Emotions have their place in a healthy human response system. An important place in functioning well. Let's look at a few of the primary emotions:
Interest
The emotion of interest is elicited by fulfilling a consciously perceived need.
I hadn't thought of interest as an emotion; but I can see how it functions as a primary element of human survival.
If you are hungry, you might be interested in food. If you are curious about something, you might be interested in finding out more about it. Investigating.
Interest is a powerful emotion which engages us in our world. Healthy people are interested in their environments.
Pleasure
Closely aligned with interest is pleasure. We are all aware of "the pleasure principle". We seek pleasure and eschew pain. Like interest, pleasure is the fulfillment of a need. Pleasure can range from simple satisfaction to ecstasy.
Abusing substances is an unhealthy, unbalanced choice in eliciting pleasure. It is understandable, from a chemical basis, why we do it; but there are other healthier, better choices.
The emotion of pleasure is a powerful motivator to repeat the kinds of behaviour that gave us pleasure in the past. It is important to identify the healthy things that give us pleasure and build those things into our lives.
Surprise
The emotion of surprise occurs when something happens that we don't expect. We feel surprise when an unforeseen event throws us off balance, and for a moment, we don't know how to react.
As with all emotions, there are varying degrees of intensity. Mild to intense. Accordingly, surprise will be followed by various reactions--from a ruffled indifference (shrugging your shoulders) to evasive tactics on which your life may depend (jumping back to the curb as a car speeds by).
To be continued...
Interest
The emotion of interest is elicited by fulfilling a consciously perceived need.
I hadn't thought of interest as an emotion; but I can see how it functions as a primary element of human survival.
If you are hungry, you might be interested in food. If you are curious about something, you might be interested in finding out more about it. Investigating.
Interest is a powerful emotion which engages us in our world. Healthy people are interested in their environments.
Pleasure
Closely aligned with interest is pleasure. We are all aware of "the pleasure principle". We seek pleasure and eschew pain. Like interest, pleasure is the fulfillment of a need. Pleasure can range from simple satisfaction to ecstasy.
Abusing substances is an unhealthy, unbalanced choice in eliciting pleasure. It is understandable, from a chemical basis, why we do it; but there are other healthier, better choices.
The emotion of pleasure is a powerful motivator to repeat the kinds of behaviour that gave us pleasure in the past. It is important to identify the healthy things that give us pleasure and build those things into our lives.
Surprise
The emotion of surprise occurs when something happens that we don't expect. We feel surprise when an unforeseen event throws us off balance, and for a moment, we don't know how to react.
As with all emotions, there are varying degrees of intensity. Mild to intense. Accordingly, surprise will be followed by various reactions--from a ruffled indifference (shrugging your shoulders) to evasive tactics on which your life may depend (jumping back to the curb as a car speeds by).
To be continued...
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