Richard Lazarus

Richard Lazarus was a psychologist known for his work on stress and emotions. He proposed that our emotional reactions are shaped by how we interpret or evaluate a situation. This process, called cognitive appraisal, involves assessing whether an event is threatening, manageable, or irrelevant, which then determines our emotional response. Lazarus's model emphasizes that our thoughts and perceptions, rather than the events themselves, largely influence how we feel and respond. His work helps explain why people react differently to the same situation and has applications in mental health, stress management, and understanding human behavior.