1. Psychological characteristics of the atmosphere of society

(and corresponding human conditions)

2. List of basic emotions and feelings

Positive

1. Pleasure

2. Joy.

3. Rejoicing.

4. Delight.

5. Pride.

6. Confidence.

7. Trust.

8. Sympathy.

9. Admiration.

10. Love (sexual).

11. Love (affection).

12. Respect.

13. Tenderness.

14. Gratitude (appreciation).

15. Tenderness.

16. Complacency.

17. Bliss

18. Schadenfreude.

19. Feeling of satisfied revenge.

20. Peace of mind.

21. Feeling of relief.

22. Feeling satisfied with yourself.

23. Feeling of security.

24. Anticipation.

Neutral

25. Curiosity.

26. Surprise.

27. Amazement.

28. Indifference.

29. Calm and contemplative mood.

Negative

30. Displeasure.

31. Grief (sorrow).

33. Sadness (sadness).

34. Despair.

35. Chagrin.

36. Anxiety.

38. Fear.

41. Pity.

42. Sympathy (compassion).

43. Regret.

44. Annoyance.

46. ​​Feeling insulted.

47. Indignation (indignation).

48. Hatred.

49. Dislike.

50. Envy.

52. Anger.

53. Dejection.

55. Jealousy.

57. Uncertainty (doubt).

58. Mistrust.

60. Confusion.

61. Rage.

62. Contempt.

63. Disgust.

64. Disappointment.

65. Disgust.

66. Dissatisfaction with oneself.

67. Repentance.

68. Remorse.

69. Impatience.

70. Bitterness.

The feelings we have listed do not exhaust the entire palette, the entire diversity of human emotional states. A comparison with the colors of the solar spectrum is appropriate here. There are 7 basic tones, but how many more intermediate colors do we know and how many shades can be obtained by mixing them!

It is difficult to say how many different emotional states there may be - but, in any case, there are immeasurably more than 70. Emotional states are highly specific, even if they have the same name with modern crude assessment methods. There seem to be many shades of anger, joy, sadness and other feelings.

Love for an older brother and love for a younger sister are similar, but far from identical feelings. The first is colored with admiration, pride, and sometimes envy; the second is a sense of self-superiority, a desire to provide patronage, sometimes pity and tenderness. A completely different feeling is love for parents, love for children. But to designate all these feelings we use one name.

We have made the division of feelings into positive and negative not on ethical grounds, but solely on the basis of the pleasure or displeasure delivered. Therefore, gloating ended up in the column of positive feelings, and sympathy - in the negative feelings column. As we see, there are significantly more negative ones than positive ones. Why? Several explanations can be offered.

Sometimes the idea is expressed that there are simply many more words in the language that express unpleasant feelings, because in good mood a person is generally less inclined to introspection. This explanation seems unsatisfactory to us.

The initial biological role of emotions is signaling, of the “pleasant - unpleasant”, “safe - dangerous” type. Apparently, the signaling “dangerous” and “unpleasant” is more significant for the animal; it is vitally important, more relevant, because it directs its behavior in critical situations.

It is clear that such information in the process of evolution should receive priority over information signaling “comfort”.

But what has developed historically can change historically. When a person masters the laws social development, then this will change his emotional life, moving the center of gravity towards positive, pleasant feelings.

Let's return to the list of feelings. If you carefully read all 70 names, you will notice that some of the listed feelings coincide in content and differ only in intensity. For example, surprise and amazement differ only in strength, that is, in degree of expression. The same is anger and rage, pleasure and bliss, etc. Therefore, some clarifications need to be made to the list.

Typically, feelings come in four main forms:

1. The actual feeling.

2. Affect.

3. Passion.

4. Mood.

Definition feelings given by us above.

Affect - this is a very strong short-term feeling associated with a motor reaction (or with complete immobility - numbness. But numbness is also a motor reaction).

Passion called a strong and lasting feeling.

Mood - the resultant of many feelings. This state is distinguished by a certain duration, stability and serves as the background against which all other elements of mental activity take place.

Thus, if we consider surprise a feeling, then amazement is the same feeling, but brought to the level of affect (remember the final silent scene of “The Inspector General”).

Similarly, we call anger brought to the level of passion by rage, bliss is the affect of pleasure, delight is the affect of joy, despair is the affect of grief, horror is the affect of fear, adoration is love that has become passion in duration and strength, etc.

3. Option: List of basic emotions and feelings

There is no definitive list of emotions either in psychology or physiology. You can count more 500 different emotional states . In conversational practice, people often use the same word to designate different experiences, and their actual nature becomes clear only from the context. At the same time, the same emotion can be designated by different words.

ExcitementSerenityIndifferenceHelplessness PowerlessnessGratitude CheerfulnessInspirationGuiltIndignationExcitementInspirationDelightAdmirationArroganceAngerPridePrideGriefSadnessContentmentAnnoyance Drive, Pity, Care, Envy Interest Ingratiation Confusion ArroganceShyness SchadenfreudeAngerAmazeInterestIronyIs fright Jubilation Cunning Admiration Curiosity Plea Gloominess Hope Arrogance Tension, Wariness Equanimity Indignation Tenderness, Awkwardness Impatience Discouragement Resentment, Doom Concern Mischief Disgust Insult, Caution Disgust Daze Detachment Detachment Numbness Sadness Tearfulness Depression Suspiciousness Submissiveness Patronizing existence Impulse Loss Superiority Anticipation Contempt Disregard Inquisitiveness JoyAnnoyance Absent-mindedness Confusion, Zealousness Sarcasm Grief Boredom Laughter Confusion Confusion Composure Regret Calm Shyness Suffering Fear Longing Shame Anxiety Trembling Passion Surprise Satisfaction Pleasure Dejection Tenderness Peaceful Dejection Tenacity Fatigue Royalty Euphoria Exaltation Ecstasy Energy Enthusiasm Rage...

However, some researchers believe that there are few basic, elementary emotions, and the entire huge list of emotions are the constructions of these bricks, their one or another combination. So, for example, anger is disgust plus aggression. And love is joy when a loved one is nearby and sadness when apart; aggression - in this case it is the desire to be close; fear is the fear of losing the object of love... What emotions can be classified as elementary? The list of elementary emotions is controversial. Miscellaneous lists elementary emotions offer Izard,McDowell and other researchers.

IN Gestalt therapy it is believed that the most elementary emotions five : MAD – anger, aggression, disgust. SAD – sadness, sadness, suffering. GLAD - joy. SCARED - fear. SEXY – pleasure, bliss, tenderness.

The whole variety of emotions cannot be reduced only to elementary and composite emotions. Having a more complex and original structure - complex emotions. Light sadness, tender gratitude, pride in success...

Why are emotions needed? In short, emotions perform very important functions - they simplify life and add flavor to it.

Emotions simplify life in a rather original way - instead of a long multilateral analysis of interaction with a person, we feel: “I hate him” or “I am delighted with him.” If we are afraid of something, fear keeps us from doing stupid things. Sadness prevents you from repeating a mistake. Joy confirms that you have solved a difficult problem correctly.

Emotions are a kind of feedback mechanism to a “conscious person” from his own soul. Emotions are a signaling system. They are born in order to tell a person either joyful or unpleasant news. Namely: positive emotions tell a person that he is moving in the right direction and meeting his needs. Negative emotions indicate that a person's needs are not met.

Our emotions guide us when we find ourselves in difficult situations and faced with problems too important to be left to the intellect alone - when faced with danger, painful loss, persistent progress towards a goal despite disappointments, starting a relationship with a partner, creating a family. Each emotion presupposes a characteristic readiness for action, each shows us a direction that has already proven itself well in solving the repeated complex tasks that life poses to a person. As these eternal situations recur throughout our evolutionary history, the value of our emotional repertoire for survival in them has been confirmed by its anchoring in the nervous system as the innate automatic drives of the human heart.

Everyone knows that emotions add flavor to life (motivate). For example, we strive for joy and avoid grief. This is so obvious that no explanation is required. What is less known is that this taste or motivation is created only when one person has both positive and negative emotions. Just as in an electrical network you need two poles to turn on a light bulb, so in emotional life you need two poles - the experience of experiencing positive and negative emotions. This is where the analogy with electricity ends - there need not be as many negative emotions as positive ones. There can be much more positive emotions. You just shouldn’t try to do without negative emotions completely. Completely healthy and happy children gather and tell each other scary stories. At a more mature age, people, as a rule, have experience of negative emotions, but feel the desire to engage in so-called extreme sports - those where there is a real danger of serious injury or even death. As you know, risk causes fear – a strong negative emotion. It turns out that in extreme sports people are looking for negative emotions. But if there are a lot of negative emotions in everyday life, then they are not looked for additionally. Then the fashion for extreme sports in general reflects the well-being in society, and the well-being in society is not so bad.

Emotions (from the French word emotion - excitement, comes from the Latin emoveo - shock, excite) are reactions of humans and animals to the influence of external and internal stimuli, having a pronounced subjective coloring and covering all types of sensitivity and experiences. Associated with satisfaction (positive emotions) or dissatisfaction (negative emotions) of various needs of the body. Differentiated and stable emotions that arise on the basis of the highest social needs of a person are usually called feelings (intellectual, aesthetic, moral).

In other words, we can say that emotions are a special class of subjective psychological states that reflect, in the form of direct experiences, feelings of pleasant or unpleasant, a person’s relationship to the world and people, the process and results of his practical activity. The class of emotions includes moods, feelings, affects, passions, and stress. These are the so-called “pure” emotions. They are included in all mental processes and human states. Any manifestations of his activity are accompanied by emotional experiences.

Thanks to emotions, we understand each other better, we can judge each other’s states and better prepare for joint activities and communication. Remarkable, for example, is the fact that people belonging to different cultures are able to accurately perceive and evaluate each other’s emotional states such as joy, anger, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise. This, in particular, applies to those peoples who have never been in contact with each other.

Showing emotions. What signs can be used to determine that a person is experiencing some emotion? There are five levels of expression of emotions.

1. Subjective plan for the manifestation of emotions.
2. Manifestation of emotions in behavior.
3. Manifestation of emotions in speech.
4. Vegetative level of expression of emotions.
5. Manifestation of emotions at the biochemical level.

Let's consider how objectively one can judge that a person experiences certain emotions based on their manifestation at each of the specified levels.

1. Subjective plan for the manifestation of emotions. Here, the reflection of emotions occurs in internal experiences that are closely related to and based on the individual’s personal experience.

2. Manifestation of emotions in behavior. Emotions are not only a psychological event, and their functional purpose is not limited to diverse influences at the level of subjective reflection. As R. Descartes argued, “the main effect of all human passions is that they motivate and tune the human soul to desire what these passions prepare his body for.” Thus, since emotions signal the significance of what is happening, preparation in the emotional state of the body for better perception and possible actions is so expedient that it would be surprising if it were not fixed in evolution and did not become one of the characteristic features of emotional processes.

