Description
Some investigators have argued that emotions, especially animal emotions, are illusory concepts out of doors the realm of scientific inquiry. Alternatively, with advances in neurobiology and neuroscience, researchers are demonstrating that this position is incorrect as they move closer to a lasting understanding of the biology and psychology of emotion. In Affective Neuroscience, Jaak Panksepp provides the most up-to-date details about the brain-operating systems that organize the fundamental emotional tendencies of all mammals. Presenting complex material in a readable manner, the book offers a comprehensive summary of the fundamental neural sources of human and animal feelings, in addition to a conceptual framework for studying emotional systems of the brain. Panksepp approaches emotions from the point of view of basic emotion theory but does not fail to address the complex issues raised by constructionist approaches. These issues include relations to human consciousness and the psychiatric implications of this knowledge. The book includes chapters on sleep and arousal, pleasure and fear systems, the sources of rage and anger, and the neural regulate of sexuality, in addition to the more subtle emotions related to maternal care, social loss, and playfulness. Representing a synthetic integration of vast amounts of neurobehavioral knowledge, including relevant neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry, this book might be one of the vital necessary contributions to understanding the biology of emotions since Darwins The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals