Dark Emotions is a book about a range of emotional experiences that are often regarded or characterized as ‘negative’, ‘disturbing’ or ‘dark’ as contrasted with emotions that are ‘positive’, ‘pleasant’ or ‘light’.
Each chapter in the book is devoted to introducing different ‘dark emotions’ such as disappointment, betrayal, worry, regret, resentment and alienation and seeks to show – through conceptual, theoretical and empirical examples – how these emotions influence peoples’ lives and their relations to self, others and society. The book thus provides an overview of some dark emotions that are recognizable in our everyday lives and culture. It contains accessible introductions and relevant theoretical and empirical research on 12 different kinds of ‘dark emotions’. The chapters are highly useful for teaching sessions and research contexts. Additionally, they provide extensive lists of references for further reading.
The book will be particularly useful for students or scholars with an interest in emotion research or related areas, and the book may inspire further investigation of the often- overlooked emotions presented in this volume.
Table of Contents:
Preface and acknowledgements
Contributors
Introduction The darkness within and without
- Exploring dark emotions in contemporary culture and everyday life
Michael Hviid Jacobsen
Chapter 1 Disappointment
- When things turn out wrong or worse than wanted
Michael Hviid Jacobsen
Chapter 2 Regret
- In the crossroads of individuality, responsibility and agency
Maria Madalena d’Avelar
Chapter 3 Worry
- Friend or foe?
Kate Sweeny and Olivia T. Karaman
Chapter 4 Vulnerability
- A restricting and enabling emotion
Barbara A. Misztal
Chapter 5 Resentment
- A complex socialmoral and political emotion
Maria F. Gritsch and Warren D. TenHouten
Chapter 6 Hate
- A social functional theory of group-based hate
Agneta H. Fischer
Chapter 7 Betrayal
- Towards a sociology of treachery
Malin Åkerström
Chapter 8 Panic
- Fight or flight in a culture of fear?
Michael Hviid Jacobsen and Peter Clement Lund
Chapter 9 Paranoia
- From a personality disorder to a sociological phenomenon
Stef Aupers and Kamile Grusauskaite
Chapter 10 Melancholy
- What is it and what is it good for?
Mathea Slåttholm Sagdahl
Chapter 11 Apathy
- Is a lack of feeling our default condition?
Anna Zhelnina
Chapter 12 Alienation
- From classical to contemporary critical perspectives
Michael Hviid Jacobsen and Warren D. TenHouten
Index
About the Author :
Michael Hviid Jacobsen is Professor of Sociology at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research focuses on emotions, death and dying, palliative care, crime, literary sociology, social theory, qualitative research methodology and utopia/ nostalgia.
