The purpose of this chapter is to consider the emergence and transformation of feelings in general and of hurt feelings in particular as subjectively experienced affects processed and transformed into observably expressed emotions according to salience theory (Fuller, 1967; Kagan, 2007; Rumbaugh & Washburn, 2003) and hierarchical RCT (Cusinato & L’Abate, in press; L’Abate, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009a; L’Abate et al., 2010; L’Abate & Cusinato, 2007). More specifically, here I will consider hurt feelings in a manner that parallels Rumbaugh and Washburn’s (2003) treatment of emergent responses and emergent problem-solving generated by processes initiated by salient events. Rumbaugh and Washburn (2003) have shown how in primates new, unexpected, and creative behaviors not previously thought of, taught, or even learned arise and emerge into newly creative behaviors without conditioning or reinforcement. Panksepp (2008), by the same token, has shown how animals, including rats, do indeed have affective feelings that can be elicited as they are elicited in human beings. L’Abate (2005) stressed the importance of emotionality from the very outset of RCT, as shown in Chapter 13 of this volume.

These emergent affective feelings are salient and lie dormant in the organism until or unless favorable proximal and distal contextual factors allow or encourage their emergence. Rumbaugh and Washburn (2003) focused their efforts and research on intelligent problem-solving and other cognitive functions, but did not focus as yet on the role of affective feelings in their emergence as emotions. Affective feelings, therefore, can be conceived as internally salient, passively receptive, subjectively experienced, psycho-physiological emergents elicited when specific internal or external conditions or stimuli arise. These feelings are transformed into expressed emotions once words are added or available to name such feelings (Barrett et al., 2007; Buchanan, 2007; Coan & Allen, 2007; Frijda, 2009; Lewis, 2008; Mascolo & Griffin, 1998; Panksepp, 2008; Saarni, 1999).