C. Darwin notes that the free expression of emotions through external signs makes these emotions more intense. On the other hand, suppressing the external manifestation of our emotions, as far as possible, leads to their softening. The one who gives free rein to violent movements intensifies his rage. Anyone who does not restrain the manifestation of fear will experience it to an increased degree. He who, overwhelmed by grief, remains passive, misses the best way to restore peace of mind. Darwin emphasizes that all these conclusions stem, on the one hand, from the fact of the existence of a close connection between all emotions and their external manifestations, on the other hand, from the fact of the direct influence of our efforts on the heart, and, consequently, on the brain.

The manifestation of emotions can certainly be observed in facial expressions, gestures, and movements of people.

3. Manifestation of emotions in speech. One of the features of affects is that they arise in response to a situation that has already actually occurred, and in connection with this, a specific experience is formed - affective traces. Their meaning is that a person, mentally returning to the event that caused the state of passion, experiences similar emotions.

Such affective traces (“affective complexes”) “reveal a tendency to obsession and a tendency to inhibition.” The effect of these opposing tendencies is clearly revealed in the associative experiment. The method of associative experiment is used in the method developed by K.G. Jung's method of diagnosing a past state of affect. Psychologists of the Jung school found that affect, first of all, disrupts the normal course of associations, and with strong affect, associations are usually sharply delayed.

This phenomenon was used to identify a suspect's involvement in a crime. A crime is always associated with a strong emotion, which in those who commit it (especially for the first time) takes on a very acute character. As rightly noted by A.R. Luria, “it is difficult to imagine that this emotion of the crime left no traces in the psyche of the person who committed it. On the contrary, many things convince us that psychic traces after each crime remain in a very noticeable form.”

The tasks of experimental diagnostics of involvement in a crime come down to being able to evoke the desired affective traces and, on the other hand, being able to objectively trace and record them. Both of these tasks were carried out using the method of associative experiment. This method consists of presenting the subject with a word to which he must respond with the first word that comes to his mind. In ordinary cases, the subject easily responds with his own word to what is presented to him. This response word always turns out to correspond to special associative laws and is usually not randomly selected.

The situation changes dramatically when the subject is presented with a word that arouses in him this or that affective memory, this or that affective complex. In this case, the associative process is sharply inhibited. The subject either comes to mind at once many response words that confuse his usual course of associations, or nothing comes to mind, and for a long time he cannot give the associative reaction required of him. If he does give this reaction, then you can immediately notice its peculiar disturbance: it occurs with hesitations, verbosity, and its very form is often more primitive than usual.

A.R. Luria explains this by saying that “a verbal stimulus can provoke affective states associated with it, and these affective moments distort the further course of associations. If we have before us a criminal whose affective traces we want to reveal using this method, we proceed as follows. Having studied in the most detail the situation of the crime based on the investigation materials, we select from it those details that, in our opinion, are quite closely connected with it and at the same time awaken affective traces only in those involved in the crime, while remaining completely indifferent words for those not involved.”

Speaking about the manifestation of other emotions in speech, it should be noted that in a state of emotional arousal, the strength of the voice usually increases, and its pitch and timbre also change significantly.

Considering the question of the relationship between innate and acquired in the expression of emotions in the voice, J. Reikovsky says that innate mechanisms determine such manifestations as changes in the strength of the voice (with a change in emotional arousal) or trembling of the voice (under the influence of excitement). “With increasing emotional arousal, the number of functional units actualized for action increases, which has the effect of increasing the activation of the muscles involved in vocal reactions.”

4. Vegetative level of manifestation of emotions. The methods used to determine emotions at this level allow us to track the background emotional state of the subject. The reactions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to experienced emotions are more difficult for a person to control than their speech and behavior. Changes in pulse, increased heart rate, breathing, changes in pupil diameter, and electrical resistance of the skin (galvanic skin response) are used as correlates of emotions at the vegetative level.

The emotions experienced by a person cause activation of the nervous system and, above all, the autonomic department, which in turn leads to numerous changes in the state of the internal organs and the body as a whole. The nature of these changes shows that emotional states cause either the mobilization of the organs of action, energy resources and protective processes of the body, or, in favorable situations, its demobilization, adjustment to internal processes and accumulation of energy. This explains the change in the indicators listed above.

Charles Darwin, when analyzing the expression of emotions in a person, notes that “if movements (or changes) of any kind invariably accompany any mental states, we immediately perceive expressive movements in them. These may include<...>hair standing on end, sweating, changes in capillary circulation, difficulty breathing and vocal or other sounds. In humans, the respiratory organs are of particular importance as a means of not only direct, but even more so indirect expression of emotions.” Darwin also emphasizes that “of all expressions, blushing with shame seems to be the most peculiar characteristic of man, and, moreover, it is common to all or almost all human races, whether the change in the color of their skin is noticeable or imperceptible.”

In modern science, when determining emotions, methods based on the reaction of the ANS are used to a greater extent. The most striking example is the use of a “lie detector”, which is used not only by intelligence services, but also in some commercial organizations. The detector records changes in the depth and rate of breathing, measures pressure and records changes in sweating.

By recording changes in these indicators, we can conclude that the person is experiencing some emotions, but we do not have sufficient data to indicate what specific emotion the subject is experiencing.

Thus, the study of emotions at the vegetative level also does not provide objectivity.

5. Manifestation of emotions at the biochemical level. The biochemical method for determining emotions is also indirect. It is associated with the hormonal activity of the body, which ensures a person’s physiological reactions to experienced emotions. The method is based on the analysis of samples taken from the subject physiological fluids(blood, urine). The content of the corresponding hormones in them determines how strong emotions the subject was exposed to. From the above it is clear that, taking into account accurate quantitative measurements, this method is quite reliable. Its disadvantages include the fact that it does not allow tracking changes occurring in the subject’s body associated with emotions in the background. Some discreteness in measurements is required.

It should also be noted that this method does not allow us to determine exactly what emotion the subject is experiencing.

Having compared the considered methods for studying the manifestations of emotions, it can be noted that the most convincing and functional are the methods based on the identification of behavioral (including facial expressions) and speech (including voice) signs of experienced emotions. The method of determining emotions by the reaction of the ANS looks even more convincing.

On the origin of emotions. Emotions and feelings arose and developed in the process of evolution. What was their adaptive significance?

The life of animals is characterized by uneven loads. Human ancestors were no exception here. Periods of extreme tension alternate with periods of rest and relaxation. During hunting and pursuit of prey, in a fight with a strong predator that threatens life, or at the moment of escaping from danger, the animal requires tension and dedication of all its strength. It is necessary to develop maximum power at a critical moment, even if this is achieved through energetically unfavorable metabolic processes. The physiological activity of the animal switches to “emergency mode”. This switching is the first adaptive function of emotions. Therefore, natural selection has consolidated this important psychophysiological property in the animal kingdom.

Why didn’t organisms appear in the course of evolution that constantly work at “increased” capacities? There would be no need for a mechanism of emotions to put them on alert: they would always be in a state of “alertness.” But the state of alertness is associated with very high energy costs, wasteful consumption of nutrients and wear and tear on the body; huge quantities of food would be needed, and much of it would be wasted. This is unprofitable for an animal organism: it is better to have a lower metabolic rate and moderate strength, but at the same time have reserve mechanisms that, at the appropriate moment, mobilize the body to function in a more intensive mode, allowing it to develop high power when there is an urgent need for it.

Another function of emotions is signaling. Hunger forces an animal to look for food long before the body's nutrient reserves are depleted; thirst drives you in search of water when the liquid reserves have not yet been exhausted, but have already become scarce; pain is a signal that tissues are damaged and are in danger of death. The feeling of fatigue and even exhaustion appears much earlier than the energy reserves in the muscles come to an end. And if fatigue is relieved by powerful emotions of fear or rage, the animal’s body is then able to do a tremendous amount of work.

Finally, the third adaptive function of emotions is their participation in the process of learning and accumulation of experience. Positive emotions that arise as a result of the body’s interaction with the environment contribute to the consolidation of useful skills and actions, while negative ones force one to evade harmful factors.

As you can see, the role of emotions in the lives of animals is very great. That is why they talk about the biological expediency of emotions as a mechanism of adaptation to changing environmental conditions. The mechanism of emotions turned out to be beneficial for the animal, and natural selection, acting with irresistible force over many generations, consolidated this property.

In some situations, emotions can be harmful, coming into conflict with the vital interests of the animal. The emotion of rage helps the predator in pursuit of prey, increasing its strength tenfold. But the same rage deprives him of caution and prudence and thus can lead to death. Here a pattern is realized that is inherent in any biological adaptation mechanism: in general, this mechanism contributes to the survival of the species, but in particular manifestations it is not always useful, and sometimes even harmful.

In the process of evolution, in parallel with the development of the nervous system, the brain's assessment of situations becomes more and more subtle. If at first the assessment is general character according to the type “useful - harmful”, “dangerous - safe”, “pleasant - unpleasant”, then the assessments become more specific, more accurate, more “fractional”.

Assessments of the first type are carried out by changing the state of a large number of neural elements and connections between them. This is the processing of information according to emotional programs. But besides such roughly approximate processing, there are more differentiated programs, with a small “bandwidth”, but more accurate. These are thought programs that arose in the course of evolution later than emotional programs.

In humans, information processing begins with emotional programs. They give the most general assessment of the situation and thus “narrow the space” for processing using logical programs. But such a scheme is not rigid. Intermediate results of information processing have a reverse effect on the flow of emotions and feelings.

There may be a mismatch between these programs. It is possible that the separation of thinking from feelings underlies some mental disorders.

The interaction of feelings and thinking is specifically manifested in the fact that feelings influence memory mechanisms, selectively reviving only some information from past experience and inhibiting others. In this way, feelings to a certain extent predetermine the nature of association, the content of the associative process.

Man has inherited the mechanism of emotions from his animal ancestors. Therefore, some of the human emotions coincide with the emotions of animals: rage, hunger, thirst, fear. But these are the simplest emotions associated with the satisfaction of organic needs. With the development of reason and higher human needs, more complex human feelings were formed on the basis of the apparatus of emotions.

In this way, we distinguish an emotion from a feeling. Emotion in the course of evolution arose before feeling, it is inherent not only in humans, but also in animals, and expresses an attitude towards the satisfaction of physiological needs. Feelings developed on the basis of emotions during interaction with the mind, during the formation of social relations, and are unique to humans.

As for the term “emotional states,” it refers equally to feelings and emotions. The line between emotion and feeling is not always easy to draw. In terms of the physiology of higher nervous activity, their difference is determined by the degree of participation of cortical and especially second-signal processes.

A feeling is one of the forms of reflection of reality, expressing a person’s subjective attitude to the satisfaction of his needs, to the compliance or non-compliance of something with his ideas.

A significant part of human needs is formed by upbringing and instilled by society (for example, hygienic and cultural needs). Many feelings are so united with mental activity that they do not exist outside of this activity.

If a person is not aware of the danger, the feeling of fear does not occur. But much later, when the danger has passed, a person may be overcome by fear, and he literally becomes cold at the thought of the threat he was exposed to.

