Emotions are what distinguishes a person from a soulless robot. They are not always able to be controlled, but they very strongly influence our life and regulate thinking, perception, behavior. From birth, each of us experiences a whole range of emotions. They reflect the subjective meaning of situations and appear in our consciousness in the form of experiences. In this article, we will examine what kind of mental emotional processes exist and how they manifest in our lives.
The origin of emotions
Among the most necessary reactions of the body are:
- instincts
- motives
- reflexes
- emotions.
According to some theories, initially our ancestors existed with the help of the first two. Motives indicated which way to move. For example, a person wanted to eat - went hunting. Instincts and reflexes made it possible to obtain food, build a monastery. But there was a clear problem. It was difficult for an individual to train his offspring without an emotional connection. It took too much time. It was difficult for mom to understand why the baby was whimpering. And he, in turn, did not fully realize who was in front of him and what to expect from this person. And although an emotional connection does not arise in a matter of seconds, the stronger it becomes, the more understanding comes.
So, based on data from modern research, it can be assumed that the origin of emotions is connected with this. In addition, it was very difficult for our ancestors to communicate with each other. A conversation without emotional support sometimes raised more questions than answers.
Main classification
The human body is complex and multifaceted. And the brain and the processes that take place in it are still the most difficult to study area. The difficulty lies in the fact that each person has a purely individual character. It is difficult to find two people with the same manifestations of all processes. To a greater extent, differences are influenced by genetic characteristics, and the society in which the personality grows. So, in psychology, the following types of mental processes are known:
- cognitive
- strong-willed,
- emotional.
It is the latter that will be the subject of our study.
Throughout life, we encounter various manifestations of emotional processes: joy, fear, anxiety, anger, irritation, etc. More often than not, we don’t even think why this happens. Rather, we subconsciously know the reason, but do not quite understand what processes in our body control emotions. Moreover, we cannot control some of them at all.
But before we consider what types of mental emotional processes are divided into, it should be noted that various researchers classify them differently. In general, 4 types are distinguished:
- Affects.
- Emotions
- Feelings.
- Mood.
How do they differ?
Affects
Have you ever heard that any crime was committed in a state of passion? These mental emotional processes are short-term and intense. They are accompanied by sudden movements, changes in facial expressions and even a violation in the work of some organs. Affect is an unconscious objective assessment of a certain situation. This process is characterized by high intensity and short duration. It is also worth noting that affect occurs on an already existing situation and is a protective function of the body. As a rule, an individual is not ready for events that begin to occur, which is why he falls into a stupor.
The beginning of this process is characterized by increased heart rate, respiration. Blood vessel spasm, increased sweating, decreased salivation and impaired motor function are also possible. Affect is a unique process that allows you to identify whether a person is lying or telling the truth. By its principle, a lie detector works. But in ancient China, a person who was suspected of lying had to put a handful of rice in his mouth and listen to what he was accused of. If the rice remained dry - it means lying, and if wet - it tells the truth.
Strong affect disturbs perception and thinking, and can also cause clouding of consciousness and amnesia. Such a mental emotional process may include fear. The person stiffens, the heart begins to beat faster, his legs give way. Such a reaction to danger occurs reflexively and only if there was no “fear” emotion before it.
Another interesting process to study is anger. The origin of the emotion is difficult to name for sure, because for different situations, the reasons will be very different. But in general, it is a negatively colored affect that is directed against injustice or incorrectness in actions.
Emotions
These mental processes are less intense, but longer. Like many other mental phenomena, they are not fully understood. Different scientists in their own way see these processes and classify them. But in general terms, even without special knowledge in the field of psychology, the following types can be distinguished:
- positive
- negative;
- neutral
- static
- dynamic.
Considering emotions from the point of view of physiology, we can conclude that this is a state of brain structures that induces a change in behavior in the direction of minimizing or maximizing its manifestations. In other words, these processes adapt the body to the environment. For example, if a person experiences an emotion such as fear, the body begins to prepare for the "avoidance behavior." At this time, the work of the sensory organs intensifies, muscles tighten, adrenaline is released.
Scientists also found that each emotion has its own characteristic involuntary facial expressions. For example, when a person regrets something, he lowers the corners of his lips. And when, on the contrary, he is happy, he smiles. Moreover, there is mimic feedback. Arbitrary movements of the lips, eyebrows can cause this or that emotion. That's why scientists advise smiling as often as possible. After all, it can “call” such emotions into your life:
In turn, according to some theories, being in a state of euphoria can bring a lot of good events to life.
Everything in the world is painted in black and white. Everything cannot and always be bright and joyful. Negative emotions occupy the same place in people's lives as positive ones. And even if a person is cheerful, there are also manifestations of resentment, sadness, although, perhaps, this is not particularly noticeable to others. But the less negative emotions you experience, the better your mood.
Mood
This kind of emotions is considered the longest. Although in fact, a change in the psychoemotional state of a person can occur very sharply and several times a day. Under the mood also understand the impression of a movie or a melody heard. This type of process can also mean aspirations, attitudes, desires. Mood determines the general line of human life. Unlike affects, it is very easy to hide.
