Emotions and feelings are different parts of one whole. How do emotions differ from sensations?

Each of us knows perfectly well what emotions are, because they arise spontaneously and accompany us from birth. But if you ask a direct question about what it is and ask you to describe a specific emotion, then people usually experience great difficulty. The situation is even more complicated with feelings. Defining them for most people is an almost impossible task: it is impossible to find the right words to describe them and name the reason for their occurrence. Those sensations and experiences that accompany a person’s feelings almost defy conventional description.

Back in 1928, the Swiss psychologist E. Claparède called the emotional sphere of the human psyche the most confusing and difficult to study. The most controversial issue in psychology has always been the definition and division of the concept of emotions and feelings. Different points of view on the origin and precise definition of emotional phenomena have given rise to much debate in psychology about how feelings differ from emotions and whether there is a close connection between these concepts.

Study of the emotional sphere:

Emotions and feelings are closely related parts of the complex emotional sphere of a person. However, the relationship between these concepts in psychology is still an open question, to which there are many different answers. In general, ideas about these concepts can be divided into four groups, based on the scientific views of different psychologists:

Identification of feelings and emotions, the same definition of these concepts;
definition of feelings as a type of emotion, feeling is one of many emotional phenomena;
definition of feeling as a generic concept, where emotions are a form of experiencing feelings;
separating them as concepts between which there is no direct correspondence.

Feel the difference:

In modern psychology, the most accurate definition, which “sheds light” on the essence of the emotional and sensory spheres, makes it possible to see the specific differences between them, was given by the domestic psychologist A. N. Leontyev. He argued that emotion is situational in nature, which means that it arises as an assessment of a specific situation or one’s behavior in this situation. Feelings are a persistent emotional attitude towards a specific object. To help you better understand their definition, analyze the fiction quotes below.

“In a room with drawn curtains, I hated spring. I hated everything that spring brought me, I hated the dull ache it caused in my body. I have never been able to hate anything so much.”

H. Murakami “Norwegian Forest”

“She was very good and he knew he loved her. She was not beautiful like a statue or a painting; she was beautiful, like a meadow blown by the wind. Life beat inside her, the same life that, accidentally colliding two cells in her mother’s womb, created her just like that.”

E. M. Remarque “Arc de Triomphe”

As you probably already understood, in the first case we are talking about an emotion: in a specific situation, a person felt hatred that is not “attached” to a specific person or object. In the second case, a person explains the depth of his feeling - love for a woman. Based on each specific situation, the same concept can be both an emotion and a feeling. For example, a person may experience fear in a situation where his own life is threatened, but fear can also accompany a person in relation to a specific person or activity. In the first case it is an emotion, and in the second it is a stable feeling.

How do they arise?

You already know what feelings are and how emotions manifest themselves, and you have analyzed their definition. But an important question is their origin, the process of formation. The emotional response is directly related to the satisfaction of our needs and the preservation of vital functions. All of them manifest themselves situationally and spontaneously, and many are inherent in every person from birth. For example, you feel hungry, your stomach sends a signal to your brain. But it so happens that you cannot satisfy this need right now, so a negative emotional reaction occurs, you feel hungry. But when you eat, your negative emotional reaction will disappear, and another will take its place.

Sensory experiences are of a completely different nature; their origin is connected with a person’s life experience and the influence of the surrounding reality. They arise on the basis of already formed concepts and are expressed through emotions. For example, in order for love for the Motherland to arise, you need to master the essence of this concept itself, as well as know those experiences that are generally associated with this concept. It is obvious that understanding feelings is associated with a deep analysis and assessment of what is happening. In this regard, they are also often called higher or secondary emotions, which is explained by their formation on the basis of simpler emotional reactions.

Understanding emotions is quite simple; a person can almost always explain why he experiences a particular emotion. But if you ask why he loves someone, then at best you will hear only inaccurate and confusing explanations without specifics. Feelings are persistent, and some of them can even accompany a person throughout his life. Moreover, the emotions that accompany this feeling can constantly change. For example, a mother loves her child despite his bad behavior in some situations when she experiences sadness, resentment, indignation and other polar emotions. This example clearly shows that there is no direct correspondence between these concepts: each emotion can express different feelings, and each feeling in turn can be expressed by different emotions.

