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, predominant in the driver’s activities, especially with a lack of experience or inadequacy of it psychological qualities requirements of driving, activity, are still negative emotions: fear, uncertainty, doubt, etc. The reason negative emotions are frequent and unexpected dangerous situations, work under conditions of an 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 are observed when driving in a dense traffic stream 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 the level of his 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 information theory 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. A young, inexperienced driver has more pronounced negative emotions, since he cannot get necessary information from my 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 is also external expression. With some emotional experiences a person blushes, in front of 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 It was found 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 showed that the emotional reactions of rage and fear are associated with an increase in the secretion of the hormone adrenaline by the adrenal glands. Appearance in blood increased amount adrenaline leads to 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 in working hours compared to additional working time increases for drivers trucks by 100%, commuter buses - by 141%, city buses - by 200%, taxi drivers - by 210%. 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, and muscle strength and endurance, the intensity of attention and the speed of its switching increase, physical and mental performance increases.
Stress
In especially significant, responsible and threatening situations an emotional state occurs 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 good stress, in 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 of such a height that many months later, every time he passed by, he stopped and looked at this fence for a long time. 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 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 people 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 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, among 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 active actions do not undertake.
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 less prolonged exposure such factors cause fatigue nerve cells cerebral cortex and decreased 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, his professional excellence. 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 personal life, are more often violators of the Rules traffic and participants in road accidents. Emotionally disturbed people are not accepted into aviation schools, since they are eliminated upon admission, failing to pass the test by 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 a set goal, courage, sense of duty, self-control, 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 both at work and in everyday life learn to control yourself, that is, not to fall into excessive delight 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 should ensure that road signs are clear, clearly visible and not exceed the number of signs. minimum required. 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 ability of the driver in dangerous road situations to overcome emotional stress, feelings of fear and to prevent accidents with adequate actions is of great importance. 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 times 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- this 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 the driver may violate existing rules and make mistakes due to lack of preparedness 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 ahead. vehicle. Performing a complex 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 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 volitional efforts to achieve the set goal. Another strong-willed quality is associated with perseverance - patience. For a driver on a long journey, in difficult weather conditions, bad road, with frequent car breakdowns, great persistence and great patience are required in order to deliver passengers or cargo to their destination within a given time frame. 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 recognition only own opinion and the correctness of only one’s own actions. This driving behavior poses a serious threat to road safety. The driver must not only be persistent when necessary, but also must be able to promptly abandon the decision and actions taken 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. Determination has special meaning for the 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 for the driver represents great difficulties, 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 such people and there 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. Anyway act of will 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 possible consequences when choosing one motive or another and only then comes to the 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 the 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 quick-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 volitional qualities are particularly demanding. high demands. 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 characteristics characteristic of him. negative qualities and strictly followed the traffic rules.
Emotion is an outward source. This is a way of self-expression in life. This is a characteristic of a person’s attitude towards life.
The emotions people express can be divided into two broad categories. We can consider them opposite to each other, or we can simply say that there is a dividing line where emotions of one type turn into emotions of another type.
We can call these two types of emotions “negative” and “positive”. This is not so much a value judgment, but rather a description of the basic action of each group. Ratings as "good" or "bad" are not particularly helpful.
Negative emotions express an attempt or intention to “exclude.” Strengthening own position at the expense of others. Stay away from bad things, destroy what is perceived as a threat. Negative emotions are fueled by a deep-seated fear of the unknown, fear of the actions of others, and the need to control and contain others so as not to be harmed by them.
Positive emotions express an attempt or intention to “turn on.” Consider something in its entirety. Work on learning new points of view, interact more with others, enjoy getting better at something. Positive emotions are fueled by a deep desire for pleasure and unity.
Negative emotions are, for example: indifference, grief, fear, hatred, shame, guilt, regret, indignation, anger, hostility.
Positive emotions are, for example: interest, enthusiasm, boredom, laughter, sympathy, action, curiosity.
Within each category there is a range of different emotions. It can be said that some are more positive or more negative than others. But they do not have to be placed on a linear scale for convenience, since each of them is a mixture of several elements.
Some emotions are disguised as positive or negative, but are actually something completely different. There is a kind of pity that seems to be a genuine concern for others, but which is more likely to be a consolation from the fact that someone else has it worse. There is an underlying hostility that masquerades as friendliness that may be difficult to recognize at first. Likewise, some types of anger or tears may appear negative, but may actually be an expression of concern and concern for the whole. It's not the superficial that matters external manifestation, but the underlying mechanism and incentives.
It may seem like you just need to get rid of negative emotions. But it's not that simple. They have an important purpose. In essence, they show that there is something that a person does not know and cannot cope with. If negative emotions become a stimulus to learn something and deal with it, they are very useful. If a person is always joyful, he may not notice what is wrong.
Positive and negative emotions are opposites. It is impossible to get rid of one and leave only the other. Ultimately they need to be combined into one.
A client's negative emotion usually directs us to areas that need to be addressed. It shows us that there is something here that the personality cannot cope with. We help her deal with it and transform it into something more rewarding and joyful.
