Passion and Reason: Making Sense of Our Emotions

When Oxford published Emotion and Adaptation, the landmark 1991 book on the psychology of emotion by internationally acclaimed stress and coping expert Richard Lazarus, Contemporary Psychology welcomed it as "a brightly shining star in the galaxy of such volumes." Now, in Passion and Reason, Lazarus draws on his four decades of pioneering research to bring readers the first book to move beyond both clinical jargon and "feel-good" popular psychology to really explain, in plain, accessible language, how emotions are aroused, how they are managed, and how they critically shape our views of ourselves and the world around us.
With his co-author, writer Bernice Lazarus, Dr. Lazarus describes how readers can interpret what lies behind their own emotions and those of their families, friends, and co-workers, and how to manage them more effectively. Exploring fifteen emotions in depth, from love to jealousy, the authors show how the personal meaning we give to the events and conditions of our lives trigger such emotions as anger, anxiety, guilt, and pride. The authors make a strong case that contrary to common assumption, emotions are not irrational--our emotions and our analytical thought processes are inextricably linked.
Packed with insight and compellingly readable, Passion and Reason will enrich all readers fascinated by our emotional lives.

Richard S. and Bernice Lazarus have been happily married since 1945. Richard S. Lazarus, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, was recipient of a 1989 Distinguished Scientific Contribution to Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association. He is the author of Emotion and Adaptation, Stress, Appraisal, and Coping and Psychological Stress and the Coping Process, and editor of the 14-volume Foundations of Modern Psychology series.