Emotionalism means "an inclination to rely on or place too much value on emotion." It could be argued that very few, if any, thinkers would call themselves "emotionalists", but rather that it would be a derogatory term applied to them, possibly for exhibiting a zeal demeanor, which may be interpreted as an appeal to emotion. Whether or not this is the case may vary from depending upon what is being presented.

In fine art, the term "emotionalism" refers to a style of painting which is expressionist with the goal of illicting humanitarinism and social responsibility from the viewer.