Theory convergence in emotion science is timely and realistic

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Emotion Science
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Emotion research is characterized by definitional disagreements and numerous theories, hindering progress.
• These divergences negatively impact theory development, empirical research foundations, and knowledge accumulation.
• Similar issues are prevalent in other behavioral science fields, prompting calls for theory integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate that theory convergence in emotion science is achievable.
• To propose a working definition of emotion based on design features.
• To foster discussion and the development of complementary theoretical frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Adopting a design feature-based working definition of emotion.
• Highlighting fundamental agreements on the components of the dynamic emotion process.
• Analyzing communalities and divergences across existing emotion theories.

Main Results:

• A pathway towards theory convergence in emotion science is presented.
• The proposed definition facilitates identification of common ground among diverse theories.
• Basic agreement on dynamic emotion process components is identified.

Conclusions:

• Theory convergence in emotion science is attainable through a shared definition and focus on core components.
• This approach can mitigate the adverse effects of theoretical fragmentation.
• Encourages constructive dialogue to build more integrated and complementary theoretical frameworks for future research.