Emotions and feelings are invariable companions of a person that appear in response to stimuli and events in the outside world, as well as internal thought processes. This theme has been studied by psychologists since time immemorial, but it cannot be said that it has been thoroughly studied.
Definition of concepts
Emotions and feelings form the basis of the human inner world. These are mental processes that are a reflection of reality in the form of experiences. And they demonstrate a degree of satisfaction of human needs.
Feelings are a state that reflects our attitude towards ourselves and others. This is a subjective indicator of individual satisfaction with external circumstances. Experts say that feelings are inherent only to man. Moreover, the nature of the course of the feelings of different people are not the same.
Emotions are manifestations by which a feeling is revealed. For example, if a person loves music - this is a feeling. When he hears a beautiful melody, he experiences a positive emotion of "pleasure", and if the performance is false, the listener experiences a negative emotion of "indignation".
What is the difference between feelings and emotions
These two categories are closely interconnected, so people rarely think that this is not the same thing. And there is no unity among scientists on this issue. You can imagine them as different parts of one whole. Let us try to explain in general terms how the feelings differ from emotions. For convenience, we will draw up the material in the form of a table.
| Emotions | Feelings |
| Manifest in specific situations, reflecting the individual’s attitude to himself or his environment, not being attached to specific objects | Arise on the basis of simple emotions |
| Congenital spontaneous reaction to an external stimulus | Formed in the process of acquiring life experience |
| A person is aware of the cause of emotions | It is almost impossible to assess the origin and degree of fullness of feeling |
| Short-term, quickly replace each other | Remain relevant over a long period of time |
| The same emotions can express completely different feelings. | Do not change depending on external context |
Experiences: main groups
All human activities are accompanied by the manifestation of feelings and emotions. There are a great many of them. But the most common are these pairs of emotional experiences:
- Pleasure and discontent. These emotions are associated with the degree of satisfaction of human needs.
- Tension and relief. The first emotion is associated with the appearance of something unfamiliar or a change in the usual way of life. When this process ends, relief comes.
- Arousal and calm. When an impulse arrives in the cerebral cortex, the brain centers are activated. When the cortex begins to slow down impulses, calming sets in.
Kinds of states
Feelings and emotions can occur with different durations and degrees of intensity. In this regard, we can distinguish the following main types of emotional states:
- Mood - a state of weak or medium strength, as well as significant stability. May remain unchanged from several hours to several months. This is a general condition that does not concern any particular event, but determines all the experience, affects behavior and physical activity.
- Affect is a very strong, stormy and short-term state. The actions that accompany him resemble an “explosion”. This, as a rule, manifests itself in erratic intermittent speech and violent movements. But there may be a reverse reaction - tension and stiffness. The state of affect is accompanied by a temporary loss of will and self-control, as a result of which a person commits rash acts.
- Inspiration has great power and is characterized by a striving for a certain type of activity (mobilization of physical and mental forces). It occurs when a person has a clear idea of the mode of action and the expected results. Inspiration can take collective forms.
- Stress is a persistent excessive psychological stress that occurs as a result of an overload of the nervous system or exposure to extreme conditions. The condition is accompanied by heart palpitations, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, disorganization of behavior.
- Frustration is a disorganization of consciousness and activity caused by the presence of insurmountable obstacles to the goal. As a result, there is an internal conflict between the aspiration of the individual and real opportunities. As a rule, frustration is accompanied by a strong nervous shock, which is expressed in the form of frustration, depression, indifference, self-flagellation or bitterness.
Main emotions
Emotions and feelings in psychology have been studied for several centuries. They are so multifaceted and numerous that it is difficult to single out any base. For example, according to Isard, the main human emotions are as follows (see table).
| Emotion | Color | Description |
| Interest | Positive | Encourages replenishment of knowledge, development of skills |
| Joy | Positive | It is connected with the possibility of full satisfaction of actual needs after a period of uncertainty |
| Surprise | Positive / negative | Response to sudden circumstances. Has the ability to inhibit other experiences, feelings, emotions |
| Suffering | Negative | The reaction to receiving information about the impossibility of meeting an urgent need, which was optimistic up to a certain point |
| Anger | Negative | Responding to a sudden obstacle to meeting a need or achieving goals |
| Disgust | Negative | A condition caused by a collision with an object or situation that is contrary to moral principles and other principles |
| Contempt | Negative | It is born due to the inconsistency of life positions of individuals |
| Fear | Negative | Appears in response to information about a possible threat to life, health and well-being. |
| Shame | Negative | Emotion is caused by the discrepancy of beliefs, actions and appearance with the expectations of others and their own desires |
Basic feelings
As you can see, the list of human emotions and feelings is quite extensive. Among the latter, it is worth paying close attention to the following (see table).
| Feeling | Color | Description |
| Sympathy | Positive | Sustainable positive attitude towards a subject or group of subjects, manifested in goodwill, admiration, desire to communicate |
| Attachment | Positive | Sense of intimacy based on enduring sympathy |
| friendship | Positive | Selective attachment associated with the need for communication with a specific subject |
| Love | Positive | Stable emotional attitude caused by a passion for the subject |
| Hostility | Negative | Unfriendly attitude due to conflict or emotional incompatibility |
| Envy | Negative | Hostility towards the material and moral superiority of the subject |
| Jealousy | Negative | Suspicious attitude to the subject caused by doubts about his commitment to feelings and commitments made |
| Happiness | Positive | The state of internal satisfaction with living conditions and the fulfillment of human destiny |
Functions of human senses and emotions
Most people underestimate the importance of the emotional component in their lives. Nevertheless, it has a significant impact on absolutely all areas of activity. Here are the functions that emotions and feelings perform in psychology:
- Signal (or communicative) - emotional manifestations are accompanied by motor, facial, vegetative activity. Such manifestations give others an understanding of exactly what emotions you are experiencing.
