A set of prevalent emotions, including pity, anger, guilt, pride (self-esteem), gratitude, and resignation, shares a common characteristic, i.e., causal attributions appear to be sufficient antecedents for their elicitation. Research in the field of emotions has shown that the underlying properties or dimensions of attributions are the significant determinants of these affective reactions. This relationship is pertinent to a number of issues in the study of emotion. The literature suggests that emotion takes a variety of formats, but all varieties rely on the verbal reports and judgments of the participants. Future research should include a systematic study of human emotions prevalent in everyday life, partly guided by the phenomenological method, and directed by the belief that cognitions are sufficient antecedents for feeling states. (JAC)