TOWARD SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF EMOTIONS

Abstract

Relying on theoretical and research approaches that developed in the last thirty years in the area of sociology of emotions, in the introductory part of the work I am introducing issues that served as the starting point for introducing the phenomenon of emotions into sociological discourse. I continue to give criticism of stated theoretical contributions, state their limitations regarding inadequate sociological conceptualization of emotions, as well as give attention to possible overlapping of all approaches. After this I am proposing guidelines that would lead toward sociological definition of emotions as social facts, so that emotions would be conceptualized not only through micro but also macro sociology, which would enable their connection with key sociological terms such as social order, structure and function as well as meaning and action. I conclude with the assumption that the dialogue between all theoretical scopes within sociology that deal in emotions is crucial for further efforts to understand the connection between modern social events, relation toward life and emotions, and also that such dialogue is possible if basic sociological conceptualization of emotions is established.