How to recognize them?

Emotions are quite easy to recognize; they are expressed in gestures, facial expressions, intonation and tone of voice, as well as in the manner of speaking. Feelings are usually easier to express with ordinary phrases: “I love him,” “I’m afraid of this.” A person may consciously not show an emotional response, thus hiding his feelings from other people. But not every one of us knows how to control emotions, which find their manifestation through non-verbal “channels” and become noticeable to others.

In the course of the social development of mankind, nonverbal manifestations have been generalized and can comprehensively express specific sensory sensations. Having learned to recognize nonverbal signals in communication, each person is able to determine not only the specific emotions of the interlocutor, but often complex feelings. But we should not forget that each person’s feelings can be expressed through different emotions, often very contradictory.

Let's summarize:

You have learned a lot of new information about the complex and contradictory emotional world of a person. In order for new knowledge to be better absorbed, take its place in your experience and help you develop further, we will draw specific conclusions about the main differences between the emotional world and a person’s sensory perception:

EMOTIONS:

They appear in a specific situation, reflecting his attitude towards it, towards his behavior or towards the behavior of other people. They are not tied to a specific person or object

They are congenital, appear as a spontaneous reaction to a stimulus

The cause of emotions is recognized

Quite short-term, one is quickly replaced by another

The same emotion can illustrate different feelings, and they, in turn, can manifest themselves in each individual person using different emotions

FEELINGS:

They arise on the basis of simpler emotions, which is why they are often called higher.

Formed in the process of socialization and the acquisition of personal life experience

The origin of the feeling and its completeness is difficult to explain verbally

Relevant over a long, often indefinite period of time

They do not change depending on the context of the situation, and emotions are always tied to specific circumstances.

Emotions and feelings are closely related parts of the complex. However, the relationship between these concepts in psychology is still an open question, to which there are many different answers. In general, ideas about these concepts can be divided into four groups, based on the scientific views of different psychologists:

identification of feelings and emotions, the same definition of these concepts;
definition of feelings as a type of emotion, feeling is one of many emotional phenomena;
definition of feeling as a generic concept, where emotions are a form of experiencing feelings;
separating them as concepts between which there is no direct correspondence.

feel the difference

“In a room with drawn curtains, I hated spring. I hated everything that spring brought me, I hated the dull ache it caused in my body. I have never been able to hate anything so much.”

H. Murakami “Norwegian Forest”

E. M. Remarque “Arc de Triomphe”

How do they arise?

How to recognize them?

Let's sum it up

EMOTIONS	FEELINGS
They appear in a specific situation, reflecting his attitude towards it, towards his behavior or towards the behavior of other people. They are not tied to a specific person or object	They arise on the basis of simpler emotions, which is why they are often called higher.
They are congenital, appear as a spontaneous reaction to a stimulus	Formed in the process of socialization and the acquisition of personal life experience
The cause of emotions is recognized	The origin of the feeling and its completeness is difficult to explain verbally
Quite short-term, one is quickly replaced by another	Relevant over a long, often indefinite period of time
The same emotion can illustrate different feelings, and they, in turn, can manifest themselves in each individual person using different emotions	They do not change depending on the context of the situation, and emotions are always tied to specific circumstances

"Emotions make a person human. They make us who we are." (Robert Kiyosaki)

Feelings and emotions are very close concepts and are often used as synonyms. You can say “a feeling of joy”, or you can say “the emotion of joy” - and they will understand it either way.

“I’m in a bad mood”, “you’re disappointing me”, “I’m so worried”... - when a person utters these phrases, as a rule, it is implied that we are talking about feelings, although, to be precise, we are talking about emotions.

So what is the difference between these concepts?

Emotions are situational and short-term: “I’m furious,” “you delight me,” “I’m sad” - this is usually how people react to a specific situation. Feelings are more stable and long-lasting and say more about the person himself than about the characteristics of his reaction to a specific situation.

For example, a guy is angry because the girl he likes doesn't answer his phone calls. In this situation, anger is an emotion, and the fact that he likes a girl is a feeling.

That is, the difference between feelings and emotions lies in their speed and duration.

