The History of Emotions: A Very Short Introduction

Written by Thomas Dixon

Narrated by Mike Cooper

Emotions are complex mental states that resist reduction. They are visceral reactions but also beliefs about the world. They are spontaneous outbursts but also culturally learned performances. And just as our emotions in any given moment display this complex structure, so their history is plural rather than singular. The history of emotions is where the history of ideas meets the history of the body, and where the history of subjectivity meets social and cultural history.

In this Very Short Introduction, Thomas Dixon traces the historical ancestries of feelings ranging from sorrow, melancholy, rage, and terror to cheerfulness, enthusiasm, sympathy, and love. The picture that emerges is a complex one, showing how the states we group together today as "the emotions" are the product of long and varied historical changes in language, culture, beliefs, and ways of life.

With examples from ancient, medieval, and modern cultures, this Very Short Introduction sheds new light on our emotions in the present, by looking at what historians can tell us about their past. Dixon explains the key ideas of historians of emotions as they have developed in conversation with psychology and psychiatry, with attention paid especially to ideas about basic emotions, psychological construction, and affect theory.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350888928

Thomas Dixon

Dr. Dixon Thomas is an Associate Professor at Gulf Medical University (GMU) and Pharmacist at Thumbay Hospital, Ajman, UAE. He had completed his Diploma, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral Degrees from India in Pharmacy, Psychology, and Education. The latest of his qualification is from Gulf Medical University, Graduate Diploma in Health Professional Education. Dr. Thomas chairs the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Quality Assurance & Program Evaluation Committee, and the Program Director of Master of Pharmacy in Clinical Pharmacy at College of Pharmacy, GMU. Also, Dr. Thomas contributes to pharmacy profession through different projects by leading pharmacy organizations, invited lectures, and publishing. Dr. Thomas had editing responsibilities to publications by ISPOR Asia Consortium and Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA). He contributed to international projects by International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR).