Nico Frijda
Encyclopedia
Nico Henri Frijda is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 psychologist and emeritus professor of the University of Amsterdam.

Life

Frijda studied psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 at the Gemeenteuniversiteit Amsterdam, where he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...

 in 1956 on the thesis title Understanding Facial Expressions. In 1965 he was appointed full professor. Frijda retired in 1992 to become emeritus professor.

Work

Frijda has devoted his career to human emotions. In his early career he focused on facial expressions, which was an acceptable approach in the then dominant behaviourist tradition in which emotions were considered epiphenomena. Frijda developed a multifocal theory of emotions with the concept of "action tendency" as focal issues. Emotions are, in this view, tendencies to engage in behaviour influenced by the needs of the person. This theory was outlined in detail in The Emotions (1986), his magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....

which was first published in English and two years later in a Dutch translation.

Works

  • De betekenis van de gelaatsexpressie (1956)
  • Gelaat en karakter (1958)
  • Post uit Friesland (1984)
  • The Emotions (1986) ISBN 0521301556 (hardcover); ISBN 0521316006 (paperback)
  • De wetten van het gevoel (1987) rede ter gelegenheid van de zevende Duijkerlezing
  • De emoties; een overzicht van onderzoek en theorie (1988) ISBN 9035107020
  • De psychologie heeft zin (1993) ISBN 9053331840
  • The Laws of Emotions (2006) (Nederlandse vertaling: januari 2008)
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