Can Emotionality and Rationality be Reconciled?

Economists invoke emotions narrowly to solve commitment problems; sociologists view emotions as a more pervasive basic feature of social life. A complete approach to integrating emotionality and choice requires attention to the interactional sources of emotions and examination of the role that emotions play in directing attention to different domains of comparison and choice. Systematic analysis of the situational determinants of emotional response will allow us to see how both interaction structures and emotional responses are selected by the social environment.

Duke Scholars

Author Lynn Smith-Lovin Sociology