Sometimes an offensive hint is not immediately received, and then with a delay a feeling of anger sets in. It happens that a distant memory resurrects previous feelings: a person smiles joyfully, remembering a pleasant event that happened in the past.

In the story by L.N. Tolstoy "Hadji Murat" main character, telling the story of his life, did not hide how once in his youth, during a hot fight that broke out, he got scared and ran away. His interlocutor Loris-Melikov, knowing the proven courage of Hadji Murad, was surprised. Then Hadji Murat explained that from then on he always remembered this shame and when he remembered, he was no longer afraid of anything.

Shame turned out to be stronger than fear due to the ability of memory to resurrect previous feelings. This helped suppress fear, and subsequently, apparently, led to a partial “atrophy of fear.”

In general, the feeling of shame plays a huge role in the formation of the moral and ethical qualities of an individual. J.B. Shaw expressed it aphoristically: “There is no courage, there is shame.”

Below we provide a list of the most famous feelings. Let us stipulate that no enumeration can exhaust the variety of emotional states. A comparison with the colors of the solar spectrum is appropriate here: there are seven basic tones, but how many more intermediate colors and how many shades can be obtained by mixing them!

In addition, depending on the chosen criterion, feelings are grouped differently. For example, they are divided into positive and negative based on the pleasure or displeasure they deliver. You can distinguish between feelings directed at other people and feelings directed at oneself. The first include love, gratitude, envy, contempt. The second is complacency, shame, repentance. There are feelings associated with assessing the events of the world around us - grief, disappointment, joy. A whole group of feelings is associated with the instinct of self-preservation - fear, anxiety, fright. There are “intermediate” feelings that can be classified into several groups: for example, anger and frustration can be directed both at others and at oneself. Such “transitional units” are inherent in any classification.

Ignoring emotions and feelings can lead to disturbances in the emotional sphere, various psychological problems, reduce the body's resistance and cause diseases. Emotions and feelings are given to a person as a guide to maintaining his psychological integrity. If a person does not listen to them and does not draw the right conclusions about what they want to tell him, a conflict arises in his inner world, which, if this situation is not corrected, only gets worse over time. Difficulties in the form of problems of lack of motivation (desire) and the need to motivate oneself with something, lack of understanding of one’s place in life, as well as conflicts in the form of “I want and I cannot”; I can and I don’t want to; I need it, but I don’t want it; I want, but I don’t need it; I don't know what I want; I need or want 2 conflicting goals at once, etc. - initially generated by just such a conflict. This conflict usually begins in childhood, when the child’s emotional needs are ignored by the parents or even deliberately broken (some believe that this will make the child stronger). Thus, the child becomes disoriented in understanding his feelings, the correct (adequate) attitude towards them, and forms destructive beliefs for the future. People use various techniques for self-motivation, working with emotions, beliefs, etc., but they are needed only as long as a person has this internal conflict.

Functions and role of emotions

When talking about why humans and animals need emotions, we should distinguish between their functions and roles. The function of emotions is a narrow natural purpose, the work performed by emotions in the body. Their role (generalized meaning) is the nature and degree of participation of emotions in something, determined by their functions, or their influence on something other than their natural purpose, i.e. secondary product their functioning. The role of emotions for animals and humans can be positive and negative. The function of emotions, based on their expediency, is predetermined by nature to be only positive, otherwise, why would they appear and take hold? It can be argued that emotions can also have a destructive effect on the body. But this is due to excessively expressed physiological changes in the body that accompany emotions, related not to the quality of regulation (emotional), but to its intensity. This is the role of emotions, not their function. Vitamins and salt are good for the body, but taking them in excess can lead to illness or poisoning. So it is with emotions. Carrying out their biological functions, emotions “do not ask” a person whether it is useful for him or harmful from his point of view. The role of emotions is assessed precisely from a personal point of view: whether an emotion arises or its absence interferes with the achievement of a goal, whether or not it violates a person’s health.

It was the role of emotions, and not their function, that the Stoics and Epicureans argued about, discussing the question of their usefulness or harmfulness. This debate continues in our time, since there is evidence both for and against each point of view.

The differences between function and role can be clearly illustrated by the locomotor system, the function of which is to move humans and animals in space, and the role of this movement is determined by knowledge of the environment, approaching and mastering a food source, etc., i.e. what a person or animal acquires in the process of performing its function by the motor apparatus.

The role of “positive” and “negative” emotions

“Negative” emotions play a more important biological role compared to “positive” emotions. It is no coincidence that the mechanism of “negative” emotions functions in a child from the first days of his birth, and “positive” emotions appear much later. A “negative” emotion is an alarm signal, a danger to the body. A “positive” emotion is a signal of returned well-being. It is clear that the last signal does not need to sound for a long time, so emotional adaptation to the good comes quickly. The alarm must be sounded until the danger has been eliminated. As a result, only “negative” emotions can become stagnant. Under these conditions, human health really suffers. “Negative” emotions are harmful only in excess, just as anything that exceeds the norm is harmful. Fear, anger, rage increase the intensity of metabolic processes, lead to better nutrition of the brain, strengthen the body's resistance to overload, infections, etc.

What is important for the body is not the preservation of uniformly positive emotional states, but their constant dynamism within a certain intensity that is optimal for a given individual. At the same time, there is evidence that the level of intelligence development is higher in preschoolers with a predominance of “positive” emotions and lower – with a predominance of “negative” ones.

From the point of view of P.V. Simonov, the nervous mechanisms of positive emotional reactions are more complex and subtle than negative ones. He believes that “positive” emotions have an independent adaptive significance, that is, the role of “positive” emotions is different from the role of “negative” emotions: “positive” emotions encourage living systems to actively violate the achieved “balance” with the environment: “ Critical Role positive emotions – an active disturbance of peace, comfort, the famous “balancing of the body with the external environment.”

“Negative emotions,” writes Simonov, “as a rule, ensure the preservation of what has already been achieved by evolution or the individual development of the subject. Positive emotions revolutionize behavior, prompting us to look for new, not yet satisfied needs, without which pleasure is unthinkable.

This does not indicate the absolute value of positive emotions. They can be caused by primitive, selfish, socially unacceptable needs. In such cases, we will undoubtedly give preference to such negative emotions as anxiety for the fate of another person, compassion for those in trouble, and indignation at injustice. The social value of emotions is always determined by the motive that brought it to life.”

Without “positive” emotions, Simonov notes, it is difficult to imagine those forms of mastering reality that are not dictated by an immediate utilitarian effect: play, artistic creativity and perception of works of art, theoretical knowledge. He believes that in these areas of human activity the motivating influence of “negative” emotions is negligible, if any.

I think this statement is too categorical. It is contradicted by the manifestation of frustration as a desire to prove to oneself and others the accident of creative failure. Do people perceive works of art only for the sake of positive experiences? Why then do audiences cry at movie performances?

When talking about the role of emotions in a person’s life, it is wrong to ask why, for what purpose someone experiences emotions. Such questions are legitimate in relation to consciously set goals. Emotions most often arise involuntarily. Therefore, in relation to them, one can only pose the question: what benefit or harm can a person receive from the occurrence of this or that emotion (based on the functions intended for them by nature)?

When answering this question, it should be taken into account that the positive role of emotions is not directly associated with “positive” emotions, and the negative role with “negative” ones. The latter can serve as an incentive for human self-improvement, and the former can be a reason for complacency. Much depends on a person’s determination and the conditions of his upbringing. Scientists have different opinions about the meaning of emotions and the functions they perform. However, the main function of emotions is undoubtedly their participation in controlling the behavior of humans and animals.

The role and functions of emotions in controlling behavior and activity

Reflective-evaluative role of emotions
Even Charles Darwin wrote that emotions arose in the process of evolution as a means by which living beings establish the significance of certain conditions to satisfy their needs. This role of emotions is manifested due to the subjective component of the emotional response (experience) and mainly on initial stage voluntary control (when a need arises and the motivational process is deployed on its basis) and at the final stage (when assessing the achieved result: satisfying a need, realizing an intention).

The reflective function of emotions is not recognized by all scientists. V. K. Vilyunas (1979) believes that “emotions perform the function not of reflecting objective phenomena, but of expressing subjective attitudes towards them.” And he's probably right. To reflect reality, animals and humans have analyzers and thinking. They act as a mirror that reflects what is. Whether a person likes what he sees in the mirror or not does not depend on the mirror; it does not evaluate what is reflected. Evaluation (attitude) depends on the subjective perception of the visible, which is compared with the standards, desires, and tastes of a person.

It should be noted that there are different opinions among scientists regarding the relationship between experience and evaluation (what is primary and what is secondary). Some believe that experience precedes evaluation; others, on the contrary, believe that assessment precedes the emergence of emotion, and still others write that emotion can replace assessment or accompany it.

This discrepancy is caused by the fact that the authors have different classes of emotional phenomena in mind. With the emotional tone of sensations, the experience of pleasant or unpleasant first appears, and then its assessment as useful or harmful. Obviously, the same occurs with unconditioned reflex emotions (for example, fear). If emotions arise, the situation is first assessed, and then an experience (emotion) may appear. For example, when a person approaches the window of his apartment, located on the third floor or higher, and looks down, thinking: “What if I jump down?”, then he begins to assess this situation as dangerous, but without experiencing fear. But then there was a fire and now he has to jump out of the window. In this case, the assessment of the situation will clearly be the cause of the fear that has arisen in this person.

The evaluative role of emotional response, together with the development of the nervous system and psyche of living beings, has been modified and improved. If at the first stages it was limited to signaling to the body about pleasant or unpleasant, then the next stage of development was, obviously, signaling about useful and harmful, and then - about harmless and dangerous, and, finally, more broadly - about significant and insignificant. If the first and partly the second stage could be provided only by such a mechanism of emotional response as the emotional tone of sensations, then the third stage required another mechanism - emotions, and the fourth - feelings (emotional attitudes). In addition, if the emotional tone of sensations can only provide a rough differentiation of stimuli and associated sensations (pleasant - unpleasant), then emotion provides a more subtle, and most importantly, psychological differentiation of situations, events, phenomena, showing their significance for the body and a person as an individual . It also turned out to be important that the emotion arises conditionally and reflexively and thereby makes it possible for animals and humans to react in advance to distant stimuli and to the developing situation. Fury even at the sight of an enemy, from a distance, at the sounds, smell of the enemy, allows the animal to enter into battle with the enemy with the maximum use of all power resources, and fear - to escape.

It is obvious that the process of conscious comparison of what is obtained with what should be can occur in a person without the participation of emotions. They are not needed as a matching mechanism. Another thing is evaluating what happened. It can indeed be not only rational, but also emotional, if the result of an activity or the expected situation is deeply significant for the subject. At the same time, we must not forget that an emotion is a reaction to some event, and any reaction is a response after the fact, i.e. on what is already influencing or has already passed, has ended, including the completed comparison of information. Of course, emotional assessment can be connected to the process of rational (verbal-logical) comparison of information, painting one or another paradigm in positive or negative tones and thereby giving them more or less weight

However, for this, emotions must have one more function: force the body to urgently mobilize its capabilities and energy, which the emotional tone of sensations cannot do.

