The James-Lange Theory and the Cannon-Bard Theory are both
theories of human emotion.
The James-Lange Theory of
Emotion was developed in the nineteenth century by William James and Carl
Lange. They theorized that the automatic nervous system creates physiological events
like muscular tension, rise in heart rate, perspiration, and dryness of mouth which then
lead to an emotional response. A good example of this theory would be: a growling dog
(stimulus) leading to fast heart rate and breathing (perception of physiological
changes) which leads to fear or the idea of being afraid (identification of emotion).
This theory since has been disapproved by the field and challenged by others like Cannon
and Bard in the 1920’s but has not been further developed.
The
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion was developed in the
twentieth century by physiologists Walter Cannon and Philip Bard. In contrast to the
James-Lange Theory, the Cannon-Bard Theory suggests that emotions occur simultaneously
with physiological responses. In other words, an individual experiences an emotion and
the body immediately responds physiologically (i.e., muscular tension, perspiration,
increased heart-rate, etc.).
The Cannon-Bard Theory argues that
emotions occur in response to stimuli and are processed and responded to
physiologically. The James-Lange Theory, on the other hand, suggests that the autonomic
nervous system detects physiological changes, thus leading to an emotional
response.
