A well-developed appreciation of emotions is absolutely essential for
sociology because no action can occur in a society without emotional
involvement. Jack Barbalet (2002:2) Why we engage in what we do is a
consuming passion of our existence. Motivations are searched for,
discussed, lamented and sometimes even wished away. A range of labels,
descriptors, markers, terms, signs and symbols are invoked to explicate
the why. This is particularly the case with the cluster of e- tion terms
that are employed to explain our passions. Riven with anger, driven
insane by jealousy, wracked with guilt, leaden with sorrow, twitching
with an- ety, tormented by angst--these all speak to the way passion and
action are linked or, in other words, how our emotions sign post the
world. It is intriguing that we have such a range of emotional states,
feelings and passions, that have, to a large extent, gone un-theorised.
This is especially the case with specific, individual emotions and their
role in social life. While some of the emotions or passions have been
the subject of academic inquiry and debate, such as shame (Braithwaite,
1989), love (Cancian, 1987) or trust (Misztal, 1996), one, in
particular, has a curious absence: loyalty. If, as Barbalet (2002:2)
posits, emotions are central to social action, then the emotions offer a
window into the why and how of social interaction.