The motivational role of emotions
Emotions play a significant role at all stages of the motivational process: when assessing the significance of an external stimulus, when signaling a need that has arisen and assessing its significance, when predicting the possibility of satisfying a need, when choosing a goal.

Emotions as an assessment of the significance of an external stimulus. At the first (motivational) stage, the main purpose of emotions is to signal the benefit or harm to the body of a particular stimulus, phenomena that are marked with a certain sign (positive or negative) even before they are subjected to a conscious, logical assessment. On this occasion, P.K. Anokhin wrote: “Producing an almost instantaneous integration of all functions of the body, emotions themselves and first of all can be an absolute signal of a beneficial or harmful effect on the body, often even before the localization of the effects and the specific response mechanism are determined.” body reactions" ("Psychology of Emotions", 1984).

Emotions reflect not only the biological, but also the personal significance of external stimuli, situations, events for a person, i.e. what worries him. Emotion is a form of reflective mental activity where the attitude towards surrounding information comes to the fore. Emotions precede a person’s awareness of a situation, signaling a possible pleasant or unpleasant outcome, and in this regard they talk about the anticipatory function of emotions. By fulfilling this reflective-evaluative role, determining what is significant for a person and what is not, emotions thereby contribute to a person’s orientation in various situations, i.e. perform an orientation function.

Emotions as a signal of an emerging need. The reflective-evaluative role of emotions is also manifested in their connection with needs, acting as internal stimuli. The close connection of emotions with needs is obvious, and it is not surprising that P. V. Simonov developed a theory of emotions, largely based on the conditioning of emotions by needs and the likelihood of satisfying the latter, and B. I. Dodonov created a classification of emotions based on types of needs.

The subjective reflection of needs must necessarily be carried out by special mental phenomena, fundamentally different from those that reflect the objective properties of reality. Although the actualization of a need is also an objective event, it should be reflected in the psyche differently than other events, since for the subject it should become not one of many, but a central, all-consuming event, attracting attention, mobilizing adaptive resources, etc.

Emotions as a way of marking significant goals. The point is not only the need for an accentuated reflection of needs. To satisfy them, the subject must act not with the needs themselves, but with those objects that meet them. This means that the need must be reflected not only in itself along with other reflected objects (for example, in the form of the experience of hunger, thirst, etc.), but also projected into the image of reality and highlighting in it the necessary conditions and objects that As a result of such selection, they become targets.

The goal cannot be reflected only by cognitive processes. As a reflected object, the target is one of many elements of the environment, acting, like others, on the analyzers, causing corresponding delayed motor reactions and, therefore, being perceived in an image. In this regard, the goal does not stand out in any way either among other objects of reality or in the image reflecting it. The objective properties of a thing, reflected by the subject in the form of possible actions with it, do not contain signs indicating its need for the organism at a given moment. Therefore, in the structure of the image there must be something that, reflecting the state of the body’s needs, would be attached to individual reflective elements of the environment, thereby highlighting them among others precisely as goals and encouraging the individual to achieve them. In other words, in order for a mental image, as a field of potential actions, to serve as the basis for the construction and regulation of activity, it must be “equipped” with a special mechanism that would upset the balance between equally possible actions and direct the individual to the choice and preference of certain of them.

This role of highlighting in the image of need-significant phenomena and inducing a person to them is performed by numerous varieties of biased, emotional experience.

Emotions as a mechanism that helps decision making. Emotions, pointing to objects and actions with them that can lead to the satisfaction of a need, thereby contribute to decision making. Very often, however, achieving what you want is not provided by the information necessary to make a decision. Then the compensatory function of emotions appears, which consists of replacing information that is missing to make a decision or make a judgment about something. Arising when confronted with an unfamiliar object, emotion gives this object a corresponding coloring (like it or not, bad or good), in particular, due to its similarity to previously encountered objects. Although with the help of emotion a person makes a generalized and not always justified assessment of an object and situation, it still helps him get out of a dead end when he does not know what to do in a given situation.

Emotions by no means contribute to information regarding the real signs of a threat and the possibilities of eliminating it. Elimination of information deficit occurs in the process of search activities and learning. The role of emotions is emergency replacement, compensation for currently missing knowledge. All this applies to cases associated with a lack of information and, consequently, negative emotions.

Compensatory and stimulating functions are also inherent in positive emotions. In this case, the function does not manifest itself at the moment the emotion arises, but over longer periods of adaptive behavior. Even small and private success can inspire people to overcome difficulties, i.e. positive emotion increases the need to achieve a goal.

By being involved in the process of probabilistic forecasting, emotions help evaluate future events (anticipation of pleasure when a person goes to the theater, or anticipation of unpleasant experiences after an exam when the student did not have time to properly prepare for it), i.e. perform a prognostic function. Emotions make it easier to find the right way out of a situation, and therefore they speak of their heuristic function. Consequently, emotions are involved not only at the first stage of the motivational process, when the significance of a particular external or internal stimulus is determined, but also at the decision-making stage.

A person’s decision-making is also associated with the sanctioning (including switching the direction and intensity of activity) function of emotions (to make contact with an object or not, to maximize one’s efforts or to interrupt the existing state). The “switching” function of emotions is found both in the sphere of innate forms of behavior and in the implementation of conditioned reflex activity, including its most complex manifestations. This function of emotions manifests itself most clearly in the competition of motives, in the identification of a dominant need, which becomes a vector of purposeful behavior. Needs, dressed in the “armor” of emotions, struggle. Emotions help this struggle, as they indicate the significance of a particular need at a given moment.

The dependence of emotions on the likelihood of satisfying a need extremely complicates the competition of corresponding motives, as a result of which behavior is often reoriented towards a less important but easily achievable goal: the “bird in the hand” defeats the “pie in the sky.”

The exercise of the sanctioning function by emotions can be based on the protective function of the emotion of fear. It warns a person about real (or imaginary) danger, thereby facilitating better thinking through the situation that has arisen and a more thorough determination of the likelihood of success or failure. Thus, fear protects a person from unpleasant consequences for him, and possibly from death.

The motivating role of emotions. Emotion itself contains an attraction, desire, desire, directed towards or away from an object, just as attraction, desire, desire is always more or less emotional. In general, the question of where the charge of energy comes from in motivation is quite complex. It is impossible to exclude the presence of the energy of emotions in the urge to action, but it is also hardly possible to consider that emotions themselves cause an urge to action.

The role of emotions in assessing achieved results. The peculiarity of emotions is that they directly reflect the relationship between motives and the implementation of activities that correspond to these motives. Evaluating the progress and results of activities, emotions give a subjective color to what is happening around us and in ourselves. This means that different people can react differently emotionally to the same event. For example, for fans, the loss of their favorite team will cause disappointment and grief, while for fans of the opposing team it will cause joy. People perceive works of art differently. It’s not for nothing that people say that there is no friend according to taste and that there is no arguing about tastes.

Emotion as a value and need
Although emotions themselves are not motives (which are considered as a complex formation that includes a need, an ideal (imagined) goal and motivators, i.e. factors that influenced decision making and the formation of intentions), they can act in the motivational process without only as an “adviser” or an energetic amplifier of impulses arising in the process of motivation, but also as the motivator itself, although not of actions to satisfy a need, but of the motivational process. This happens when a person has a need for emotional sensations and experiences and when a person recognizes them as valuable.

Understanding emotion as a value leads to the idea that a person has a need for “emotional saturation,” i.e. in emotional experiences. Indeed, the famous mathematician B. Pascal said that we think we are looking for peace, but in fact we are looking for excitement. This means that emotional hunger can directly determine the motivational process.

The need for emotional saturation is physiological, despite the fact that emotions themselves carry psychological content. He justifies this by the fact that every organ must function, otherwise its involution and degradation will occur. Consequently, emotion centers need to function, i.e. in the manifestation of emotions in order to maintain their reactivity.

E. Fromm writes about the human need for positive emotions. Indeed, a person does many things for the sake of obtaining pleasure, enjoyment: listens to music, reads a book he likes and has already read more than once, rides a roller coaster to experience “thrills,” etc. Therefore, emotion acts as a goal (a person does something to get the experience he wants). The perceived goal is a value for a person, or a motive for behavior.

The complete satisfaction of an emotional need depends on the quality of the object of satisfaction. Thus, listening to music when played on top-quality equipment from a record evokes emotions of greater intensity and in greater quantity than from a third-class cassette recorder. By analogy, we can say that the depth and intensity of the emotional experience when listening to music on a stereo player will be greater than on a mono player, and being present at a concert will provide greater emotional pleasure than listening to the same piece of music at home. In the same way, visiting an art gallery will have a greater emotional impact than looking through albums, slides and postcards at home.

Activation-energetic role of emotions
The influence of emotions on the physical capabilities of humans and animals has been known for a long time. Even B. Spinoza wrote that emotions increase or decrease “the body’s ability to act.”

The activation-energetic role of the emotional response is manifested mainly due to its physiological component: changes in autonomic functions and the level of excitation of the cortical parts of the brain. Based on their influence on human behavior and activity, the German philosopher I. Kant (1964) divided emotional reactions (emotions) into sthenic ones (“wall” in Greek means strength), which enhance the vital activity of the body, and asthenic ones, which weaken it. Stenic fear can help mobilize a person’s reserves due to the release of additional amounts of adrenaline into the blood, for example, in its active-defensive form (flight from danger). Promotes the mobilization of the body's strength and encouragement, joy (“inspired by success,” they say in such cases).

The acceleration and intensification of reactions that support the individual and species existence of living systems is one of the most striking features of emotional response. It consists in the fact that when emotions arise, activation of nerve centers occurs, carried out by nonspecific structures of the brain stem and transmitted by nonspecific excitation pathways. According to “activation” theories, emotions provide an optimal level of arousal of the central nervous system and its individual substructures. Activation of the nervous system and, above all, its autonomic department leads to changes in the internal organs and the body as a whole, leading to either the mobilization of energy resources or their demobilization. From here we can talk about the mobilization function of emotions.

P.K. Anokhin spoke about “motivational tone”, thanks to which all life processes are maintained at an optimal level.

Being an active state of a system of specialized brain structures, emotions influence other cerebral systems that regulate behavior, the processes of perceiving external signals and retrieving engrams of these signals from memory, and the autonomic functions of the body. When emotional stress occurs, the volume of vegetative changes (increased heart rate, rise in blood pressure, release of hormones into the bloodstream, etc.), as a rule, exceeds the real needs of the body. Apparently, the process of natural selection has consolidated the expediency of this excessive mobilization of resources. In a situation of pragmatic uncertainty (namely, it is so characteristic of the emergence of emotions), when it is not known how much and what will be needed in the coming minutes, it is better to spend unnecessary energy than in the midst of intense activity - fight or flight - to be left without sufficient oxygen and metabolic supplies. "raw materials".

The tension of the redundancy of the emotional response as an energetic reaction results in a huge excess of energy, and therefore many unnecessary side effects are obtained. But they are inevitable in the interests of the big task - concentrating the entire organism on a reaction of a certain kind.

