Emotion

The James-Lange theory of emotion suggests that physical changes occur in response to a given stimulus, influencing our emotions. In other words, our emotions result from physical changes occurring in our bodies. William James and Carl Lange first devised the James-Lange theory in the 1880s. These two psychologists proposed that physiological changes in the body occur before conscious emotional experiences.

James Lange Emotion Theory: Overview

The James Lange emotion theory states that emotional stimuli induce peripheral physiological changes without conscious effort. And these bodily changes are what produce an emotion, e.g. increase in heart rate produces the feeling of fear.

Differences

What is rarely discussed is that William James and Carl Lange had two distinct theories behind the emotion. James believed that the nervous system's responses to stimuli were the bases of creating conscious emotional experiences, while Lange thought that emotion occurs due to our hearts.

Either way, both scientists believed that emotion does not start with a conscious experience of emotion. Instead, the body's response to a given stimulus was the source of conscious emotions.

Fg. 1 Fear, Pixabay.com

James Lange Theory Example

So, how does the James-Lange theory work? Given what we already know about the James-Lange theory, let's look at an example.

Here's another example, describing the emotional response of happiness.

See, the James-Lange theory is not so hard. It is a simple case of what came first, but instead of the chicken or the egg, we are discussing physiological changes and emotions.

James Lange Theory Definition

The James-Lange theory is defined as the peripheralist theory. Peripheralism is the belief that highlights events that occur within our peripheral nervous systems. This term originated amongst scholars and has been used to categorize psychological theories such as James-Lange. The James-Lange theory showcases emotion as a concept dependent on the events that take place within our nervous system. In other words, our bodies are in charge of producing the emotions that we feel from a given stimulus.

Difference Between Cannon-Bard and James Lange Theory

The Cannon-Bard theory of emotion is another popular theory that emerged shortly after the James-Lange theory. Unlike James-Lange, the Cannon-Bard theory suggests that conscious emotion and physiological/physical changes occur simultaneously and independently. According to Cannon-Bard, a conscious emotional response does not depend on physical responses to a given stimulus and vice versa. The two events are independent and result from sensory signals relaying from the thalamus.

Unlike the peripheralist James-Lange theory, scholars classified the Cannon-Bard theory as centralist. The Cannon-Bard theory showcases how stimuli affect the brain and nervous system and outlines the thalamus as the basis for both conscious emotion and physiological responses to a given stimulus. The James-Lange theory of emotion outlines our physiological and physical responses to stimuli as the basis for an emotional response.

Fg. 2 Central nervous system, Pixabay.com

James Lange Theory Criticism

The primary criticism of the James-Lange theory was the Cannon-Bard theory. Scientists Cannon and Bard believed that the James-Lange theory was flawed because the total separation of the body from the central nervous system does not alter emotional behavior. The same physiological changes occur within the body in extremely different emotions like being happy or sad. For example, you can have tears of joy but also tears of sadness.

Also, Cannon and Bard believed that changes within the body occur too slowly to be a source of emotion and that induction of emotional behavior such as smiling or frowning does not produce the feeling of being happy or sad.

The James-Lange vs Cannon-Bard theories have profoundly influenced the psychological research of emotion, and now you have a better understanding of both.