There is general agreement in the literature on emotions concerning their central role in many aspects of our every day life. In order to give an overview over the theoretical issues in the field of emotion psychology, we will define first of all emotion, as well as their components and functions, before we turn to differentiate between emotions, feelings, affects and moods. Following, the dimensional and categorical approaches of emotion will be distinguished, and an outline of classic and contemporary emotion theories will evidence a renewed interest in the neural processes underlying emotions. While both social psychological perspectives and the interest in neurophysiology represent actual intriguing prospects of emotion psychology, the dilemmas in the field will also be outlined.

Key words: emotions, psychology, affect