Emotion as a factor in memory retention is reviewed, beginning with the Yerkes-Dodson Law and progressing to coverage of the effects of emotion on episodic recall. Critical issues concerning the conceptualization of emotion are examined such as the distinction between the effects of emotion vs. extra rehearsal of emotion-inducing events, as well as ecological differences between the experience of real life emotional events and those simulated under laboratory conditions. The mechanisms by which emotion may operate to strengthen memory coding are considered in the case of flashbulb memories, the reoccurring memories of those experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, and the role of the amygdala in influencing consolidation and ongoing storage of emotional content. Schank, 1982 and Schank, 1982 model detailing the relationship between goals and memory content is further considered with respect to the relation between emotion and the generation of goals. The chapter concludes by posing a number of questions about the emotional nature of memory and the implications of these questions for a definitive understanding of human memory.