Physical performance in persons with strong nervous system more with the emotion of joy than with the emotion of suffering, and in persons with a weak nervous system - with the emotion of suffering than with the emotion of joy (though at the level of reliability only in terms of the work power indicator).

The destructive role of emotions
Emotions can play not only a positive, but also a negative (destructive) role in a person’s life. They can lead to disorganization of human behavior and activity.

The uselessness and even harmfulness of emotions is known to everyone. Let us imagine, for example, a person who has to cross the street; if he is afraid of cars, he will lose his cool and run. Sadness, joy, anger, weakening attention and common sense, often force us to perform unwanted actions. In short, an individual who finds himself in the grip of emotions “loses his head.”

Emotion causes disturbances in memory and skills, and leads to the replacement of difficult actions with simpler ones. A negative influence of experiences associated with previous failure on the speed and quality of intellectual learning activity of adolescents was revealed.

In many cases, the disorganizing role of emotions is obviously associated not so much with their modality as with the strength of emotional arousal. Here I. P. Pavlov’s “law of force” is manifested (with very strong stimuli, excitation turns into extreme inhibition) or what is the same – the Yerkes-Dodeon law. Weak and medium intensity of emotional arousal helps to increase the efficiency of perceptual, intellectual and motor activity, while strong and super-strong intensity reduces it.

However, the modality of emotion also matters. Fear, for example, can disrupt a person’s behavior associated with achieving a goal, causing him to have a passive defensive reaction (stupor with strong fear, refusal to complete a task). This leads either to refusal of activity or to a slowdown in the pace of mastering any activity that seems dangerous to a person, for example, when learning to swim. The disorganizing role of emotions is also visible in anger, when a person strives to achieve a goal at all costs, repeating the same actions that do not lead to success. When a person is very nervous, it can be difficult to concentrate on a task, and he may forget what he needs to do. One flight school cadet, during his first independent flight, forgot how to land the plane, and was able to do it only under dictation from the ground from his commander. In another case, due to strong excitement, the national champion gymnast forgot the beginning of the exercise when he went to the apparatus and received a zero score.

However, as the role of emotions was studied, attitudes towards them began to change, and now the disorganizing role of emotions is being questioned. Thus, V.K. Vilyunas (1984) believes that the disorganizing role of emotions can be accepted only with reservations. He believes that the disorganization of activity is due to the fact that emotions organize other activities, which distract strength and attention from the main activity taking place at the same moment. Emotion itself does not have a disorganizing function. “Even such a crude biological reaction as affect,” writes Viliunas, “usually disorganizing human activity, can be useful under certain conditions, for example, when he has to escape from serious danger, relying solely on physical strength and endurance. This means that disruption of activity is not a direct, but a side manifestation of emotions, in other words, that there is as much truth in the statement about the disorganizing function of emotions as, for example, in the statement that a festive demonstration functions as a delay for vehicles.”

We can agree with this. Emotions really do not have such a function, programmed by nature. It would be strange if emotions appeared in the evolutionary development of living beings in order to disorganize the control of behavior. But emotions, in addition to their “will,” can play a disorganizing role, as discussed above. The point of separating the role and function of emotions is precisely not to confuse what is intended by nature as a sign of progressive development with what is obtained as a side effect, contrary to its intended function.

Applied role of emotions

The communicative role of emotions
Emotions, due to their expressive component (mainly facial expression), take part in establishing contact with other people in the process of communicating with them, in influencing them. The importance of this role of emotions is evident from the fact that in the West, many managers hire employees based on their intelligence quotient (IQ), and promote them based on their emotional quotient (EQ), which characterizes a person’s ability to communicate emotionally.

The role of emotional response in the communication process is diverse. This is also the creation of a first impression of a person, which often turns out to be correct precisely because of the presence of “emotional inclusions” in it. This also has a certain influence on who is the subject of the perception of emotions, which is associated with the signaling function of emotions. The role of this function of emotions is clearly visible to parents whose children suffer from Down syndrome. Parents are depressed by the fact that children cannot communicate their experiences to them through facial expressions and other methods of emotional communication.

The regulatory function of emotions in the process of communication is to coordinate the order of statements. Often, a combined manifestation of various functions of emotions is observed. For example, the signaling function of emotions is often combined with its protective function: a frightening appearance in a moment of danger helps to intimidate another person or animal.

An emotion, as a rule, has an external expression (expression), with the help of which a person or animal communicates to another about their condition, what they like and what they don’t, etc. This helps mutual understanding during communication, preventing aggression on the part of another person or animal , recognition of the needs and conditions currently present in another subject.

Using emotions as a means of manipulating other people. As part of the communicative role, emotions can be used to manipulate other people. Often we consciously or habitually demonstrate certain emotional manifestations, not because they arose naturally in us, but because they have a desirable effect on other people. A. Schopenhauer wrote about this: “Just as paper money is used instead of silver and gold, so instead of true respect and true friendship in the world, their external evidence and as natural as possible fake facial grimaces and body movements are used... In any case, I rely more on to the wagging of an honest dog’s tail, than to a hundred such manifestations of respect and friendship.”

The baby already knows about this function of emotions and uses it to achieve his goals: after all, crying, screaming, and the child’s suffering facial expressions evoke sympathy among parents and adults. Thus, emotions help a person achieve satisfaction of his needs through changes in the desired direction of the behavior of other people.

Smile, laughter, threat, screaming, crying, ostentatious indifference, ostentatious suffering, etc. are used as means of manipulation. When manipulated, an “emotional template” is reproduced - an engram. Memory captures situations in which “emotional preparation” gives the desired effect, and subsequently the person uses them in similar situations. Engrams constitute a person's manipulative experience. They can be positive and negative, if we consider them from the point of view of their influence on other people. The former are designed to evoke a positive attitude towards themselves (trust, recognition, love). In this case, facial expressions such as smiling, laughter, vocal intonations of the lyrical and peace-loving spectrum, gestures symbolizing greeting, acceptance of a partner, joy from communicating with him are used, head movements expressing agreement, body movements indicating trust in the partner etc. The latter are filled with symbolism of aggression, hostility, anger, alienation, distance, threat, displeasure. For example, a parent makes a menacing expression on his face, raises his voice, and uses swear words towards the child. But this does not mean that at this moment he hates the child, he only achieves the desired behavior from him.

E. Shostrom (1994) described the role of emotions in the manipulation of other people by the so-called “manipulators”. However, their tactics may be different. In one case, “manipulators,” such as hysterical women, unleash a jumble of feelings on those around them, leading them to complete confusion. From hysterical women, feelings fly off like sparks, but none of them linger long enough to be fully formed and expressed. As soon as they arise, they burst like soap bubbles. In another case, “manipulators” save their emotions in reserve in order to use them at a convenient moment. “I was offended by you last week,” the manipulator might say. Why didn't he say that last week? – asks Sjostrom. Because then it was unprofitable for him to declare his grievance, but now he can bargain for something.

The “manipulator” may experience many feelings quite sincerely, but he will certainly try to use them “for something useful.” That is, as Shostrom writes, a certain manipulative goal is added to sincere tears.

The role of emotions in cognitive processes and creativity
The presence of emotional phenomena in the process of cognition was noted by ancient Greek philosophers (Plato, Aristotle).

However, the discussion of the role of emotions in the cognitive process began with P. Janet and T. Ribot. According to P. Janet, emotions, being “secondary actions”, the subject’s reaction to his own action, regulate “primary actions”, including intellectual ones. T. Ribot, on the contrary, believed that there should be no “emotional admixture” in intellectual thinking, since it is the affective nature of a person that is most often the cause of illogicality. He separated intellectual thinking and emotional thinking. L. S. Vygotsky attached great importance to the connection between thinking and affects. He wrote: “Whoever separated thinking from the very beginning from affect has forever closed the way to explaining the causes of thinking itself, because a deterministic analysis of thinking necessarily involves revealing the driving motives of thought, needs and interests, motivations and tendencies that direct the movement of thought in that direction.” or the other side."

S. L. Rubinstein also noted the need to connect thinking with the affective sphere of a person. “Mental processes, taken in their specific integrity, are not only cognitive processes, but also “affective”, emotional-volitional processes. They express not only knowledge about phenomena, but also attitude towards them.” In another work, he sharpens this issue even more: “The point is not only that emotion is in unity and interrelation with the intellect or thinking with emotion, but that thinking itself, as a real mental process, is itself a unity of the intellectual and emotional , and emotion is the unity of the emotional and intellectual” (“Problems of general psychology”, 1973.

Currently, most psychologists involved in the study of intellectual activity recognize the role of emotions in thinking. Moreover, it is argued that emotions do not simply influence thinking, but are an essential component of it, or that most human emotions are intellectually determined. There are even intellectual emotions that differ from the basic ones.

True, the authors’ opinions on the specific role of emotions in controlling thinking do not coincide. From the point of view of O.K. Tikhomirov, emotions are a catalyst for the intellectual process; they improve or worsen mental activity, speed it up or slow it down. In another work (Tikhomirov, Klochko, 1980) he goes even further, considering emotions to be the coordinator of mental activity, ensuring its flexibility, restructuring, correction, avoidance of stereotypes, and change of current attitudes. According to P.V. Simonov, emotions are only a trigger for thinking. L.V. Putlyaeva considers both of these points of view exaggerated and identifies, in turn, three functions of emotions in the thought process:

1) emotions as an integral part of cognitive needs, which are the source of mental activity;

2) emotions as a regulator of the cognitive process itself at certain stages;

3) emotions as a component of assessing the achieved result, i.e. as feedback.

The role of emotions in the intellectual creative process is diverse. This is both the pangs of creativity and the joy of discovery. “The ardent desire for knowledge,” wrote C. Bernard, “is the only engine that attracts and supports the researcher in his efforts, and this knowledge, so to speak, constantly escaping from his hands, constitutes his only happiness and torment. Whoever has not known the torment of the unknown will not understand the pleasures of discovery, which, of course, are stronger than anything that a person can feel.”

But here’s what’s typical: it’s inspiration, joy about creative success not long lasting. C. Bernard wrote on this occasion: “By some whim of our nature, this pleasure, which we so greedily sought, passes away as soon as the discovery is made. It is like lightning illuminating the distant horizon for us, towards which our insatiable curiosity rushes with even greater fervor. For this reason, in science itself, the known loses its attractiveness, and the unknown is always full of charms.”

When discussing the connection between thinking and emotions, some psychologists go to extremes. Thus, A. Ellis (Ellis, 1958) argues that thinking and emotions are so closely related to each other that they usually accompany each other, acting in a cycle of “cause and effect” relationships, and in some (although almost all) relationships are essentially one and the same, so that thinking turns into emotion, and emotion becomes thought. Thinking and emotion, according to this author, tend to take the form of self-talk or internal sentences; the sentences that people say to themselves are or become their thoughts and emotions.

