Eight Basic Emotions: A Thumological Perspective

In my thumological theory of emotions, there are eight basic emotions of our spirit. I pair them as follows:

Anger and guilt

Sadness and gladness

Disgust and desire

Disappointment and gratitude

I paired the emotions because I saw the pairs as essentially related. For example:

Anger is our spirit's response to being wronged and guilt is its response to doing wrong.

Sadness is our spirit's response to loss and gladness is its response to gain.

Disgust is our spirit's response to what repels it and desire is its response to what attracts it.

Disappointment is our spirit's response to desire denied and gratitude is its response to desire relieved.

In my view, our emotions, at their best, are our spirit's life-affirming responses to our in-the-world interactions. They show us what harms and helps our spirit and life. They protect and promote our own spirit and life.

Now that I have articulated a basic theory of emotions from a thumological perspective there are several interesting questions to explore:

Does the basic theory I've articulated survive scrutiny or does it need to be revised? My hunch is that it will need to be revised as we live with it, test it, and learn more.

What do we do, if anything, with our emotions? 

Are our emotions problems that we need to solve as some seem to believe?

Are our emotions ways of knowing that we do well to attend to as others seem to believe?

Are they just facts of life with which we live?

Do we simply watch them come and go as some say we should?

What about disordered emotions, those which deny life with little or no gain? What more can we learn about them? What do we need to do about them to minimize their harm?

Of most interest to me is the question, if emotions are of our spirit, which I believe they are, and we do well to care for our spirit, since it is that which makes us alive, then how do we best care for our own emotions and the emotions of others?

I'll explore some of these questions in future posts.

 

Disappointment of Spirit, Part 1

Disappointment Defined

Disappointment is our spirit's response to being deprived of that which it desires. It is desire denied.

It presupposes desire. No desire, no disappointment.

How Disappointment Feels

We can feel disappointment in the center of our chest, our heart. It can feel like a dull ache or heaviness of heart. If desire lifts our spirit, disappointment brings it down. It sinks downward into our stomach and pulls our facial affect with it. It can cause us to cave inward and lean forward with drooping shoulders.

Disappointment of spirit can lead to sadness or anger of spirit.

Disappointment from Mild to Intense

Disappointment can range from very mild to very intense. It seems that the degree of our disappointment depends on the degree of our desire and the manner of its denial. However, it would be helpful to have some research to confirm this hunch.

Acute and Chronic Disappointment

My observations lead me to conclude that most disappointments are acute. Feelings of disappointment arise the instant we know our desire has been denied.

However, when our desire is for a basic life-affirming need and it is chronically denied, our disappointment of spirit can also be chronic.

Mind-based and Experience-based Disappointment

When our disappointment  is our response to our own self-talk and mental images it is mind-based. As is often the case with mind-based emotions, we conjure up disappointment for ourselves apart from our actual in-the-world experiences. When our in-the-world experience contradicts our self-talk and mental images, we do well to let our disappointment go.

When our disappointment is a response to our in-the-world experiences, it is experience-based. Our desire has been denied. We then do well to examine what happened. How was our desire denied? Was it because of our own inaction or ineffective action or someone else's? Is there something we can do differently that would help us fulfill our desire or not? If our desire cannot be fulfilled, how can we best care for our disappointed spirit?

Part 2 will discuss life-denying and life-affirming as well as suppressed, addressed, and expressed disappointment. 

Desire of Spirit, Part 2

Mind-based and Experience-based Desire

Desire of spirit that is aroused by our own self-talk and mental images is mind-based. Daydreams and fantasies about things we want, people we want to be with, and things we want to do are familiar examples of mental images that can arouse desire.

Desire of spirit aroused by our own natural needs or in-the-world interactions are experience-based. Hunger for food, water, freedom, safety, self-determination, companionship, love, sexual pleasure, authentic interactions with others, giving to others, and making a meaningful difference in the world are examples of experience-based desire.

Life-denying and Life-Affirming Desire

Desires that hinder our own or others' efforts to become who we are meant to become, desires that injure or kill are life-denying.

Desires that promote, sustain, heal, and strengthen the living are life-affirming.

Yes, there are times when we must deny the life of another in order to sustain or protect our own life and the lives of family, friends, and others who are dear to us. Indeed, every life is sustained by the death of others. 