Negative emotions are useful as an incentive to get away from the unwanted. Positive emotions are useful as an incentive to move towards what you want.
Trouble occurs when parts of this system get stuck. Especially when the functions of emotions are reversed and the person begins to move towards what she does not want. Therefore, stuck negative emotions are the primary target for processing.
People can express all sorts of combinations of these emotions. Some people remain stuck in a negative emotion, such as grief, almost all the time. Others remain stuck in positive emotions, such as contentment, and do not know how to experience negative emotions, even when they need to.
Some people react according to certain emotional patterns in stressful situations. For example, a person may have hidden grief or fear that is triggered by certain circumstances. An offhand remark can press a button that releases pent-up anger.
The goal of processing is to make people more flexible in emotions, able to use any most appropriate emotion, and able to use their full range when necessary. A flexible and active person will most likely prefer to live in a positive frame of mind. But in fact, the goal is to unite into one whole, to go beyond the limits of the positive/negative idea altogether.
Experiencing both positive and negative emotions creates interesting dynamics and food for thought.
Professional and academic research on positive and negative emotions shows that experiencing positive and negative feelings in a 3 to 1 ratio leads people to turning point, after which they become more resistant to adverse factors and easily achieve what they can imagine.
With a positive attitude, we learn to see new opportunities, recover from failures more easily, communicate with other people, and become more accomplished.
We constantly experience emotions in our daily lives related to people, life experience or events. We allow ourselves to be drawn into positive and negative emotions, which means it is necessary to consider these emotions in the aspect that is really important to us.
Balance of feelings
All Muslims know that it is necessary to show moderation in everything, to strive for balance and peace with ourselves and what Allah has given us. short time life.
We must avoid extremes in all things, including emotions: any excessive emotions can be destructive, be it positive or negative.
Positive emotions are positive feelings such as love, hope, enthusiasm, determination, gratitude, optimism, jubilation, and confidence. Negative emotions are irritation, boredom, embarrassment, sadness, fear, dissatisfaction, depression.
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said the words that were reported in an authentic hadith narrated by Bukhari:
“None of you will truly believe until he loves his brother as himself.”
So, you are in a positive mood, experiencing positive emotions when you look at the blessings you receive in life. Remember that you have much more than many other people. So, take a few minutes and pray for your brothers and sisters around the world who do not have what you have. Do this while you are in a positive state of mind.
When we thank someone, we evaluate the person’s contribution to us, and the greater the degree of our gratitude, the more positive we will see in others and ourselves.
The more we notice how Allah has blessed us and see His presence in our lives, the more our heart will be at peace.
“The Lord has declared: “If you give thanks, I will multiply for you...” Koran (Sura Ibrahim 14:07).
Take a short break while you are busy and thank Allah. You will never be able to thank Allah for everything He has given you, but you will truly appreciate Allah's presence in your life.
Now, let's take a quick look at the negative emotions we may feel: perhaps we are disappointed because we have not realized our potential, or we feel anxious, depressed or jealous. Only we know when we feel these emotions, but what really matters is how we handle these emotions.
Since the month of Ramadan has left us, we sometimes feel guilty for not getting enough done during this month, but let this not stop us from further improvement. Even if we made a mistake, someday we will admit it immediately to Allah or those whom we have offended.
Let us never be arrogant, since arrogance was the cause of the fall of Shaitan.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Every action is based on its intention” (Bukhari)
and in another hadith it is reported:
“The best actions are those that are small and consistent” (Bukhari and Muslim).
Let's decide what consistent positive changes can become part of our lives forever. This can help you accept any worries and negative thoughts and use them as motivation to help manifest positive changes in our actions and actions in this life and in the life to come.
Finally, let us try not to feel depressed and never lose hope. When we seek happiness in this life, we experience needs in many areas: beautiful clothes, delicious food, a beautiful home, a great wife or husband, etc. However, if a person expresses gratitude to Allah, he will receive what he really needs - true happiness!
"Negative" emotions play a more important role 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 sound until the danger has been eliminated. As a result, only “negative” emotions can become stagnant. “Negative” emotions are harmful only in excess, just as everything 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.
Neural mechanisms of positive emotional reactions more complex and subtle than negative ones. “Positive” emotions have independent adaptive significance, i.e. the role of “positive” emotions is different from the role of “negative” emotions: “positive” emotions encourage living systems to actively disrupt the achieved “balance” with environment: “The most important role of positive emotions is the active disruption of peace, comfort, the famous “balancing of the body with external environment"". "Negative emotions, 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, encouraging the search 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. similar 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.”
Types of emotional states
Depending on the depth, intensity, duration and degree of differentiation, the following types of emotional states can be distinguished: feeling tone, emotions themselves, affect, passion, mood.
The simplest form of emotions is the emotional tone of sensations - innate hedonic experiences (from the Greek hedone - pleasure), accompanying certain vital influences (for example, taste, temperature, pain). Already at this level, emotions are differentiated into 2 polar classes. Positive emotions evoked beneficial effects, encourage the subject to achieve and maintain them; Negative emotions stimulate activity aimed at avoiding harmful influences.