- Regulatory - steady experiences guide a person’s behavior and support his specific orientation. The regulatory mechanism reduces emotional arousal, transforming heat into tears, respiratory reflexes, facial expressions and so on.
- Reflective (or evaluative) - expresses a generalized assessment of reality. Thanks to this, a person forms an attitude to surrounding objects and phenomena, as well as his own actions.
- Incentive (or stimulating) - implies a sensory direction that provides a solution to pressing problems. Experience gives a person an image of an object that can satisfy needs.
- Reinforcing - provides fast and reliable memorization of events that cause strong emotional reactions. Moreover, this is accompanied by love or hostility to any objects or activities.
- Switching - manifests itself in the case of competition of motives in order to determine dominant needs (for example, fluctuations between a sense of duty and fear).
- Adaptive - establishing the significance of certain conditions to meet needs.
table of correspondence
Each feeling gives rise to a huge amount of emotions. In this regard, psychologists conducted some generalization and grouping. As a result, a table of feelings and emotions appeared, which will help us understand what exactly you are experiencing in a particular situation.
| Anger | Fear | Sadness | Joy | Love |
Rabies Hatred Anger Contempt Resentment Vulnerability Envy Disturbance Disgust Hostility Annoyance Jealousy Indignation Irritation Hysterics Fury | Horror Fright Suspicion Fear Confusion Wines Embarrassment Overwhelmed Broken Fear Doubt Perplexity Humiliation Anxiety Anxiety Numbness Despair | Bitterness A pity Despair Heartache Estrangement Shock Boredom Sadness Hopelessness Regret Disappointment Helplessness Detachment | Happiness Glee Revitalization Enthusiasm Care Excitation Hope Impatience Amazement Vera Curiosity Anticipation Expectation Interest Appeasement Delight | Tenderness Sympathy The trust Thanks Sympathy Pride Respect Love Charm Sincerity Kindness Friendliness Delight Calm Bliss |
Basic Theories of Emotion
The development of emotions and feelings occurred in parallel with the development of human civilization. And from time immemorial, scientists have been interested in the origin and nature of this phenomenon. Here are the basic theories explaining the emergence of emotions:
- Darwin's evolutionary theory. It consists in the fact that emotions have a historically determined physiological manifestation, which is either useful or has a residual character. For example, experiencing anger, a man instinctively clenches his fists, preparing for a fight, like his distant ancestors.
- Wundt Associative Theory. Emotions are internal changes under the direct influence of the senses. So, facial expressions and gestures arose in connection with elementary sensations, and higher feelings developed later. Nevertheless, when any emotions arise, the body reacts associatively, taking as a basis some kind of lower-level similar feeling.
- James - Lange peripheral theory. Emotions are directly related to physiological reactions. For example, joy is accompanied by increased motor innervation and vasodilation, which causes laughter, loud speech and active gestures.
- Psychoanalytic theory of Freud. The world of feelings and emotions is based on drives and motivating factors. Sensual manifestations are a direct consequence of unconscious instincts.
- Weinbaum's Vascular Theory. The facial muscles are in close interaction with cerebral circulation. Thus, the muscles can regulate blood flow, increasing or weakening the flow of blood to the brain, causing certain emotional reactions.
Emotional properties
Moods, feelings and emotions in different people appear differently and with different intensities. This is due to emotional properties. This is what it is all about:
- Emotional excitability - a person’s willingness to respond to various stimuli. The hormone adrenaline has a significant effect on this characteristic.
- Emotional depth is the degree of intensity of sensory manifestations.
- Emotional rigidity - stability ("viscosity") of emotions, feelings, attitude to something, caused by the fixation of attention on significant events.
- Emotional stability - the stability of the human nervous system to conditions that stimulate the generation of feelings.
- Expressiveness is the degree of manifestation of emotions.
Emotion Management Tips
To infinity, you can continue the list of feelings and emotions. All of them daily and hourly cover a person, permeating all spheres of his activity. Here's how to control emotional manifestations and reduce their negative effects:
- Focusing on tactical tasks, not global goals.
- Revaluation of the significance of the event or action in the direction of decreasing its materiality.
- Search for additional information aimed at eliminating uncertainty.
- Expanding the time frame for achieving goals in case it is impossible to obtain momentary results.
- The habit of a thorough analysis of the situation in writing in order to search for positive points.
- Listening to calm harmonious music.
- Positive facial expressions and gestures in response to negative experiences.
- The development of a sense of humor.
- Muscle relaxation.