Mortal Folly

 

Finn in Adventure Time, in Mortal Folly (S2E24) you can see appraisal theory of emotion play out very clearly.

Appraisal theory says that emotions don’t come straight from events themselves but from how we interpret those events. Finn's primary appraisal asks is this good or bad for me (or the people I care about)? Then comes his secondary appraisal do I have the power to deal with it? The mix of those two decisions is what creates the emotion.

For example in Mortal Folly. The Lich breaks free, and Finn instantly reads the situation as a massive threat to Ooo and to Bubblegum. That’s his primary appraisal. But then comes his secondary appraisal, he’s got Jake (his best friend and brother), a new weapon literally made for this, and every possible reason to fight. All these factors flips the emotion into courage. His fear doesn’t vanish, but it morph into determination because he believes.

Finn’s reaction shows exactly how appraisal theory works. His emotions aren’t random, they shift based on how he thinks about the situation and his own ability to handle it. Fear turns into courage not because the danger disappears, but because Finn believes he has the support needed to face it.