Then, with the rise of behaviourism, the study of emotion virtually ground to a halt. Interest in emotion is now high, both in lay audiences and among students, teachers, and researchers in the natural and social sciences. There is an obvious need for a synthetic introductory textbook on emotion. Oatley and Jenkins have responded to this need admirably with their richly comprehensive Understanding Emotions. At each turn, the authors have gone to great lengths to make this book accessible, from their clear and compelling writing, to the large number of figures, tables, insets with biographical information about key figures, summary sections, and helpful suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.
Accessibility often comes at the price of compromised scholarship.
Here, however, this is not the case. The introduction properly locates the study of emotion in a long history of inquiry dating back to Plato, and although the authors' central concern is with the psychology of emotion, they also draw insights from philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychiatry, biology, and literature. Throughout, the book is solidly grounded in empirical science. Studies are thoughtfully selected and carefully presented in enough detail that a student can clearly see how a question was framed and answered. Connections between studies are drawn within each chapter, and pains also have been taken to make connections across chapters as well.