The Thwarted Action State (TASS) Theory of Emotion
The Thwarted Action State Signalling (TASS) Theory of Emotion (Salzen
1991) is based on an ethological analysis of animal social signalling in terms
of thwarted responses by Morris (1956) which explains the nature of
courtship, agonistic and other displays and which we recognise as
“emotional behaviours”. The following table adapted from Morris, is TASS
theory’s account for all human emotional behaviours.
III. Dimensions of Emotion. An explanation of the commonly found three
dimensions: =
Appetitive Action State
Affective Dimension
1.Unpleasant / Pleasant
=
Thwarting/End-of-Thwarting
Thwarted Action State Signalling (TASS) Theory of Emotion.
2.Level of Activation
=
Level of arousal of Action State
3.Attention / Rejection
=
Stimulus-Response Valency
THWARTING SITUATIONS (Based on Morris,D. 1956)
I Absence of indispensible stimuli following intense arousal.
II Simple physical obstruction of aroused activity.
III Simultaneous arousal of two or more incompatible tendencies.
SOMATIC
(approach/withdraw-accept/reject)
IV. Pathologies of emotion. An explanation of “pathological emotions”
-the common Neuroses”.
PRIMARY RESPONSES TO THWARTING
AUTONOMIC
Perseverance - persistent approach
and adjustment (I,II).
Snap Decision - capricious choice
of response (III).
Threshold Intention Movements initial element of response (I,II).
Alimentary –salivation increase or
decrease, urination, defaecation.
Circulatory - pallor, flushing,
genital vasodilation, fainting.
Respiratory - changes in rate &
amplitude, panting, gasps, sighs.
Ambivalent
Ambivalent Posturing - elements
Thermoregulatory - sweating, of both responses
(III).
raising or sleeking hair/feathers
Alternating Intention Movements - Lacrimatory - weeping.
successive responses (III)
SECONDARY RESPONSES TO THWARTING
Displacement Activities - irrelevant behaviour.
Redirection Activities
- response directed to another stimulus.
Regressive Activities
- Infantile/earlier responses.
Neurotic Inactivity
- loss of responsiveness.
Aggressive Behaviour
- to change or remove the thwarting
object.
Stereotypic Activities
- fragmentary repetitive responses.
Visceral Dysfunction
- fragmentary enhanced responses.
This analysis enables the following clarifications and explanations of
commonly held views about the nature of emotion (cf. Salzen 1991):I. Classes of Affect (from "affectus" meaning "disposition") which is a
better generic term than the common misuse of “Emotion” for Feelings,
Emotions, Moods, and Sentiments defined as follows: Feelings (hedonic). Perceptions of consummatory stimuli and behaviour
with their motivational associations.
Moods. Enduring motivational states, metabolic and
operating through specific and general activation systems.
hormonal,
Emotions (sensu strictu). Acute feeling states produced by
of aroused behaviour and by end-of-thwarting. Enduring
result from persistent activation of thwarting states by
thwarting
emotions
memories.
Sentiments. Cognitive constructs and attitudes with an affective
content based on previous affective associations.
II. Categories of Emotion. An explanation of the commonly
recognised eight categories as thwarting of eight appetitive
patterns.
S T IM U L U S
RESPONSE
T h w a rtin g
E M O T IO N
N o vel
A tte n d /A la rm
In te r e s t &
S u rp ris e
A d e q u a te
A p p r o a c h /In te r a c t
In te r e s t/D e s ir e
In a d e q u a te
A p p r o a c h /A d ju s t
A n g e r /H a te
W ith d r a w /H id e
A n x ie ty /F e a r
R e je c t
D is g u s t &
C o n te m p t
D is ta l
H a r m fu l
N o c ic e p tiv e
P r o x im a l
B e n e c e p tiv e
P r o te c t
D is tr e s s /P a in
F a tig u e
S a d n e s s /G rie f
R e la x /In te r a c t
H a p p in e s s /J o y
1.
Primary thwarting responses – Anticipatory visceral and sub-threshold
somatic activations can appear as Anxiety, Panic attacks, Agoraphobia,
or Specific Phobias.
2. Secondary thwarting responses –
Displacement activities – “Binge” behaviour, Bulimia.
Redirected activities – Fetishes, Fixations, Deviant objects
Regressive activities – Temper tantrums, Infantile behaviour.
Neurotic inactivity – Apathy, Reactive depression, Despair
Aggressive behaviour – Violence, Explosive personality.
Stereotyped activities – Tics, Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.
Visceral dysfunction – Psychosomatic disorders, Hysteria
But this comparative based theory does more than account for
these aspects of emotion. It also shows how an emotion theory with a
generative principle that states the essence of emotion should also, like
a mathematical theorem or equation can, be expanded so as to generate
the full pattern of emotional behaviour and experience in practice. This
is outlined for TASS theory in Fig 1 which refers to observable things
and events unlike the box diagrams of hypothetical processes in
cognitive theories of emotion.
Fig. 1
Switch to Consummatory action &
Corresponding internal state
(+ve Emotional behaviour)
Trial & Error learning
(Coping Behaviour)
Secondary Thwarting Responses
Partial, Disproportionate, or
Social helping responses
Inappropriate Displays
Redirection, Displacement,
Resignation
Self-help or Self-control
(Emotional pathologies)
Primary Thwarting Responses
Appetitive & Intention Movement Displays
(-ve Emotional behaviour)
Increased
Appetitive orientation
Self-perception of displays
and of internal states by bodily
feedback and CNS re-afference
(Emotional experience)
Thwarted Action State
Frustration by physical or social situation
Conflict with another aroused action-state
Appetitive orienting and
Incipient Consummatory actions
Activation or Release by Physical stimulus or
Mental representation (memory)
Motivation (physiological or acquired)
When considering any other theory of emotion you should see to
what extent it can explain the commanly understood features of emotion
and whether it has a limited set of variables with properties that can
generate the observed patterns of emotional behaviour and experience
as in Fig.1. TASS theory claims to satisfy all these requirements.
References:
Salzen E.A. (1991) On the nature of emotion Int J. Comp. Psychol., 5, 47 –88.
Salzen E.A. (1998) Emotion and self-awareness. Applied Anim. Behav. Science, 57, 299 -313