Exploring Affect: The Selected Writings of Silvan S. Tomkins

Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction

by Silvan S. Tomkins, E. Virginia Demos (Editor), Brewster Smith (Contributor)

Silvan Tomkins was one of the most influential theorists on emotion and emotional expression. Over a period of forty years--until his death in 1991--he developed a set of original, important ideas about the nature of affect and its relationship to cognition and personality. Tomkins dealt with fundamental questions in a fresh and provocative way, establishing affect as a separate, biological system, and providing compelling data on discrete affect expressions. Virginia Demos has undertaken the enormous task of compiling Professor Tomkins' papers and writing connective material for this volume, which brings together his works of four decades and makes them available at a more receptive time in the field. It is a rich compilation of insightful and relevant ideas appropriate for researchers and graduate students in personality and social psychology.

Genres: Psychology, Philosophy, Nonfiction

540 pages, Paperback

First published January 27, 1995

About the author

Silvan Solomon Tomkins

Reviews

[Randy Elrod]

An extraordinary theoy that unlocks so many questions I have about my shadow -- both positive and negative. A difficult read but worth it. A book to go back to again and again. A classic.

[Christopher Schaffalitzky]

I would consider this an awesome way to assemble the major key points of Silvan Tomkins in a wonderful package. This is a must-have for anyone that is interested in affect theory. It features many of Tomkins' most famous articles and also contains the basic outline of his theory of affects from the sixties and henceforth. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it.