If the facial expression quickly changed and quickly returned to its original state, this is an emotion. If the face began to change its expression slowly and remained in the new expression for a relatively long time, this is a feeling. But the difference between “fast” and “slow” is very relative. Consequently, quite often there are no clear boundaries between feeling and emotion.

We can say that emotions are quick, short-lived elements of feelings, and feelings are the stable, longer-lasting basis of flaring emotions.

Emotions lie on the surface, feelings are in depth, they are more intimate. Emotions are reflected on the face, unless a person specifically hides them. Emotions sometimes feel like an explosion. Feelings are something deeper, not always obvious, even to the person himself. It happens that a person, not understanding how he really feels, talks about his emotions, thereby misleading those who are trying to understand him. However, often the meaning of a particular human emotion can only be understood in the context of the feeling that it expresses.

Everyone knows what emotions are, because they arise spontaneously and accompany a person from birth. But few people can correctly answer the question of what it is, and they experience difficulty if they need to specifically describe it. The situation with feelings is much more complicated. For most people, their definition is an almost impossible task: no one can find the right words to describe them and name the cause of their occurrence. Those sensory experiences and sensations are almost impossible to describe in familiar words. How do a person’s feelings differ from his emotions? Let's try to figure it out.

Study of the emotional sphere

Feelings and emotions are interconnected parts of the complex emotional sphere of a person. But the relationship between such concepts in psychology remains an open question to which there are many answers. Ideas about them are conventionally divided into four groups, focusing on the scientific views of different psychologists:

identical definition of such concepts;
definition of feeling as a type of emotion, it represents one of the many emotional phenomena;
separating them as concepts between which there is no direct correspondence;
definition of feeling as a generic concept, where emotional manifestation is represented by a form of experiencing feelings.

How are feelings different from emotions?

The most accurate definition of the essence of the sensory and emotional spheres in modern psychology was given by psychologist A. N. Leontiev. According to him, emotion is situational nature, that is, it arises as an assessment of a certain situation or one’s behavior in this specific situation. A feeling is characterized by a persistent emotional attitude towards a certain object.

Based on a certain situation, the same concept can be both a feeling and an emotion. For example, a person is capable of experiencing fear in a situation where there is a threat to his own life, but fear can also arise in a person in relation to a specific activity or person. In the first case it is an emotion, and in the second it is a feeling.

How do these concepts arise?

Having found out what feelings are and how they differ from emotions, it is necessary to analyze their origin and the process of formation. Emotional response is directly related to the satisfaction of human needs, as well as the preservation of vital functions. They can appear spontaneously and situationally, and some are inherent in a person from birth. For example, when a feeling of hunger appears, a signal is sent to the brain from the stomach. But it often happens that a person cannot satisfy such a need immediately, so a negative emotional reaction appears. After eating, it will disappear, and another will come to replace it.

Sensual experiences completely different, and their emergence is associated with the influence of the surrounding reality and a person’s life experience. Their appearance occurs on the basis of formed concepts and they are expressed through emotions. For example, in order for love for the Motherland to arise, you need to understand the essence of this and know about the experiences that are associated with this concept. It is quite obvious that understanding feelings is directly related to assessing what is happening and deep analysis.

It's quite easy to become aware of your emotions. A person is able to explain why he begins to experience specific emotional experiences. But to the question of why he loves a certain person, he is unlikely to be able to clearly answer without specifics. Sensory sensations are quite stable, and some of them accompany a person throughout his life. But emotions can change all the time. For example, a mother can love her child, even if his behavior causes her indignation, resentment, sadness and other similar emotional states. This example clearly shows that there is no direct correspondence between such concepts.

How to recognize them?

Emotions are recognized quite simply. They are expressed:

in intonation;
in facial expressions;
in gestures;
in the manner of conversation
in the tone of voice.

Sensual sensations are easier express in ordinary phrases: “I’m afraid of it,” “I love him.” A person is able to consciously not show an emotional response, thus hiding his emotional state from other people. But not everyone knows how to control emotions that manifest themselves through non-verbal “channels” and become noticeable to others.

The course of human development has led to the generalization of non-verbal manifestations and the complex expression of specific sensory sensations. If a person learns to recognize during communication nonverbal cues, then will be able to determine the emotional state of the interlocutor. But we should not forget that each person’s feelings are expressed using different emotions, which can be very contradictory.