As for the transformation of thought into emotion and vice versa, this is a rather controversial statement. Another thing is that, as Ellis writes, thought and emotion are hardly possible to differentiate and isolate in their pure form. Here we can agree with the author. Emotions play a special role in various types of art. K. S. Stanislavsky (1953) said that of all three mental spheres of a person - mind, will and feelings - the latter is the most “difficult child to educate.” The expansion and development of the mind is much more easily amenable to the will of the actor than the development and expansion of the emotional sphere. Feeling, Stanislavsky noted, can be cultivated, subordinated to the will, used intelligently, but it grows very slowly. The alternative “is it or is it not” applies most of all to it. Therefore, it is the most expensive for an actor. Students with dynamic emotions and the ability to feel deeply are the golden fund of a theater school. Their development is fast. At the same time, Stanislavsky complained that there were too many rational actors and stage works that came from the mind.

Positive and negative emotions

Distinguish positive And negative emotions. The driver's high skill allows him to drive a car with relative ease and experience pleasure, satisfaction and pride. However, negative emotions are still predominant in the driver’s activity, especially if there is a lack of experience or his psychological qualities do not correspond to the requirements of driving activity: fear, uncertainty, doubt, etc. The cause of negative emotions is often and unexpectedly arising dangerous situations, work in conditions imposed pace with a lack of time, poor visibility and lack of information about the road situation, unsatisfactory road condition, high responsibility for passengers, frequent making very responsible decisions, painful condition, fatigue, etc. Increased nervous tension of drivers with a predominance of negative emotions is noted when driving in heavy traffic or in a convoy. In such conditions, the driver is forced to withstand the speed of traffic flow for a long time, which often does not correspond to his level of skill and psychological characteristics. An unsuccessful situation at work or the threat of punishment from the administration, family troubles, conflict situations along the route can also be the reasons for the emergence of negative emotions that reduce performance.

According to the information theory of emotions, developed by the Russian physiologist P. V. Simonov, emotions arise when the body’s needs are not met and it is forced to satisfy them in conditions of a chronic lack of information. Another Russian physiologist, P.K. Anokhin, believes that emotions are an incentive reflex mechanism aimed at satisfying needs. In the light of these theories, it can be assumed that the cause of the driver’s negative emotions may be a lack of information or a lack of time to obtain the information necessary for a correct assessment of the road situation, and, consequently, for the timely execution of control actions. For a young, inexperienced driver, negative emotions are more pronounced, since he cannot obtain the necessary information from his past experience. In all such cases, the driver does not satisfy his needs to ensure his own safety and the safety of other road users, resulting in negative emotions and nervous tension.

Emotional experiences are expressed not only in subjective feelings. They are always associated with physiological processes and changes in the body, which also finds external expression. During some emotional experiences a person blushes, during others he turns pale. Emotions are accompanied by facial expressions, i.e. facial expressions, and pantomimes - gestures, posture, changes in tone and volume of voice, tempo and expressiveness of speech. There are changes in heart rate and breathing, changes in muscle tone, sweating and even changes in blood composition. Special studies have established that the driver's pulse rate ranges from 70 to 145 beats per minute. During descents, ascents, and even on straight sections of the road at a speed of 90–150 km/h, the heart rate increases by 60–80 beats per minute. At automobile competitions, an athlete’s heart rate increases to 200 beats per minute or more. The reasons for emotional excitement of drivers can also be the most ordinary road situations, to which the driver himself does not attach importance. For example, French scientists observed that the heart rate of drivers after normal driving in the city when entering an expressway increased from 73 to 115 beats per minute. Particularly strong emotional arousal occurs when the road situation suddenly becomes more difficult. It has been experimentally established that an unexpected skid of a car causes strong emotional arousal, which is especially pronounced in inexperienced drivers. Even when simulating a skid on a car simulator, the heart rate increases by 25 - 40 beats per minute.

Under the influence of emotions, a person quickly prepares to perform great physical or mental work. At the same time, the body's reserve capabilities are mobilized, which may be required to act in unexpected, dangerous situations. Experimental studies have shown that the emotional reactions of rage and fear are associated with an increase in the secretion of the hormone adrenaline by the adrenal glands. The appearance of an increased amount of adrenaline in the blood entails increased formation of sugar in the blood. This increases muscle strength and performance, since sugar is one of the main sources of muscle energy, and adrenaline, in addition, can very quickly restore the performance of tired muscles. The amount of adrenaline-like substances in the blood during working hours compared to after-working hours increases by 100% for truck drivers, 141% for commuter buses, 200% for city bus drivers, and 210% for taxi drivers. The data presented indicate significant emotional stress among drivers, especially in urban passenger transport, even under normal conditions of their activity.

Thus, emotions not only receive external expression, but also cause a restructuring of vital physiological functions, which helps to mobilize the body’s reserve capabilities. This is also expressed in increased hearing and vision. General composure, increased vigilance and caution appear in human behavior, thinking processes accelerate, the time of sensorimotor reactions decreases, muscle strength and endurance increase, the intensity of attention and the speed of its switching increase, and physical and mental performance increases.

Stress

In especially significant, responsible and threatening situations, an emotional state occurs, which is called stress. Stress translated from English - voltage. This term was introduced in 1935 by the Canadian scientist Hans Selye. Distinguish eustress And distress. Eustress- this is good stress, during which the body’s reserves are mobilized, which helps a person avoid danger and fight for life. An example of such mobilization can be the well-known case when a man, seeing a bull rushing towards him, jumped over a fence so high that many months later, every time he passed by, he stopped and looked for a long time at this high fence in complete bewilderment. Distress- bad stress, leading to a sharp decrease in the psychophysiological capabilities of the body. As a result, the person does nothing to save himself or his senseless actions only aggravate the dangerous situation.

The emotions that arise during eustress are called sthenic emotions; they increase the vital activity and capacity of the body. In distress, emotions are asthenic in nature; they reduce a person’s psychophysiological capabilities. In difficult, dangerous situations, these emotions sometimes lead to complete disorganization of behavior. In distress, a person’s face resembles a frozen mask; movements become disproportionate, poorly coordinated, abrupt and imprecise. There is a narrowing of the volume of attention, its distribution and switching slows down. Memory is impaired, which is expressed in forgetting the next actions and the order of their implementation. Thinking is disrupted, which leads to an incorrect assessment of the road situation, slow decision-making and failure to implement them. This condition can occur in a cadet in difficult traffic situations when teaching him practical driving or in an inexperienced, novice driver, which can be the cause of mistakes or complete inaction. Thus, there is a known case when a driver in an emergency situation, without doing anything to prevent an unfavorable outcome, put his head on the steering wheel and remained in this position until his death.

The division of stress into bad and good is very arbitrary, since much depends on the degree of nervous tension and its duration. Often, at the beginning, a mobilization reaction occurs, which is expressed in an increase in all life processes (eustress), and then, if the emotional factor continues to act, depletion of the body’s adaptive capabilities and disorganization of behavior (distress) occurs. In dangerous situations, fear arises, but the degree of expression of fear in different people not the same. Some can overcome the feeling of fear, others cannot. In the latter case, a person loses composure and initiative, fussiness appears, which leads to rash and inappropriate actions. The strongest and most acute form of fear is panic, which most often manifests itself in a group of people, but can also occur in one person. Panic is especially dangerous if it occurs in a driver in dangerous situations, since in this state he loses the ability to correctly assess the situation, his capabilities and perform the necessary control actions to prevent an accident.

However, negative emotions and even fear do not always have an adverse effect. It all depends on the degree of neuropsychic stress and its duration. If a person is able to overcome fear and negative emotions, then this can, as with positive emotions, increase his psychophysiological capabilities. Many believe that strong nervous tension, especially associated with negative emotions, is always harmful to a person, and therefore they recommend avoiding negative emotions to maintain health. Such advice leads to social passivity and indifference, since the person who follows it will never stand up for a just cause and will not help another if this is due to nervous tension. Such immoral behavior does not help maintain health, since an active life position and the associated nervous tension train the body’s resistance to stressful situations and the effects of pathogenic factors. In persons who actively act in dangerous situations, neuropsychic disorders are observed much less frequently and less pronounced. So, for example, pilots who, in the event of an in-flight accident, are engaged in a tense struggle to prevent a catastrophe, disorders in the neuropsychic sphere are often absent or less pronounced than in other crew members who, knowing about the impending danger, do not take any active action .

In the course of his life, a person often experiences great nervous overload, but this does not cause any disturbances in the functioning of the body if their impact is short-lived and if the work is organized rhythmically. But with significant nervous tension, when there is no rhythm and regular breaks, even with shorter exposure to such factors, fatigue occurs in the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex and a decrease in the functional capabilities of the body. Great nervous tension often occurs among drivers in difficult road conditions and, especially, in unexpected dangerous situations. However, in most cases, drivers successfully overcome the resulting nervous tension and use timely actions to prevent unfavorable developments. Much depends on the driver’s experience and professional skills. A beginner, for whom each such situation arises for the first time, naturally experiences greater nervous tension, which, with a lack of skill, often leads to mistakes and accidents.

There is a category of people for whom both positive and negative emotions flow very violently. Strong nervous excitement in such people occurs even for a minor reason, very quickly, which often leads to inappropriate actions and behavior. Such people are called unbalanced or emotionally unstable. It has been established that drivers who, due to emotional instability, commit unseemly acts in their personal lives are more likely to be violators of traffic rules and participants in road accidents. Emotionally unbalanced people are not accepted into aviation schools, since they are eliminated upon admission, unable to pass the test using psychophysiological selection methods. They are also not allowed to work as railway drivers. However, such people can often be found driving a car. This poses a serious threat to road safety.

A driver with high emotional arousal is irritated by every little thing: a pedestrian slowly crossing the road; a car that interferes with overtaking; damaged sections of the road; prohibiting traffic light signal, etc. This is dangerous, as it can be the cause of inappropriate actions leading to an accident. The driver must constantly control his emotional reactions and suppress excessive nervous excitement through willpower. To do this, you need to learn to overcome negative emotions and cultivate such strong-willed qualities as self-confidence, perseverance in achieving your goal, courage, a sense of duty, self-control, and endurance. In a state of overpowering nervous excitement The driver should not drive a car, as this poses a threat to road safety.

Emotional stability can be educated. Strong-willed man with great desire and perseverance, he can overcome his emotional imbalance. To do this, you need to learn to control yourself both at work and in everyday life, that is, not to become overly enthusiastic when experiencing positive emotions and not to lose heart when experiencing failures. You should constantly monitor your behavior, your reactions to everything that can cause inappropriate emotions. You need to learn to restrain yourself.

To prevent neuropsychic injuries to drivers, the entire traffic management system must be thought out so as not to evoke negative emotions in drivers. This system must ensure that road signs are clear, clearly visible and in a quantity that does not exceed the required minimum. The marking of the roadway should make the driver's work easier, not more difficult. There should be no intimidating posters or excessive, unnecessary information. The relationship between drivers and their superiors, each other, pedestrians and traffic police officers must be correct.

Will

For road safety, the driver’s ability to overcome dangerous road situations is of great importance. emotional stress, a feeling of fear and adequate actions to prevent accidents. This behavior is ensured by emotional-volitional stability, which is the interaction of emotions and will.

