Dark Emotions

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'.

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.

Autorentext

Michael Hviid Jacobsen is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Aalborg University, Denmark. His research is concerned with topics such as crime, utopia, ethics, death and dying, palliative care, qualitative methods and social theory. His recent publications include Emotions, Everyday Life and Sociology, Emotions in Culture and Everyday Life, Postmortal Society, The Interactionist Imagination and The Age of Spectacular Death.

Inhalt

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