The Functions of Emotion in Decision Making and Decision Avoidance

This chapter argues for a broader consideration of the effects of emotion on decisions, called emotion-constructed decision making. Unlike the standard model, which views emotion as simply one input into decisions, the model advanced in this paper suggests that emotions influences decisions at multiple points, and in more complex ways than typically considered. For example, emotions are involved before the inception of a decision, in determining whether an individual will percieve the need for a decision, in implementing decisions, and in avoiding decisions. Examples of these various roles and how they might be explored in research are discussed. A special emphasis is placed on the role of emotions in decision avoidance, and a new classification of types of decision avoidance is proposed and discussed.