Will- this is a person’s ability to control his activities and consciously direct them towards achieving a set goal. Actions related to overcoming internal and external obstacles are called volitional. To carry them out, special mental tension is required, i.e., volitional effort. The famous film director A.P. Dovzhenko, while working on the script for the film “The Tale of Fiery Years,” asked his consultant, an army surgeon; “What struck you most about the people at the front?” And he answered: “Will! The man at the front is the will. There is a will, there is a person! No will, no man!” Indeed, you cannot fight successfully without overcoming the feeling of fear, and this requires will. And in peacetime, in dangerous extreme conditions, a person’s actions depend on his emotional and volitional stability. For a driver who often finds himself in dangerous situations, this quality is especially significant.

Volitional qualities include discipline, perseverance, determination, self-control, courage.

Discipline- is the subordination of one’s actions and actions to the requirements of laws, rules and regulations. Discipline is expressed in conscientious performance of official duties, accurate execution of orders and instructions that determine diligence. Driver discipline is expressed in strict compliance with all traffic rules, compliance with technical standards and rules of vehicle operation, culture of behavior and neatness of clothing. Discipline also means diligence, which is manifested in the diligent execution of decisions made and the complete and high-quality completion of the work begun.

Indiscipline− this is a deliberate violation of the rules and restrictions known to the driver, for example, driving a car in a sick state or after drinking alcohol, going on a trip in a technically faulty car, driving through a prohibiting traffic light, exceeding the permissible speed, etc. Undisciplined people are usually people who are morally unstable, taking their duty lightly and not respecting their fellow workers.

However, sometimes a driver may violate existing rules and make mistakes due to lack of preparation or as a result of limited psychophysiological capabilities. The latter include: slow psychomotor reactions, hearing loss, impaired night or color vision, etc. For example, during emergency braking, the driver does not take into account that he has a slow reaction, starts braking late and, as a result, collides with the vehicle in front . Performing a difficult maneuver or driving at high speed without the necessary skills and experience can also be considered unintentional indiscipline. Naturally, the attitude towards such violations should be different from that towards manifestations of obvious indiscipline.

The reason for the indiscipline of young, inexperienced drivers is most often their overestimation of their capabilities. After working independently for several months, they believe that they have completely mastered driving, and allow themselves to perform maneuvers that are only possible for experienced drivers (dashing turns, overtaking at high speed, etc.). Such violations cannot be considered malicious. To prevent them, educational and control measures are necessary both during training and in the first months of independent work.

Discipline, as a strong-willed quality, is cultivated by exactingness and develops demands on oneself. Any failure to fulfill plans or failure to comply with orders, requirements, rules leads to a decrease in discipline, and high demands on oneself, strengthening discipline, strengthens the will.

Perseverance is expressed in the ability to carry out a decision for a long time and persistently, overcoming all obstacles. Perseverance - This is a systematic manifestation of volitional efforts to achieve a set goal. Another strong-willed quality is associated with perseverance - patience. A driver on a long journey, in difficult weather conditions, on a bad road, with frequent car breakdowns, requires great perseverance and great patience in order to deliver passengers or cargo to their destination on time. It is necessary to distinguish from persistence stubbornness, which manifests itself in the desire to do one’s own thing, regardless of the opinions of more experienced comrades, with external conditions and the expediency of their actions, although they are clearly not the best or even wrong, in recognizing only their own opinion and the correctness of only their own actions. This driving behavior poses a serious threat to road safety. The driver must not only be persistent when necessary, but must also be able to promptly abandon his decision and actions if changing conditions and road conditions require it. For example, he must, even if he is in a hurry and is late, reduce his speed or stop overtaking when this poses a threat to the safety of other road users.

Decisiveness - it is the ability to make informed, bold and sustainable decisions in a timely manner and carry them out without hesitation. Unnecessary haste is a sign of weakness rather than willpower. True decisiveness involves the ability to delay a decision, if possible, until the moment when it can be made more reasonably, taking into account all the circumstances. But decisiveness also presupposes the ability to take risks and make immediate decisions when you cannot wait. A decisive person is firm in his decisions, while an indecisive person hesitates before and after making a decision, which sometimes leads to an unreasonable change in the decision made and erroneous actions. Decisiveness is especially important for a driver in difficult situations. And if he cannot quickly decide and act in such cases, then he either does nothing or does not complete various, sometimes opposite, actions, which is often the cause of an accident. Such indecisiveness is more often observed among inexperienced drivers who are not confident that they will be able to correctly perform this or that maneuver under the current conditions.

Determination must be distinguished from impulsiveness, which is characterized by haste in decision-making and rash actions. An impulsive driver does not take the trouble to think about its consequences before performing any maneuver. He acts quickly, but just as quickly he regrets what he has just done, since such actions often create critical traffic situations. Such haste in decisions and actions is sometimes explained by indecision, and the fact that making a decision is very difficult for the driver, and he strives to quickly get rid of this condition. Self-control - This is a person’s power over himself, expressed in the suppression of feelings of fear, pain, anger, fatigue that prevent the achievement of a goal. The instinct of self-preservation is a natural property of humans. There are no people who would be indifferent to the impending danger. The whole difference between the so-called “brave” and “cowardly” lies in the ability or, conversely, in the inability to act, despite danger, wisely and in accordance with the dictates of one’s duty (military, official, civil, moral). D.A. Furmanov said this well in his novel “Chapaev”: “This is just chivalrous chatter, as if there are people who are completely calm in battle under fire. There are no such stumps in the human race. You can get used to appearing calm, you can behave with dignity, you can restrain yourself and not succumb to the influence of external circumstances - this is a different question, but there are no calm people before a battle, there are no and cannot be.” Self-control is the basis of courage, because a person, despite fear, overcomes obstacles that are dangerous to his life and well-being. A courageous driver with high self-control in an unexpected dangerous situation not only mobilizes his strength and capabilities, while showing energy and activity, but is also able to restrain inappropriate actions and behavior.

Will is expressed in volitional actions, which are always aimed at achieving consciously set goals and are based on certain motives. Motive is the answer to the question: why and for what does a person want to achieve his goal? The will is closely related to the feelings and thoughts of a person.

Volitional actions are always associated with overcoming internal or external obstacles. In any volitional act, it is necessary to highlight a preparatory period, during which a person internally prepares himself to perform a volitional action. This period is characterized by two moments: the struggle of motives and the decision. In the preparatory period, a person evaluates the significance of each of the motives, imagines the possible consequences when choosing one or another motive, and only then comes to a final decision.

For example, a driver constantly decides questions: should he overtake the car in front or not? Climb the hill straight away or switch to a lower gear? Should I reduce my speed before a small turn or not? etc.

The struggle of motives should always end in a decision, which is an impetus for action. In an act of will, the most important thing is the execution of the decision made. As a driver, road situations often arise that require instant decisions. However, the decision may be delayed due to unexpected difficulties. The ability to overcome these difficulties and quickly perform the necessary control actions in critical traffic situations characterizes the driver’s willpower.

Volitional qualities develop and improve when overcoming obstacles and difficulties on the way to achieving a goal. The clearer a person's goal and the more effort required to achieve it, the greater the chance of developing a strong will. Each volitional action represents only a link, a separate manifestation of a person’s volitional activity; therefore, a distinction is made between volitional actions, in which the goal is achieved with a single decision, and volitional activity, which requires many volitional acts. The education of will is achieved through its systematic training. It is wrong to think that the will is cultivated only in exceptional, special circumstances. You need to learn to make decisions, taking advantage of every opportunity, and ensure that you do not deviate from them even in small things until you achieve your goal. You should not give your word if you are not confident in keeping it, and having given your word, you must strive to fulfill it at all costs. It is necessary to train your will in the fight against your shortcomings, notice them and try to correct them through persistent daily work. So, a hot-tempered, uncontrollable person needs to restrain himself and not allow impulsive actions and actions in any situation. One must strive to overcome such shortcomings as uncertainty, indiscipline, carelessness, indecisiveness, sloppiness, etc.

However, the education of will will achieve the goal if it is carried out continuously, every day and with a critical assessment of each of your actions and deeds. Willpower training in everyday life gives a positive transfer to behavior and actions in extreme conditions, when particularly high demands are placed on volitional qualities. A driver who has not overcome his impulsiveness in ordinary life situations can, if the road situation suddenly becomes more difficult, create an emergency situation with his hasty and ill-considered actions. At the same time, volitional qualities are especially well trained in activities that place high demands on a person. This type of activity also includes the work of a driver. It is necessary that during working hours he consciously controls his behavior, actively overcomes slowness, haste, indecision, anger, irritability, and other negative qualities characteristic of him and strictly follows the Traffic Rules.

In this article you will become familiar with feelings and emotions.

We fall in love, rejoice, get angry, indignant, hate, love - and all this is called emotions and feelings. Let's talk about them in this article.

What is it and what are the feelings and emotions: definition, names

Emotions– a person’s immediate reaction to what is happening around him. Emotions manifest themselves in humans at the animal level, appearing and disappearing. The manifestation of emotions can be:

• Chagrin
• Sadness
• Joy
• Dejection
• Indifference
• Anger

Feelings– these are also emotions, but on an ongoing basis, they last a long time. Feelings arise in the process of long thoughts, experiences, based on life experience. There are feelings:

• The greatest and most constant feeling is love, but most likely not between men and women, but between mothers and children, and vice versa.
• A sense of duty to parents and family.
• Feeling of devotion to spouse.
• A sense of responsibility for family and children.
• Some people know the feeling of being inspired by an interesting job.

List of positive and negative feelings and emotions: table with interpretation

Positive emotions and feelings:

• Joy
• Delight
• Pleasure
• Pride
• Rejoicing
• Confidence
• Sympathy
• Confidence
• Delight
• Attachment
• Gratitude
• Respect
• Tenderness
• Tenderness
• Bliss
• Anticipation
• Clear conscience
• Feeling safe

Negative emotions and feelings:

• Gloat
• Dissatisfaction with something
• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Sorrow
• Yearning
• Chagrin
• Fear
• Despair
• Resentment
• Fright
• A pity
• Fear
• Sympathy
• Regret
• Dislike
• Annoyance
• Hatred
• Disturbance
• Dejection
• Jealousy
• Envy
• Boredom
• Malice
• Uncertainty
• Mistrust
• Fury
• Confusion
• Disgust
• Contempt
• Disappointment
• Repentance
• Bitterness
• Intolerance

These are not all the emotions and feelings shown by a person. All manifestations of emotions cannot be counted, they are like two or three colors added together, from which a third, completely new color appears.

Emotions and feelings are called positive because, when expressed, they bring pleasure to a person, and negative ones cause dissatisfaction. From the list of emotions we see that there are much more negative emotions than positive ones.

Types, classification of feelings and emotions

Emotions are momentary manifestations of our reaction to external actions. We are born with emotions such as dissatisfaction, surprise, joy, fear and anger. If a small child is uncomfortable, he cries; if they feed him or change him, he rejoices.

But not all emotions are innate; some can be acquired in certain life situations. Even kids understand this, throwing a tantrum if they want to achieve something.