Another unequivocal greetings to everyone from Sasha Bogdanova!

I want to torment you with a puzzle question: what is the difference between feelings and emotions? Not everyone is able to distinguish one from the other, because these concepts are closely intertwined with each other.

But still, this is not the same thing, how the first differs from the second, the second from the first, and what their sum is - we will find out right now.

You may ask: why did I ask this question? It's simple - throughout our lives we have to interact with other people, as well as recognize and study ourselves. Yes Yes! We ourselves are a great mystery not only for those around us, but also for ourselves.

The ability to find differences in emotions and feelings will allow you to quickly determine the essence of a person: is it his bad character or just a bad mood, is this person a misanthrope or is he simply out of sorts and wants to be alone.

So that you don’t have to remember a whole list of emotions and feelings, I came up with this “cheat sheet”: feelings are what fills us for a long time, emotions are like a flash, flare up for a short time.

For a more detailed presentation, I will give you examples:

Sympathy for a certain person, love for someone or something are feelings. They last for quite a long time (not to be confused with situations where people fall in love with their new “lovers” every two weeks - this is already a clinical case, as they say).
- an example of negative feelings, which, by the way, it is advisable to get rid of if it exists.
Anger, joy, admiration are emotions, because they are temporary in nature, they are easy to distinguish from feelings.

In some ways, we can draw a kind of analogy between these two phenomena: emotions are short-term feelings, and feelings are long-term emotions.

However, I will immediately note that these comparisons are rather shaky, because at the same time there is both a thin line and a large chasm between emotions and feelings.

I've messed with your heads here, let's take a break from the depths of philosophy for a moment. So that you understand, there is no need to see the differences between feelings and emotions if you are not able to put your knowledge into practice.

The fruits of the ability to distinguish between feelings and emotions

It just so happens that in psychology there are no trifles - every detail is of enormous importance. We all live in a society and communication with other people is vital for everyone.

Even if you are an inveterate misanthrope and try to avoid communication with others as much as possible, then it will also be useful for you to have at least some knowledge of psychology in your arsenal.

The fact is that often communication may not be of a friendly nature at all - work, various kinds of transactions, business requests, buying and selling something - and at these moments the ability to grasp the mood of your interlocutor can bring very valuable results.

Imagine that you are able to distinguish between a bad and a good mood in a person, even if he carefully hides it. Therefore, choose the most favorable time to complete a transaction - at the moment when your opponent is in the best mood, and this, in turn, significantly increases the chances of a favorable outcome of the transaction.

This “super-power” will find its application in everyday life, in relationships (with your significant other or friends), and in family matters - you will not bother your loved ones at a time when they are not in a good mood or, on the contrary, “pick up wave” when they are positive.

Sometimes it seems to me that if our loved ones could distinguish between our moods and be able to read our emotions, then we would live with the motto: “And our tanks are fast, and our cuckoos are safe!”

List of feelings and emotions - myth or reality?

In fact, a list of feelings and emotions as such does not exist either in psychology or in physiology, because there are a huge number of them.

All this diversity is simply difficult to list, let alone keep in mind. Although some create something like this list, including in it all the feelings and emotions that they know.

In addition, the fact that emotions can be both innate and acquired completely excludes the possibility of creating such a list. The fact is that acquired emotions either evolve from innate ones, or are borrowed by a person from the environment (even from the TV and film industry).

Thus, society literally “invents” new emotions over time.

In addition, we have all heard very well about insensitive and unemotional people who are branded strange and not of this world.

But this means that such people simply do not experience a certain range of emotions at a certain phenomenon - no, they are not selfish and not selfish at all.

I believe that creating a complete list of emotions and feelings is not as interesting as studying these phenomena. And in general, psychology is a rather “tasty” discipline that will allow you to take a fresh look at things, at the world, at people.

Be interested in psychology, and I will help you with this - your Sasha Bogdanova. I look forward to your opinions in the comments, share links with friends and family.

Feelings are deep inside us and depending on the current situations we express them. And, emotions are a superficial outburst that is sometimes very difficult to control. Emotions pass quickly, but feelings, such as joy or anxiety, do not.

