Emotions: A Thumological Perspective, Part 2

Experience-Based and Mind-Based Emotions

The example previously, in Part One, about thinking a stick is a snake illustrates how our spirit does not distinguish between our actual, in-the-world interactions with other living beings and our mental self-talk and images. It responds to both in the same way.

Our emotions can be our spirit's responses to either our actual, in-the-world interactions with others or our own self-talk and mental images. Emotions felt in response to our actual, in-the-world interactions with others are experience-based. Emotions felt in response to our own self-talk and mental images are mind-based.

It's important to note that our self-talk can be influenced by the verbally or visually expressed self-talk and mental images of others. What others say and show to us can function as mental viruses when we allow them to infect us and become our own self-talk and mental images.

Part 3 will explore Life-Denying and Life-Affirming Emotions