Abstract

Smith and Ellsworth recover six orthogonal appraisal dimensions that differentiate fifteen recalled emotions — cognition shapes emotional state before behaviour.

Smith, C. A., & Ellsworth, P. C. (1985). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(4), 813–838. DOI

Key findings

  • Six dimensions — Pleasantness, anticipated effort, certainty, attentional activity, responsibility/control, and situational control differentiate emotions.
  • Appraisal → emotion — Patterns of appraisal predict emotional state — not only pleasantness and arousal.

Application

When fuzzy weeks keep fuzzy affect — name the thought appraisal first. Chain of thought.