Emotions and feelings are similar to each other; they are manifested on our face through facial expressions, as well as gestures and voice. They are all inside us and are very difficult to hide. Positive feelings and emotions bring the best into our lives: smile, joy and happiness.

Good manifestations include:

Love.
Happiness.
Motherhood.
Justice.
Sincerity.
Friendship.
Courage.
Confidence.
Care.
Faith.
Devotion.
Ease.

Laughter.
Tears of happiness.
Pleasure.
Rejoicing.
Joy.
Fun.
Flight.

To the negative:

Anger.
Hatred.
Resentment.
Envy.
Fear.
Deception.
Hostility.
Revenge.
Pain.

Indignation.
Tears.
Scream.
Sadness.
Sadness.
Irony.
Rush.
Anxiety.

Negative feelings and emotions do not need to be kept to yourself, you need to get rid of them. No matter how difficult it may seem, you should learn to control your emotions. We need to learn to restrain ourselves, to distract ourselves from bad thoughts that cause negative emotions in us. Otherwise, this unfavorable impulse may drag you into an unpleasant situation or you will ruin a warm relationship with a loved one.

Therefore, when indignation sets in and a storm of bad feelings and emotions accumulates, you should throw them out. For example, this can be done while working; you need to be able to switch your mind and learn to distract yourself in any way that suits you. Watch a comedy, start reading an interesting book, or cook your favorite dish. This way, you won’t even notice where your bad mood has gone, and you will stop being sad or worried about any reason.

Feelings are very different from emotions. Both positive and bad feelings are very difficult to get rid of, which cannot be said about emotions. It's good when you have favorable feelings. After all, not every person experiences the feeling of happiness, motherhood (fatherhood) and love in life.

Otherwise, in order to get rid of, for example, feelings of anger or revenge, you must have serious hardening and iron discipline of your thoughts. You need to learn to let go of everything bad from your life. Because such negative feelings cause harm, first of all to you.

How do feelings affect our lives?

Unfavorable feelings - feelings of resentment, anger and hatred have a destructive effect on every person. Especially if these feelings have long settled inside you (in your thoughts and soul). You need to get rid of them immediately, as these unfavorable feelings can drag on for a long time and even become a habit. Such people are constantly tense, there is no lightness in them, it is unpleasant to talk to them, and it is also unknown (or rather, it is not clear) what is on their mind. They are constantly dissatisfied and irritable.

Negative feelings and emotions eat people away from the inside. Such manifestations must be dealt with as if they were a bad character trait (laziness, insincerity) or a bad habit. Otherwise, these feelings can kill a person, he will lose his taste for life. He will stop smiling and being happy, living a normal life and enjoying it.

Favorable - friendly feelings charge us with positivity. Friendship is very important for every person. A friendly person gives us feelings of trust and mutual understanding.

Affectionate, tender feelings can be caused by love for your children, loved one and parents.

Noble people are able to give us a feeling of reliability, trust, fortitude and security.

Every person experiences good and bad feelings. You should learn to artificially create a state of joy for yourself from an early age so that it becomes a habit. This way, you will always be in an upbeat and joyful mood. This is not needed by society, but specifically by you.

A person in a good mood, with shining eyes and a smile on his lips, always succeeds. He creates a favorable aura and energy for himself. Such people attract people and many want to “feed” from them with a good positive attitude.

Feelings and emotions: temporary and permanent

For example, fear can be temporary or permanent. Constant fear has a very bad effect on people, it means that they are constantly afraid of something. This feeling can ruin a person’s whole life. He will become unsure of himself and will not be able to achieve anything in life. People with this feeling need to overcome themselves and get rid of fears. Otherwise they will paint themselves into a corner.

But if you have a temporary fear (weakness) of something that you overcome, this is normal. Sometimes this is a defensive reaction or temporary doubts.

The feeling of love also varies. These feelings are not subject to any control at all. They have no rules, boundaries and time. Unfortunately, we cannot control these feelings. Love is the most unusual, inexplicable and best feeling. It evokes in us many feelings and emotions: tenderness, passion, warmth, joy, flight, laughter and tears. And also jealousy, agony, pain and hatred.