1. Sensual or emotional tone is simplest form emotions, an elementary manifestation of organic sensitivity that accompanies certain vital influences and encourages the subject to eliminate or preserve them. Often such experiences, due to their weak differentiation, cannot be expressed verbally. Sensory tone is recognized as an emotional coloring, a unique qualitative shade of the mental process, as a property of a perceived object, phenomenon, action, etc.
2. Emotions themselves are mental reflection in the form of a direct biased experience of the life meaning of phenomena and situations, conditioned by the relationship of their objective properties to the needs of the subject. These are subject specific mental processes and conditions that arise in a specific environment and are narrowly focused. Emotions arise when there is excessive motivation in relation to the real adaptive capabilities of the individual. Emotions arise due to the fact that the subject cannot or does not know how to give an adequate response to stimulation (situations characterized by novelty, unusualness or suddenness).
It is traditional to divide emotions into positive and negative. However, emotions such as anger, fear, shame cannot be unconditionally categorized as negative. Anger is sometimes directly correlated with adaptive behavior and even more often with defense and affirmation of personal integrity. Fear is also associated with survival and, along with shame, contributes to the regulation of permissive aggressiveness and the establishment of social order.
A popular classification of emotions in relation to activity and, accordingly, their division into sthenic (inducing action, causing tension) and asthenic (inhibiting action, depressing). Classifications of emotions are also known: by origin from groups of needs - biological, social and ideal emotions; by the nature of the actions on which the probability of satisfying the need depends - contact and distance.
3. Affect is a rapidly and violently occurring emotional process of an explosive nature, which can provide a release in action that is not subject to conscious volitional control. The main thing in affect is an unexpected shock, sharply experienced by a person, characterized by a change in consciousness, a violation of volitional control over actions. In affect, the parameters of attention change sharply: its switchability decreases, concentration and memory are impaired, up to partial or
complete amnesia. Affect has a disorganizing effect on activity, consistency and quality of performance, with maximum disintegration - stupor or chaotic, unfocused motor reactions. There are normal and pathological affects.
The main signs of pathological affect: altered consciousness (disorientation in time and space); inadequacy of the intensity of the response to the intensity of the stimulus that caused the reaction; the presence of post-affective amnesia.
4. Passion is an intense, generalized and prolonged experience that dominates other human impulses and leads to concentration on the object of passion. The reasons that cause passion can be different - ranging from bodily inclinations to conscious ideological beliefs. Passion can be accepted and sanctioned by the individual, or it can be experienced as something unwanted and intrusive. The characteristic features of passion are the strength of feeling, expressed in the corresponding direction of all thoughts of the individual, stability, unity of emotional and strong-willed moments, a peculiar combination of activity and passivity.
5. Mood - relatively long-lasting, stable mental state moderate or low intensity. The reasons that cause mood are numerous - from organic well-being (vital tone) to the nuances of relationships with others. Mood has a subjective orientation; in comparison with a sensory tone, it is perceived not as a property of an object, but as a property of the subject. Individual personal characteristics play a certain role.
Variety of manifestations emotional life human beings confronts psychology with the need to differentiate them more clearly. According to the tradition of Russian psychology, it is customary to distinguish feelings as a special subclass of emotional processes. A feeling is experienced and revealed in specific emotions. However, unlike the actual emotions and affects associated with specific situations, feelings highlight phenomena in the surrounding reality that have a stable need-motivational significance. The content of a person’s dominant feelings expresses his attitudes, ideals, interests, etc. So, feelings are stable emotional relationships, acting as a kind of “attachment” to a certain range of phenomena of reality, as a persistent focus on them, as a certain “capture” by them. In the process of regulating behavior, feelings are assigned the role of leading emotional and semantic formations of the individual.
Emotional reactions (anger, joy, melancholy, fear) are divided into emotional response, emotional outburst and emotional explosion (affect). The emotional response is, according to the authors, the most dynamic and constant phenomenon of a person’s emotional life, reflecting rapid and shallow switches in a person’s relationship systems to routine changes in situations everyday life. The intensity and duration of the emotional response are small, and it is not capable of significantly changing a person’s emotional state. A more pronounced intensity, tension and duration of experience is characterized by an emotional outburst, which can change the emotional state, but is not associated with a loss of self-control. An emotional explosion is characterized by a rapidly developing emotional reaction of great intensity with a weakening of volitional control over behavior and an easier transition into action. This is a short-term phenomenon, after which a loss of strength or even complete indifference and drowsiness sets in.
We can talk about emotional experiences of various durations: fleeting, unstable, long-lasting, lasting several minutes, hours and even days) and chronic. At the same time, one must understand the conventions of such a division. These three groups of emotional reactions can be called differently: operational (appearing with a single exposure), current and permanent (lasting weeks and months). However, an emotional reaction (anxiety, fear, frustration, monotony, etc.) under certain conditions can be operational (fleeting), current (long-term), and permanent (chronic). Therefore, the use of this characteristic when identifying a class of emotional reactions is very relative.
