Citation

Frijda NH, Parrott WG. Emot. Rev. 2011; 3(4): 406-415.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, International Society for Research on Emotion, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1754073911410742

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article sets out to replace the concept of basic emotions with the notion of "ur-emotions," the functionally central underlying processes of action readiness, which are not emotions at all. We propose that what is basic and universal in emotions are not multicomponential syndromes, but states of action readiness, themselves variants of motive states to relate or not relate with the world and with oneself. Unlike emotions, ur-emotions can be held to be universal and biologically based.