Silvan S. Tomkins

Exploring affect: Script theory

“In my script theory, the scene, a happening with a perceived beginning and end, is the basic unit of analysis. The whole connected set of scenes lived in sequence is called the plot of a life. The script, in contrast, does not deal with all the scenes or the plot of a life, but rather with the individuals rules for predicting, interpreting, responding to, and controlling a magnified set of scenes.”