Page:Outlines of Psychology (Wundt) 1907.djvu/228

 198 II. Psychical Compounds. less number of single cases of the most various modifications. All we can do is to take a general survey of the fundamen- tal forms of emotions. The general principles of division here employed must be psychological, that is, such as are derived from the immediate attributes of the emotions them- selves, for the accompanying physical phenomena have only a symptomatical value and are even then, as noted above, frequently equivocal in character. Three such psychological principles of classification may be made the basis for the grouping of emotions: i) emo- tions may be grouped according to the quality of the feelings entering into the emotions, 2) according to the intensity of these feelings, 3) according to the form of occurrence, this form being conditioned by the character and rate of the affective changes. 9. On the basis of quality of feelings we may distinguish certain fundamental emotional forms corresponding to the chief affective dimensions distinguished above (p. 91). This gives us pleasurable and unpleasurable emotions, exciting and quieting emotions, straining and relaxing emotions. It must be noted, however, that because of their more com- posite character the emotions are always, even more than the feelings, mixed forms. Generally only a single affective tendency can be called primary for a particular emotion. There are affective elements belonging to other dimensions which enter in as secondary elements. The secondary char- acter of such elements usually appears in the fact that under different conditions various sub-forms of the primary emotion may arise. Thus, for example, joy is primarily a pleasurable emotion. Ordinarily it is also exciting, since it intensifies the feelings, but when the feelings are too strong, it becomes a depressing emotion. Sorrow is an unpleasur- able emotion, generally of a depressing character; when the intensity of the feelings becomes somewhat greater, however,