The emotions: A relational perspective

In daily life, the term emotion firstly points to experiential phenomena being out of the ordinary. Because of the movements of the soul which characterize them, Descartes called these phenomenon emotion, a word which at that time meant riot or agitation. Aristotle recognized the same phenomenon when using the word kinesis. Indeed, emotional feelings are perceptions of the dynamic commitment of the body in the interaction. Yet, most psychological theories have neglected the kinesthetic quality of emotions. Arguments are presented pleading for a perceptual model of emotions. This perceptual model claims that emotions are bodily stances expressing one's relationship towards the emotional object. Arguments are based on recent cognitive sciences' advances, notably regarding embodied cognition. This perceptual model describes a functional sequence of the emotional process falling within the scope of current multicomponential theories of emotions.