OLIGÔRIA: The Philosophy of Emotion
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OLIGÔRIA: THE PHILOSOPHY OF EMOTION
by Ronald Michael Quijano
Dedicated to Julienne Miranda, a dear friend.
Emotions are fundamental in human nature. It is the characteristic embedded deep in our DNA that serves a function; to survive. If we think about it, appetite and emotion link us to the rest of the animal kingdom. However petty these emotions are, it serves a purpose. Whether personal, social, or spiritual, these emotions are the natural responses to stimuli we encounter daily. Emotions can be short-lived - a momentary reaction to a certain situation that will abruptly leave our senses - or can be long-term - a traumatic experience that shaped our emotional capacity to be whatever it is today. For all we know, we feel because we must. We react because we should. We can trace these anthropomorphic characteristics in understanding the science of evolution by natural selection as proposed by Charles Darwin. Emotion helps us to survive during the primal era. Emotion helps us to respond quickly to conditions that would put us in danger if thorough reflection is performed. Fear is fundamental to our survival; it keeps us alive and kicking. While other emotions serve their crucial functions in our lives, fear is the one that’s making us conscious and emotional. This complex combination helps us avoid danger and increases our chances of survival. Joseph Le Doux supports this idea in his book “Rethinking the Emotional Brain” with the notion that the fear response is triggered by the amygdala in the brain, which interprets information about potential threats and activates the body’s fight-or-flight response. Fear can also be learned through experience. A great example was presented by American psychologist Martin Seligman. In his book “Phobias and Preparedness” he stated that organisms can learn to associate certain stimuli with danger or threats, leading to the development of phobias or other anxiety disorders. The pragmatic utility of some emotions is evident and observable. But are all emotions necessary for our well-being?
Emotions motivate us to take action. Without it, we may never have the drive to accomplish our goals. For instance, anxiety is simply a consequence-driven emotion. The fear of receiving harmful or unwanted results will create a psychological sting to start doing something to prevent these unwanted results from coming. One study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that learners who experienced failures are more driven to succeed academically. The researchers conclude that students work harder and persist in the face of challenges, ultimately leading to higher levels of academic achievement (Elliot & Church, 1997). Emotion also motivates us to make better decisions. Our experience of the world shapes the way we perceive things. And the way we perceive things tells us what emotion is appropriate and was effective based on past experiences. The same pattern can be observed in the world of finance. In 1985, Sherfin and Statman found that investors who experienced fear of loss were more likely to engage in proactive investment behavior, such as monitoring their investment portfolios and researching to make better investment decisions. As rational animals, we are bound by this characteristic to assess our surroundings before taking action. However, emotion is the shortcut to all decision-making processes. Emotions are pivotal in making carefree decisions. When we are overwhelmed with positive emotions, such as excitement, joy, or happiness, we tend to be less cautious in our decisions. It makes us focus more on the potential rewards and less on the risks or negative consequences. On the flip side, negative emotions can also cause us to be overly cautious and risk-averse. This may hinder progress and development if not assessed thoroughly. Since emotions like these require balance, which element of our faculty must be utilized to enable us to specify the equilibrium between these two extremes?
Plato’s Tripartite soul theory may seem ancient, but its effectiveness in mastering emotion is working in the present day. Of all the stress that worldly conflict imposes, it's hard to master emotion unlike in ancient times. This theory suggests that the human soul (and by soul means - the mind) has three parts: the rational (reason), the spirited (emotion), and the appetitive (animalistic). The appetitive is what he believed to be a shared characteristic with animals. From an evolutionary standpoint, this is our animalistic facet that is responsible for desires and pleasures; it’s what makes us want to have sex and eat. We can closely relate it to our fear and eagerness to survive and protect ourselves from harm. The spirited part is responsible for feeling, and responding with anger and courage. This aspect is what makes us humane or inhumane. It is responsible for feeling valued, honorable, disgraced, humiliated, etc, We can associate such aspects with positive and negative emotions. Lastly, the rational part is the most important part of the soul. As to how Plato describes it: it’s what sets us apart from the beast. This is our capacity to reason and make informed decisions. This facet of the soul is rooted to be on the driver’s seat. Many philosophers agree that the rational part must act as the equilibrium between the extremes of negative and positive emotions. It too must guide the appetitive part to control desires before it harms and become harmful. It is the key to mastering emotions; it involves being able to control and regulate one’s emotional responses to make informed decisions.
Emotions as managed, helps us communicate; it provides information to those surrounding us to take action about us. It gives people around us hints on how to respond based on our preferences. According to a study by Kim and Lee (2011), emotional communication can help to create empathy and trust in interpersonal relationships. Similarly, it provides us with the tools to recognize how others feel. This ability to be sensitive builds a deeper and more meaningful relationship with others. It tells us that (even though emotion provides hints) emotion can also be a tool to communicate effectively. Conversely, one must let rational take over the assessment of overflowing emotions. In most cases, mental illness is the result of excess emotions. Psychological problems such as phobias, anxiety, trauma, hoarding, obsessiveness, personality disorder, and drug and alcohol abuse are pictured as overflowing emotions. From a neurobiological perspective, there can be genetic predispositions or biological factors that may increase the likelihood of developing certain psychological disorders, it is possible for psychological problems to be developed as environmental and life experiences are paramount in the outgrowth of these problems. It is important to take into account that as humans evolve biologically, we are also expected to evolve emotionally. As society becomes more civilized and advanced, we are faced with emerging problems in a new context. Bodies of research show that rates of depression have been increasing dramatically for the past years, particularly in high-income countries. We are on the verge of emotional collapse. We need to realize that emotion gets unhealthy without an effective outlook. Although not being practiced, consistency to reflect makes permanence.
Mastering our emotions may be difficult, but it is a must. We need to understand that our emotions are based on our worldview. The way we react to stimuli is highly influenced by the set of values we hold from our personal experiences. This worldview is based on an invisible structure such as culture, beliefs, and backgrounds. The knowledge from this invisible structure will be our tools to utilize to navigate the world. Hence, emotions are tools; mastering such concepts does not mean surrendering to the calls of our reactive nature. Anger may fuel redemption, conquer, avenge, to seek answers. While compassion may fuel amity, abnegation, peace, and openness. So instead of letting our emotions take over, we take over our emotions. Emotional mastery is reversing the structure of our response. To be able to perceive multiple layers of meaning in the negative space of life and to be able to grasp the concept of potential realities. To be able to listen to the world in its many forms. To be able to consider points of view (foreign or contradicting) and gain knowledge that you don’t have by experiencing new things. Because the very path you are afraid to take may turn out to be the source of what you are looking for.
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