Tornado Preparedness of Students,Nonstudent Renters,and Nonstudent Owners: Issues of PrE Theory1

Previous research has indicated that certain characteristics appear to affect the extent to which populations prepare for natural hazards. In an effort to investigate the effects of the mechanisms of PrE theory on the relationship between population characteristics and preparedness actions, relevant data were assessed for 3 separate population types. Results indicated that homeowners were more prepared for tornadoes than were renters, who in turn were more prepared for tornadoes than were students. Furthermore. homeowners appraised their preparedness resources as greater than the perceived threat of a tornado. and felt more responsible for preparing for tornadoes than did renters; who in turn appraised their preparedness resources as greater than the perceived threat of a tornado, and felt more responsible for preparing for tornadoes than did students.     

Is love a “basic” emotion?

This article documents the neglect of love in many contemporary emotion theories, despite its prominence in the lay psychology of emotion. We argue that love should be considered a basic emotion, like anger, sadness, happiness, and fear. We discuss the criteria that various theorists use to distinguish basic from nonbasic emotions, and we marshal arguments and evidence from a variety of sources suggesting that love fits the criteria for basicness. We conclude that a number of controversies over the status of love can be resolved by distinguishing between the momentary surge form of love, a basic emotion having properties similar to joy, sadness, fear, etc., and relational love, a bond that develops between people, associated with states that include not only surge love, but many other emotions such as distress and anxiety. Finally, we suggest that “love” is the broad, everyday name for emotions related to three interrelated behavioral systems discussed by Bowlby (1979): attachment, caregiving, and sex.