It all depends on the person. Manifestations of bad feelings and emotions that are caused by love are invented and created by a person himself, instead of adjusting his wave of love to positive feelings and emotions. In turn, the other half, seeing uncertainty and fluctuations in feelings (from good to bad), feels everything and behaves similarly.

The feeling of love for a person cannot be controlled, but you can build it in a positive way. But people don’t even think about it and don’t devote their energy to tenderness, care and love. And for doubts, scandals and jealousy. Probably all because they don’t try to go deeper into these feelings and emotions. But you should try everything, because love is the basis of all foundations.

We must treat this as a reward and take care of it. But not everyone understands this, especially when these feelings arise for the first time. The second time we understand and feel them more consciously. Without love and all those wonderful feelings and emotions that it evokes, we live in vain. Because it is from love that all good feelings are born: faith, devotion and happiness.

Hunger, love, anger, powerlessness, self-confidence, a sense of humor... Every person experiences these feelings. Or emotions? The fine line between these two concepts is barely distinguishable, but still there. Part of the confusion arose because many psychologists initially viewed emotions as a broad concept that included emotions and feelings themselves, as well as affects, stress, and mood. But we will consider emotions and feelings as emotional processes. And let's try to figure out whether there are differences between them, and what they are.

Mechanism of occurrence

Emotions are a person’s evaluative reaction to certain (possible or existing) situations. Emotions are aimed at maintaining vital functions and are associated with our needs and their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The scheme can be explained using a simple example: if you are hungry, the stomach sends signals to the brain, but at the moment you cannot satisfy the need for food, an emotional reaction matures in the brain, and you feel hungry. Let's say we have satisfied hunger, which means the emotion will change. Thus, we conclude that emotions are situational. Some human emotions are innate, including those associated with the satisfaction of biological needs. Are there acquired emotions? These are exactly what we call feelings. Feelings are influenced by our life experiences and the surrounding reality. They are associated with a person’s associations with certain objects, situations or people. Feelings are also called higher emotions, as well as secondary, since they are formed on the basis of simple emotions.

The emotion is quite conscious. Most often, we can explain why we experience a particular emotion, but it is very difficult to describe in words why we experience a feeling. If a person is asked why he loves another person, he launches into confused and spatial explanations, and cannot give a specific answer. Feelings are permanent, some can accompany a person throughout his life, but at the same time cause different emotions in different situations. For example, in a certain situation, a loved one may cause irritation or anger, but even this will not kill the feeling of love.

Ways of expression

Emotions are expressed very simply. We find their reflection in people’s facial expressions, gestures, and manner of speaking. We often express feelings with the words: “I love you”, “I hate onions”, etc. We hide some feelings, but they can still manifest themselves through certain emotions. Imperceptible to us, but quite obvious to others. And the whole point is that human experience has generalized certain facial expressions, making them stable for the expression of feelings. For example, when we are surprised, we raise our eyebrows, or there is such a stable expression as “open your mouth in surprise.” The easiest way to track the manifestation of emotions in children. They have not yet learned to hide their feelings, which is why any manifestation of them can be read on their face. With adults, everything is somewhat more complicated; the ability to hide one’s feelings has led to the emergence of a whole direction in the study of gestures, faces, and facial expressions. This direction is called physiognomy.

differences between feelings and emotions:

Emotions are situational, feelings are tied to a specific person or object.

We call acquired emotions feelings.

Feelings are formed on the basis of simple emotions.

We can explain the mechanism of emotions, but it’s hard to explain feelings in words.

Emotions are short-lived; feelings last for an indefinite period of time.

Feelings are expressed through emotions.

We are fully aware of feelings, but often not emotions.

Feelings do not change depending on the situation, but emotions are always tied to the situation.

How can the heart express itself?

How can someone else understand you?

Will he understand what you live for?

A spoken thought is a lie.

F. I. Tyutchev (1803-1873), Russian poet

When characterizing a person, we often pay attention to his emotionality, emotional sensitivity. After all, the same events leave some people indifferent, others will be slightly excited, and others will cause strong feelings (think about what individual characteristics this is connected with?).

