Appraisal Theory of Emotion posits that emotions arise from individuals’ evaluations of events in relation to their goals, concerns, and coping resources, rather than from events themselves. A foundational assumption of the theory is that identical situations may elicit different emotions depending on how they are appraised by different individuals. This perspective was first articulated by Arnold (1960), who argued that emotion is fundamentally based on an appraisal of the relationship between the individual and the environment. Emotions therefore reflect subjective meaning, not objective stimulus properties.

Lazarus further formalized this idea in his cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; Lazarus, 1991). According to this framework, appraisal is a continuous, transactional process through which individuals evaluate whether an event is relevant to their well-being and congruent with their goals. Primary appraisal concerns the significance of an event, including whether it is perceived as irrelevant, beneficial, or stressful. Stressful encounters may be appraised as harm or loss (damage already done), threat (anticipated harm), or challenge (potential for growth). Secondary appraisal focuses on perceived coping potential, including control, responsibility, and future expectations. Together, these appraisals shape the quality and intensity of emotional responses. Importantly, emotions are not viewed as automatic reflexes but as dynamic outcomes of ongoing evaluative processes.

Scherer’s Component Process Model extends appraisal theory by proposing that emotions result from a sequence of appraisal checks that operate at multiple levels of processing (Scherer et al., 2001). These checks assess dimensions such as novelty, goal relevance, coping potential, and normative significance. The model integrates cognitive appraisal with physiological responses, expressive behavior, and subjective feeling, emphasizing that emotions unfold over time through coordinated components rather than as discrete states.

Beyond its theoretical contribution, appraisal theory has been widely applied in marketing and advertising research. Consumer emotions toward advertisements are understood as consequences of how marketing stimuli are appraised in relation to personal goals, values, and situational constraints. Bagozzi et al. (1999) argue that emotions mediate the relationship between cognitive evaluations and consumer responses such as attitudes and intentions. Advertising messages that are perceived as goal-congruent and manageable tend to elicit positive emotions, whereas incongruent or overwhelming messages may generate irritation or avoidance. Appraisal theory thus provides a robust framework for explaining individual variability in emotional reactions to identical marketing stimuli and highlights the importance of context, timing, and message framing in persuasive communication.

References

Arnold, M. B. (1960). Emotion and personality. Columbia University Press.

Bagozzi, R. P., Gopinath, M., & Nyer, P. U. (1999). The role of emotions in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27(2), 184–206.

Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Progress on a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion. American Psychologist, 46(8), 819–834.

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.

Scherer, K. R., Schorr, A., & Johnstone, T. (Eds.). (2001). Appraisal processes in emotion: Theory, methods, research. Oxford University Press.