On the other hand, if emotions, for example, are a response to certain events, then the etiology of mood cannot always be understood. Sometimes a person is just sad. And the reason why this happens, he does not know. Lingering bad mood often leads to depression. Often, this process is affected by the physiological state. For example, when a person has something that hurts, he has a bad mood. Fatigue, disturbances in the endocrine system can also affect.
Pessimism and optimism
According to scientists, it is these forms of assessment of situations that clearly demonstrate the relationship between the mental state and emotional processes. So, for example, the properties of temperament determine the emotional response to a particular situation. An optimist is a cheerful person. In any situation, he will seek his pluses. Accordingly, this will affect the mental state in a particular situation. For example, if a wallet is stolen from him, instead of “anger” emotion, he will feel “regret”.
The exact opposite of an optimist is a pessimist. This person, even in the most harmless situations, sees danger, a problem, in general - a negative. He often experiences anguish, anger, irritation. Pessimists are prone to frequent panic attacks and depression. Negative emotions prevail in their lives, which further exacerbates their complex lives.
Feelings
This group of emotional mental processes in psychology reflects an estimated attitude to events or objects and, of course, it is necessarily subjective. Human feelings can gain intensity and fade away. And everything will depend not so much on the environment that surrounds it, but on the people (animals) that are nearby.
From the previous three emotional mental processes, feelings differ in that they are tied, as a rule, to objects, and not to any situation. For example, if a person experiences fear, it is an emotion. But if he is afraid of a spider, then this feeling.
They can appear both in relation to real objects, and to abstract. In addition, these processes can include a whole set of a variety of emotions and their logical connection. For example, a feeling of envy is formed on the basis of contempt, anger, resentment. But what unites them is that the envious person wants to be in the place of another person, dreams of his achievements.
Friendship is also considered a feeling. But it can manifest itself in completely different ways. One day it will be accompanied by joy and fun, and on another - by tears and resentment.
"It's one step from love to hatred"
In the IV century BC. e. Aristotle accurately described the concept of feelings. Yes, they can be long and no. And most interestingly, they can instantly acquire the opposite color. A feeling of love can turn into hatred, and trust can turn into caution. And all this happens in one instant, when a person evaluates the situation and instantly makes a decision.
It is important to understand that the same feeling can manifest itself in different ways in different people. This is influenced by the nature of the individual, goals, aspirations, as well as upbringing. In addition, many feelings are difficult to explain. Different people can describe the same word with a thousand different words. For example, one of the fundamental and common themes in world culture and art is: "What is love." And answers to this question can be found in huge numbers in a wide variety of literature.
Mobilization and Survival Function
We have already found out that throughout life a person experiences a whole range of different moods, feelings, emotions. But how does all this work and, most importantly, why? To do this, it is worthwhile to carefully study the functions of emotional mental processes.
Most often they appear at the physiological level. For example, when a person feels fear, a certain portion of adrenaline is thrown into the blood. And he, in turn, is responsible for the physiological response "run or hit."
In any case, the body, when receiving a certain signal, focuses all efforts in order to overcome the negative situation. That is why in stressful situations we do not always control emotions. But they rule us, and in most cases it can save our lives. In stressful situations, decisions need to be made lightning fast, and logical thinking is not capable of this.
Communication, solving important problems and the role of intelligence
The following functions are communication and the solution of important tasks. Of course, emotions help us communicate, convey feelings and moods. This is especially important between loved ones. For example, a mother, having heard the crying of a child, realizes that it hurts, and hurries to the rescue. Emotions make it possible to understand how a person evaluates society. Sometimes a few glances from the crowd are enough to understand that a person has something wrong with his appearance. The same applies to the other side of the coin - approval, admiration.
Some psychologists put emotional processes on a par with intelligence. Only in this case is this its highest manifestation. Positive emotions and their occurrence enhance the needs of the individual, and negative emotions, on the contrary, reduce the intensity. This is how the necessary tasks are solved. Although it often happens that emotions interfere with making the right decision. And it concerns feelings. Attachment to another person makes you close your eyes to many things. That is why people so often forgive betrayal, betrayal.
Rational and emotional thinking are closely related. They allow us to gain experience and use it in the future. At the subconscious level, the "emotional brain." He can analyze the situation for a long time. Rational thinking, in turn, helps to make a decision based on past experience.
It often happens that an individual cannot choose whom he needs to listen to. For example, emotional thinking tells him that you need to relax and rest, the body's strength to the limit. A person feels really tired and overwhelmed. On the other hand, rational thinking is connected: “We need to work, we cannot fail this project.” And then you have to choose between two evils. The predominance of certain decisions in a person’s life also shows his attitude to various situations. The hard worker always listens to rational thinking, and the lazy person will not restrain the manifestation of emotions.
For this reason, successful people have a very strong and persistent character. They always keep emotions under control and know how to manage them. If emotional processes completely prevail over a person, his existence will very much resemble the life cycle of an amoeba.
However, their function in people's lives should not be underestimated. Emotions are associated with that unconscious part, which is called intuition, scent. The algorithm of her work is not yet fully understood. Nevertheless, scientists have concluded that intuition is closely related to a person’s experience and his emotional state. Full control over your feelings can close these amazing abilities.
The structure of emotional mental processes is quite complex and it is not always easy to explain. But people who are controlled by mood, and not logic, are more creative and extraordinary personalities. They draw, sing, dance beautifully - and all thanks to the wide range of emotions that they feel every day.