Appraisal: definition and example
In emotion research, an appraisal is your evaluation of what a situation means for you: is it good or bad for my goals, who caused it, and can I cope? Appraisal theories hold that these evaluations, more than the event itself, shape which emotion you feel.
Editorially checked
Explore your emotions and relationships with the free EQTiger assessment.
By EQTiger Editorial. Review status: needs-expert-review. Qualified review is pending; the date records an editorial check.
The idea in brief
Moors, Ellsworth, Scherer, and Frijda trace appraisal theories back to Magda Arnold in 1960 and Richard Lazarus in 1966, and set out to describe the design features these theories share (Moors and colleagues, 2013). The common thread: emotions follow from how a person evaluates an event in relation to their concerns, not from the event alone.
One event, three appraisals
Your flight is canceled. Appraise it as someone else's fault that blocks an important goal, and you are likely to feel anger. Appraise it as a threat you may not be able to handle, such as missing a job interview, and anxiety is more likely. Appraise it as an unexpected free evening in a city you like, and you might feel something closer to relief. Same cancellation, different evaluations.
Common appraisal questions
Appraisal theories typically describe a handful of checks people make, often in a split second: Is this relevant to me? Is it good or bad for what I want? Who or what caused it? Can I cope with it? Different combinations of answers line up with different emotions, which is why the same event can produce anger in one person and fear in another.
Why it matters for everyday EQ
If appraisals shape emotions, then checking an appraisal can change a feeling. That is the logic behind cognitive reappraisal. A useful question when a reaction feels outsized: "What did I just decide this means about me or my goals?"
Appraisal theory is one of several views. Compare basic emotions and constructed emotion for other accounts of where feelings come from.
Back to the glossary or emotions A to Z, or start the free assessment for adult self-reflection. Not therapy or a mental-health screening. EQTiger does not diagnose.
Research notes
- Agnes Moors, Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Klaus R. Scherer, Nico H. Frijda (2013). Appraisal theories of emotion: state of the art and future development. Emotion Review. Introduces an Emotion Review special issue on appraisal theories of emotion, tracing the approach to Arnold (1960) and Lazarus (1966) and setting out to describe the shared design features of theories that can be called appraisal theories. archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:97856
Related
- No. 01EQ glossaryThe words behind emotional intelligence, defined.
- No. 02Cognitive reappraisalCognitive reappraisal is changing how you interpret a situation so that its emotional impact changes, for example reading a terse email as rushed rather than hostile.
- No. 03Basic emotionsBasic emotions theory holds that a small set of emotions, often listed as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, and surprise, evolved to handle fundamental life tasks and each has its own recognizable signal and physiology.
- No. 04Constructed emotionThe theory of constructed emotion proposes that emotions are not fixed circuits triggered by events but are built in the moment by the brain, which combines body sensations with past experience and learned emotion concepts to make sense of what is happening.
- No. 05Core affectCore affect is the most basic layer of feeling: whether you feel pleasant or unpleasant and how energized or drained you are at a given moment.
- No. 06Emotional Intelligence Test: Free EQ AssessmentExplore your emotional choices with a free 36-item assessment for adults. Get a profile summary and strongest area, then choose whether to unlock the full report.
Your next 9 minutes
Understand your emotions.
36 questions about everyday moments. A fresh starting point for reflection.
Free to take. Full report $6.95. One-time payment. No subscription.