Our life is impossible without experiences, since everything that a person encounters evokes in him one or another attitude, one or another feeling. The world of our feelings is rich and diverse. One phenomenon pleases us, another awakens disgust; We love some people, hate others, and show indifference to others. Something can frighten us, and something can upset us; We are proud of some actions, and we want to quickly forget about some, because we are ashamed of them. A person’s professional activity is also impossible without experiences and has a certain emotional overtones. While working, a person expresses his attitude towards work and its conditions in the form of feelings and emotions.

Feelings and emotions are often used as synonyms, but in essence these concepts are different from each other. An important difference between feelings and emotions is that feelings have relative stability and constancy, and emotions arise for a specific situation. Emotions are the immediate, temporary experience of some feeling, for example the feeling of love for sports. In this case, positive emotions will be represented by a state of admiration and pleasure that fans experience when watching a high-quality, interesting game of athletes. The same feeling (feeling of love for sports) can be experienced in the form of negative emotions - indignation, indignation at a bad game or unfair refereeing.

In an exact translation into Russian, “emotion” is mental excitement, mental movement. Emotions- these are phenomena that are expressed in a person’s experience of his relationship to the surrounding reality and to himself, and emotions are characterized by subjectivity. In science there are various classification of emotions. The most common is the power of influence on human activity.

Stenic- strong, tonic; activate activity, encourage actions and statements (joy, anger)

Asthenic- Passive, inhibit activity, cause stiffness, interfere with achieving goals (fear, melancholy)

Emotions Depending on stability, duration and strength, they are distinguished by type.

1. Mood- this is a long-term emotional state associated with weakly expressed positive or negative emotions, coloring all other experiences, thoughts and actions of a person. Mood leaves an imprint on a person’s behavior, influences activities and their results. It is known that those who have a predominant cheerful and calm mood work well and fruitfully. A bad mood, on the contrary, prevents a person from communicating; he looks at the world gloomily, everything makes him angry and irritated: the weather, the neighbor who carelessly pushed him, and cheerful laughter (remember what helps a person overcome a bad mood?). Therefore, it is very important, especially in interpersonal communication, that a person learns to manage his mood. Sometimes, to improve your mood, it is enough to switch to an activity that causes inspiration, which is pleasant and interesting. Watching your favorite TV show, listening to music or reading an interesting book also has a strong impact on your mood. Don’t forget about a smile, because the background of a cheerful, positive mood makes it easier to experience temporary difficulties and disappointments.

2. Affect- this is a strong, short-term emotional state, reminiscent of a storm, a squall. The affect arises suddenly, sharply, and at this moment the person seems to lose self-control and completely surrenders to the experience. M.Yu. Lermontov (1814-1841) wrote in the poem “Mtsyri”:

Then I fell to the ground;

And he sobbed in a frenzy;

And he gnawed at the damp breast of the earth, And tears, tears flowed into it like a flaming river...

In a state of passion, a person “loses his head” and commits actions without analysis or consideration of the situation, for example, he can throw away something that comes to hand, break it, or slam the table. Affects reduce a person’s organization and thereby negatively affect his activities. However, it would be a mistake to think that affects are completely uncontrollable, because if you wish, you can learn to “extinguish” an affective outburst and not lose power over yourself. To do this, it is enough to throw yourself into work, study, a hobby, or switch to some other activity. In its simplest form, to avoid an emotional breakdown, count to ten before reacting.

3. Passion- this is a bright, strong emotional state aimed at satisfying needs and captivating a person for a long time. In the same poem “Mtsyri” it is said this way:

I knew only one power of thought, One fiery passion: She, like worms, lived in me, Gnawed my soul and burned it.

Passion consumes a person, captures his thoughts, and everything else not related to the subject of passion seems secondary, unimportant, overlooked and forgotten. For example, scientists, passionate about their work, did not attach importance to their appearance and forgot about sleep and food.

An important characteristic of passion is its connection with the volitional sphere, since, having great strength and energy, it motivates a person to activity. At the same time, it is very important where the passion is directed. In direction it can be negative and positive. Passion for music, sports, science is positive. If a passion deserves moral condemnation (passion for gambling, drugs, drinking alcoholic beverages), then it is a negative passion. Under the influence of negative passion, a person is morally reborn.