There are 5 main manifestations of emotions and feelings, and derivatives come from them:

1. Joy, and from it came: delight, fun, surprise, tenderness, gratitude, inspiration, passion, peace.
2. Love and beyond: infatuation, trust, tenderness, bliss.
3. Sadness, and let's go: disappointment, sadness, regret, despair, loneliness, depression, bitterness.
4. Anger, and it went further: rage, irritation, anger, hatred, revenge, indignation, resentment, envy.
5. Fear and its derivatives: anxiety, excitement, alarm, fright, shame, guilt, horror, revenge.

All emotions, except those with which we are born, are acquired along our life path.

Why are there more emotions than feelings?

Emotions are temporary states, and even within one hour they can change by dozens. For an emotion to turn into a feeling, you need to wait a long time, sometimes years. And if we have a feeling, it can persist for decades, while an emotion lasts a couple of seconds, so there are much more emotions than feelings.

How a person’s feelings differ from his emotions: comparison, psychology, brief description of characteristics and properties

How do you know what is a feeling and what is an emotion?

• We manage feelings, but emotions are very difficult to manage, most often impossible.
• Feelings are manifested on the basis of constant simple emotions, and emotions are momentary.
• Feelings are formed through life experiences, and we are born with emotions.
• The feeling is impossible to comprehend, but we are fully aware of emotions, often in the past tense.
• Feelings are durable, and emotions arise for a short time in response to some action from the outside. We express our emotions by screaming, laughing, crying, hysterics.
• Feelings arise from emotions, and this transition of emotions into feelings takes time.

The boundary between feelings and emotions is very difficult to define. Sometimes for a long time we cannot understand what state we really have - emotions or feelings. An example of this is love and love.

Functions and role of emotions and feelings in psychology, human life, the connection of emotions and feelings with the body: description, external manifestations

Emotions are not only words, but can also be actions. Everyone knows how the smile of another affects one person. If a smiling person is sincere, he can infect others with his smile. Thanks to emotions, we understand each other better.

Feelings and emotions are manifested in 4 types:

• The feeling itself
• Manifestation of mood
• Passion
• Affect

Feeling– a negative or positive manifestation of human properties.

Mood– background for the actions of the human psyche.

Passion– the feeling is strong and quite long lasting.

Affect– a very strong feeling that lasts a short time.

Following this classification:

• Surprise is a feeling, and amazement, bliss is the same feeling, but brought to the point of passion
• Anger is a feeling, rage is a feeling brought to the point of passion
• Joy is a feeling, delight is a feeling brought to the point of passion

Words expressing feelings and emotions: list

We are born with certain emotions. Emotions show up well on our faces. A small child who cannot speak is already excellent at showing his emotions.

Expressing the simplest emotions and feelings:

• Apathy is complete indifference.
• Hopelessness is the loss of all hope.
• Anxiety is a manifestation of anxiety, excitement, and bad feelings.
• Fun - I want to laugh.
• Indignation is dissatisfaction with everyone.
• Arrogance is a contemptuous attitude towards other people.
• Sadness is a state when it seems that everything around is in shades of gray.
• Pity is a feeling of compassion for others.
• Envy is a feeling of bitterness because others succeed and you don’t.
• Anger is indignation and the desire to do something unpleasant to another object.
• Fear is a reaction to sudden danger.
• Pleasure is a feeling associated with the satisfaction of one's interests.
• Hatred is intense anger towards another object.
• Loneliness is a state when there is no one to talk to heart to heart.
• Sadness is a state of longing for the past or present.
• Shame is feelings about an unworthy act.
• Happiness is a state of inner satisfaction with something.
• Anxiety is a condition caused by internal tension.
• Surprise is a quick reaction to seeing a sudden event.
• Terror is intense fear when confronted with a threatening object.
• Rage is the manifestation of anger in an aggressive form.

Luule Viilma - A woman lives by emotions, a man lives by feelings: what does this mean?

Luule Viilma- Estonian gynecologist and great expert on the human soul, author of 8 books. In her articles, she tried to convey to people that our health is connected to our state of mind, our emotions are connected to diseases, and only we, by adjusting our emotions, are able to cure ourselves.

You can learn that a woman lives by emotions, and a man lives by feelings, from Luule Viilma’s book “The Beginnings of Masculine and Feminine.” If anyone is interested, you can.

Is it possible and how to manage emotions and feelings: education of emotions and feelings

Thanks to emotions and feelings, our life becomes interesting, but at the same time, excessive emotions affect our health and psyche, so we need to learn how to manage our emotions.

How to manage emotions?

• First, you need to admit to yourself that not all the emotions that appear in you are positive.
• Deal with every manifestation of negative emotions.
• Don't take all negative emotions personally. If your boss yelled at you, this does not mean that you are a bad employee, maybe he was in a bad mood.
• Control your negative emotions and prevent them from appearing next time.
• Learn to control your explosive nature and the manifestation of violent emotions, for example, with the help simple ways meditation, special trainings.
• Now there are a lot of books and films with which you can learn to control your emotions.

So, we learned a little more and got to know our feelings and emotions.

Video: Disney cartoon for children Puzzle, our emotions

Emotions... They can give us joy - and make us unhappy. They can inspire new achievements - and paralyze our will. They can make a person strong or weak, free or constrained, beautiful or ugly - depending on their positive or negative connotation. However, it’s unlikely that many of us would agree to live without them, right?

Although the latter, rather, relates to positive emotions - pleasure, love, gratitude, tenderness, delight... But what about sadness, resentment, shame, fear, anger... - negative emotions? Feeling them is not at all so pleasant, but they are persistently born in us, making us worry, fear, suffer.

Why does this happen? What makes people experience negative emotions, and sometimes more often than positive ones?

Help

Negative emotions are emotions based on unpleasant subjective experiences. They lead to the implementation of adaptive behavior aimed at eliminating the source of physical or psychological danger. Within the framework of cognitive psychology and psychotherapy (A.T. Beck, A. Ellis), their specificity is determined through certain intellectual actions.

Anger arises when obstacles arise on the way to achieving a goal and serves to awaken the energy required to resolve the obstacle;

Sadness arises in the situation of loss of a significant object and serves to reduce the level of energy for its further use;

Fear helps you avoid danger or mobilize for an attack;

Contempt supports one's own self-esteem and dominance behavior;

Shyness signals a need for togetherness and intimacy;

The feeling of guilt establishes a subordinate role in the social hierarchy and indicates the possibility of loss of self-esteem;

Disgust leads to pushing away harmful objects.

I. Kondakov. Psychological Dictionary, 2000

Paraphrasing the poet, we can say that if negative emotions arise, which means it is necessary for some reason. For example, the very ancient emotion of fear serves to save the life and health of an individual. It triggers in the human body a whole complex of phenomena that help to maximally mobilize all the forces available to him. The brain gives a command, adrenaline rushes into the blood, blood circulation increases, and you can run or attack, depending on the situation or your personality.

At the same time, it is well known that people do not always, so to speak, “use” fear for its intended purpose. Often a person is afraid of completely innocent, “fearless” things or phenomena. We are talking about various types of phobias that are very common in modern civilization. It turns out that fear serves not only to warn a person about the truth of danger? Often it has a more complex psychological nature.

The same can be said about other negative emotions. It happens that we experience them contrary to common sense. And at the same time, we never want to admit it to ourselves. Most of us tend to see our own as the cause negative emotions external circumstances or other people. We often forget that it is not emotions, in fact, that “run the show,” but exclusively our internal attitudes.

After all, we all know that from every unpleasant situation there are only two ways out: change the situation itself or change your attitude towards it. For example, if we are rude on the street, we may become furious, being rude in response or remaining angrily silent, or feel an unfortunate aggression, kindly laugh at him about ourselves or not pay attention to what happened at all - the choice is ours.

However, many people choose the first option. A large part of society prefers to live in negativity. Why? Do they realize that this is their choice and theirs alone? Why do they need this?

In psychology, there is such a concept as “secondary benefits” - this is when a person psychologically receives something necessary for himself, satisfying one or another of his needs, experiencing I am not the most pleasant moments (and, accordingly, emotions). Simply put, receiving a certain “perverted pleasure” from the hardships of life, which he could well have avoided.

As a rule, this happens unconsciously. Sometimes during psychotherapy sessions such a person begins to see the light and finds the strength to change. But this, alas, does not always happen. The convenience of “secondary benefits” most often tips the scales – which, again, is everyone’s personal choice.

It is important to understand that we are not necessarily doomed to experience negative emotions. You can work with this if you have the desire to change your life for the better.

Our experts continue to talk about negative emotions Elena Kaliteevskaya and Pavel Gyrevich.

Kaliteevskaya Elena Rostislavovna - psychotherapist, candidate of psychological sciences, deputy. director Moskovsky

Gestalt Institute:

Now society is changing quite quickly, and people feel it is unsafe. Paradoxically, human life turns out to be a phenomenon even more stable than the life of society. And in connection with this, fear arises in people, which in turn causes reactions of rage, aggression, instability of society and the need to rely on oneself gives rise to fear, anger, rage , despair, internal powerlessness.

But it’s difficult to rely on yourself, since many people have lost the sense of core competence. It happens that people get angry, break down from overload or simply from powerlessness, because they have no other way to respond to their overload. But if we are talking about healthy aggression, then for me the question arises of what exactly a person cannot change in his life, about what he becomes furious. For example, a child who draws catastrophic pictures of the death of parents, a fire in the house, etc., I perceive not as an evil child, but rather as living in a situation with which he can't cope. When I work with aggression, I always look at what is behind it. I am interested in two factors - the situation with which a person cannot cope and which causes such powerlessness that he wants to destroy the irritating object, and the needs of the person who They turn out to be stopped and instead, anger and aggression are experienced. I perceive aggression as the energy of life. The need to act in one's own interests, the need for creativity, is often suspended. And to act creatively in a situation of uncertainty is always to take risks. Therefore, the task of psychotherapy is, as it seems to me, the restoration of a person’s personal competence, recognition of their roots, i.e. himself, such as he is in his contradictory integrity.

Gyrevich Pavel Semenovich - Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Psychology at Moscow State University of Technology and Management. Director of the Institute of Psychoanalysis and Social Management

And “Clinic of Depth Psychology”, head of the sector of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, specialist in clinical psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophical anthropology. Practicing certified psychoanalyst:

All negative emotions (for example, aggression or irritation) have some kind of basis. If the irritation is due to the fact that a person is treated indelicately, then this is one option. And the other option, when a person is in a neurotic state, everything irritates him, everything is bad, this is another, clinical option. For example, people of the hysterical type often behave this way. The third option is that the person is aggressive and relaxed, they do not resist him and do not put him in the right frames. Therefore, he once realized that irritation is an opportunity to manipulate people. What to do about it? In one case, you can help a person learn to be more confident in communicating with other people, in another case - help a person recover from hysteria, in a third case - put a person let them feel that there is a line beyond which they cannot go .

IF YOU ARE TROUBLED BY NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND YOU WANT TO LEARN TO MANAGE THEM, WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR PROFESSIONALS .