There are many different theories on emotional processing in the brain as they are constantly being developed due to the gain of understanding about the individual. This is important because it shows that the earlier theories may lack detail and are therefore too simplistic. This may be due to the constriction of advanced technology of brain imaging techniques, the lack of knowledge about the relationship between emotional experience and physiological reactions at this time, or that this mechanism is adaptive. This suggests that the first theories are missing key elements to the mechanism or the fact that one theory can’t explain the whole emotional process in an individual.
The first theories of emotional processing in the brain are the James-Lange theory where the stimuli trigger activity in the autonomic nervous system, which in turn produces an emotional experience in the brain stated by Lange & James (1922) (as cited from Psychology textbook 2016). There is also the Cannon-Bard theory where Bard and Cannon suggested that a stimulus simultaneously triggers activity in the autonomic nervous system and emotional experience in the brain (as cited from the Psychology textbook 2016). Finally, there is the two-factor theory which claims that emotions are inferences about the causes of undifferentiated physiological arousal. (Schachter & Singer, 1962) Although, these are underdeveloped as they don’t fully explain the relationship between physiological processes and emotional experiences. The autonomic activity produced distinguished not only between positive and negative emotions but also among negative emotions. This finding challenges emotion theories that have proposed autonomic activity to be undifferentiated or that have failed to address the implications of autonomic differentiation in emotion. (Ekman, Levenson & Friesen, 1983) The two-factor model is one example of an early theory of emotional processing. It demonstrates that undifferentiated physiological arousal causes all emotional experiences. This means that, although this model does prove that people must make inferences about their emotional experiences, (Schachter & Singer, 1962) it fails to show that patterns of physiological response are not the same for all emotions. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner & Hood, 2016) As well as this, emotional processes have also developed due to advances in brain imaging techniques.
Furthermore, the first theories are too simplistic as there was no way to measure brain activity during emotional experiences. Emotion theorists have long held that a fundamental characteristic of an emotion is how its constituent processes change and interact over time. Assessing these temporal dynamics of emotion in the brain is critical for understanding the neural representation of emotions as well as advancing theories of emotional processing. This was done by reviewing neuroimaging research, specifically the structure and function of the brain. It showed that three of the temporal dynamic features of an emotional response to a single event: the onset of the emotional response, the duration of that emotional response, and if and how often that response resurges. (Waugh, Shing & Avery, 2015) Although the first theories give us the basic outline of the emotional mechanism, scientific technology allows us to have a greater understanding of not only the parts of the brain that are used during emotional responses, but it also shows the mechanism in more detail. Even with brain imaging techniques, these theories can’t be generalised to the whole population.
Another criticism of the first theories on emotional processing is that there are individual differences. Emotion is a cultural and psychobiological adaptation mechanism allowing the individual to react flexibly and dynamically to unpredictable environmental events. Emotional experiences are pre-programmed by evolution but are adapted for appropriate action tendencies. This suggests that our emotional response is based on the individual’s subjective evaluation of the presented stimuli. (Scherer, 2009) Furthermore, as emotional processes are adaptive, these theories, therefore, lack external validity as it is difficult to generalise them to the wider population. One theory can’t explain emotional processing in every individual.
The more recent theories are better at explaining the emotional processes in the brain. All of them have a basic outline of the mechanism, although the more recent ones have been refined to greater accuracy. As well as this, these processes may vary between individuals as they are adaptive due to specific environmental conditions encountered. This, therefore, suggests that one of the first theories can’t singly be generalised to each individual and it may be a combination of these theories that are better suited to them. The individual is constantly developing due to advanced knowledge, meaning that the first theories are unlikely to accurately represent emotional processes.