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If we are ever to have a general theory of how the psychotherapeutic process works, it is clear that such a theory must be based on a widely accepted theory of emotions. But it is equally apparent that at the present time there is no general acceptance of even a few competing theories. This situation is particularly puzzling, since it would be hard to find a psychoanalyst who does not regard the patient's and the analyst's emotions (affects) as fundamental to understanding their communications, particularly the content of the stories patients tell about their lives, their childhood experiences, and their relationship with the analyst.
It is further puzzling because Freud (1915) provided what he regarded as the three dimensions basic to all mental life: SubjectObject, Pleasure-Unpleasure, and Active-Passive. These are the basis of the classification system offered here. Figure 1 shows a threedimensional tree with examples of emotions for each of the eight resulting categories. As Freud emphasized, the Subject-Object dimension (here called IT-ME) is preeminent because it implies the crucial distinction between ourselves and the objects we interact with. In empirical studies, when subjects are given large lists of emotion words to classify on these dimensions, they are able to do so with reliabilities in the high nineties on each dimension. The dimensions are completely uncorrelated with one another (i.e., they are independent). The display will show many additional facts about the classifications.
The information feedback theory of the functions of emotions emphasizes the crucial distinction between the functions of the IT and the ME emotions. The theory is based on the concept of IT emotions as wishes and ME emotions as beliefs about their outcome. Figure 2 illustrates the theory graphically, with two different outcomes. The theory regards emotional wishes as having the crucial characteristics of appetitive wishes that require consummatory behaviors to satisfy them. If