Introduction: Emerging Concerns in the Psychology of Emotions

Historically, emotions have been treated as basic bodily mechanisms present in living organisms, which are responsible for their survival and growth. They are oftentimes viewed as mediating the course of engagement with the environment by shaping processes like attention, memory, thinking, communication, etc. Today, there is consensus that emotions play a key role in organizing everyday life by regulating the pattern of both approach and avoidance tendencies. It is often held that emotional responses energize us and make us aware of the happenings around us and are expressed and communicated in a flexible manner. They may be healthy and adaptive but can also be destructive. The perception, experience, and expression of emotions do share similarities and differences across cultures. The essentialist view of emotions is insufficient to account for the pattern of happenings in the realm of emotions. A constructionist view is emerging that presents a viable account of emotional phenomena. The meaning and representation of emotions in language also varies across cultures. The Indian approach to emotions in terms of bhāva and rasa proposes a dynamic view of their emergence. They challenge the dichotomy between reason and emotion. Indeed, emotions are at the core of what it means to be human. They are indispensable and have the potential to augment positivity by self-transformation. A human form of important role in shaping everyday lives.