As you know, it is common for a person to experience an emotional state from the satisfaction of his needs. Human feelings are based on both material and more complex needs - spiritual, which cause a special form of experience - higher feelings. The following stand out: types of feelings:

1.Moral(moral) feelings are based on a person’s moral assessment of his own and others’ actions and actions in accordance with learned moral norms and rules (goodness, justice, duty).

2. Intelligent feelings accompany the process of cognition and creativity. Surprise and curiosity, curiosity and the joy of discovery, doubts - all this is evidence of the interconnection of intellectual and emotional moments. A striking textbook example from the life of Archimedes, who jumped out of the bathroom into the street shouting “eureka!”, illustrates the emotional “coloring” of creative and research activities.

3. Aesthetic feelings represent a person’s emotional attitude to the beautiful in nature, art, and in people’s lives. They enrich the personality and give it individual identity.

Moral, intellectual and aesthetic feelings are experienced by a person in activity and communication.

We learn that a person is experiencing a particular emotional state by the expression of his facial expressions (movement of facial muscles) and pantomime (movement of body muscles). A person’s emotional state is most clearly reflected on his face (see section 2.6), since the facial muscles are very mobile and can convey a wide variety of feelings depending on the person’s internal state. For example, fear is expressed in dilated pupils, trembling, pallor; Horror is characterized by wide eyes, pale skin, and a trembling voice. In a state of boredom, a person seems tired, he has nothing to do, while his eyes do not sparkle, he often yawns. Joy manifests itself in the sparkle of the eyes, in the redness of the face. After all, it is joy that we most often associate with success, with fulfilled hopes. The expression of the mouth is also closely related to our feelings; if the corners of the lips are lowered down, the lips are compressed - this is a sure sign of resentment.

Expressiveness of movements also plays an important communicative role, helps communication between people and provides emotional contact between them. As a rule, a person’s emotional reactions and his condition are accompanied by certain physiological reactions: blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates change, and the activity of the heart also changes; the work of the lacrimal and sweat glands increases, etc.

Since ancient times, humanity has established a connection between the fear of revealing a lie and certain physiological processes in the body. For example, in ancient China, a criminal suspect was forced to chew dry rice flour during interrogation; if a person could not swallow it, then he was found guilty. This reaction is due to the fact that with false readings, a person’s salivation decreases, which complicates the swallowing process.

A characteristic feature of the physiological manifestations of sadness is its paralyzing effect on the muscles of voluntary movement. In this case, the person feels tired and slows down. The eyes appear big. A person constantly feels a feeling of chills and cold due to the fact that muscles relax, blood vessels contract and tissues become bleeding. A sad person can be recognized by his appearance: he walks slowly, his arms dangle, his voice is weak and soundless. In general, grief ages a person and worsens his appearance.

A person’s joy is accompanied by increased blood flow to the skin, he blushes, and becomes “warmer.” A happy person gesticulates, laughs, sings, and is in a good mood. Joy makes you look younger and makes you more beautiful and cheerful.

Scientists believe that emotions are a special mechanism for compensating for the lack of information, information necessary for a person to organize his behavior and achieve his goal. Negative emotions arise in conditions of information deficiency, for example, the emotion of fear develops when there is a lack of information necessary for protection. Positive emotions arise when the available information is sufficient.

However, a life completely devoid of negative emotions is impossible. There is an opinion that negative emotions in a certain combination with positive ones should not be harmful, but beneficial to the body. Experiments on animals confirmed this opinion.

Forms of expression of emotions depend on accepted rules of decency. For example, it is not customary for us to laugh loudly in public places and attract everyone’s attention by showing our emotions. In some parts of Africa, laughter is not a sign of amusement, but of amazement and confusion.

The manifestation of emotions is also associated with a person’s temperament, upbringing and habits. Sometimes the emotions familiar to a person leave a peculiar imprint on the expression of his face. It’s not for nothing that they talk about worried, surprised, and cheerful faces.

Self-test questions

1. What are “emotions”? What is the important difference between emotions and feelings?

2. What types of emotions do you know?

3. What types of feelings do you know?

4. Does a person’s emotional reaction always correspond to the impact? Explain the reasons for possible compliance or inconsistency, illustrate your answer with examples.

5. How do emotions manifest themselves externally?

6. What importance do emotions play in a person’s life?

7. Show with examples the connection between emotional reactions and their physiological manifestation.