Desire Suppressed, Addressed, Expressed (Directly and Indirectly)

When the life-affirming desires of our hearts are suppressed by ourselves or others our life is denied and devalued. Some indigenous peoples, like the Iroquois, believe on the basis of generations of experience that desires denied are the main cause of disease. I think this notion is worth exploring further.

Not all our the desires of our spirit are life-affirming. Some are disordered and life-denying. These we do well to address. I think we have much work to do in learning more about disordered desires and how best to address them.

Ideally, life-affirming desires are best expressed directly and fulfilled. Fulfilling them affirms our own life and that of others. However, there are times, given unhealthy social mores, that we can suffer negative consequence for expressing directly our desires and taking action to fulfill them. We do well to find ways of expressing such desires indirectly. 

As with other matters related to our spirit, we have much to explore and learn about how best to indirectly express the life-affirming desires of our hearts.

Gratitude of Spirit, Part 2

Mind-based and Experience-based Gratitude

The popular "attitude of gratitude" movement is mind-based. It's based on what we tell ourselves and our own mental images. However, this does not diminish the fact that we can still feel the emotion of gratitude in response to our self-talk and mental images. We can.

Experience-based gratitude is our spirit's response to our in-the-world interactions with others who meet our needs and fulfill our desires that we cannot do for ourselves. Again, it's our spirit's response to having an itch on our back scratched, a flat tire changed, a bill paid, a meal provided, an organ donated, CPR provided, or any other need met that we could not meet for ourselves.

Life-denying and Life-Affirming Gratitude

It is difficult for me to imagine instances of either mind-based or experience-based gratitude that are life-denying. At this time it seems to me that both  kinds of gratitude affirm our own life and the lives of others. However, the matter is not settled. I believe more observation and research is warranted.

Gratitude Suppressed, Addressed, Expressed (Directly and Indirectly)

While I cannot imagine instances when feelings of gratitude would need to be address due to being life-denying, perhaps there are times when social  mores dictate that we suppress  or indirectly express our gratitude. In my opinion, the more open, honest and free our expressions of gratitude, the better. 

In my view, a world with more gratitude is a better world.

Jealousy of Spirit, Part 2

Mind-based and Experience-based Jealousy

Jealousy that is a response to our own self-talk and mental images is mind-based. For example, when we see from a distance or hear about some one interacting with someone we believe we own and have a special status with, and we form the opinion that our relationship is therefore threatened, then on the basis of our own self-talk our spirit rises up with jealousy. 

Jealousy that is a response to our in-the-world interactions with others is experience-based. For example, when we are present and see and hear for ourselves someone threatening our relationship with someone we believe is "ours", then the jealousy that rises within us is experience-based.

 

Life-denying and Life-Affirming Jealousy

At this time, on the basis of my own experience and observations, I believe that most, if not all, jealousy is life-denying. It's life-denying because it is based on a sense of ownership. The threatened relationship is with one we believe is "ours." The sense of ownership of another devalues and limits the life and spirit of the one we believe is "ours." Such ownership is life-denying.

However, I believe this matter needs more observation and study. I do not consider the mattered settled.

Jealousy Suppressed, Addressed, Expressed (Directly and Indirectly)

Like other emotions, jealousy suppressed tends to be life-denying. It harms the one who feels and suppresses it.

Mind-based jealousy is best addressed by recognizing, owning it as our own, and changing our own self-talk and mental images by attending to our in-the-world interactions.

Experience-based jealousy is best recognized, owned, and first expressed indirectly, to ourselves rather than directly to the others involved. We do well to examine our sense of ownership, privilege, and exclusivity.

Here is a question to ponder: Do we rightly own other humans, animals, plants, the earth, water, ideas, or anything else? Does our sense of ownership affirm or deny the other?

Depending on the relationship and circumstances, we might also do well to express our jealousy  directly with the others involved. However, I believe that such expression requires a high level of trust in the relationships and safety in the circumstances.

Jealousy of Spirit, Part 1

Jealousy Defined 

Jealousy is our spirit's response to another who threatens our relationship with what we believe is ours. Jealousy invloves both emotional attachment and a sense of ownership.

"What we believe is ours" could be a person, another animal, a plant, a stone we cherish, any thing we value, a place or activity.

The "relationship" could be familial, romantic, a friendship, business relationship ,one in which we either give or receive special attention. The relationship could be one in which we are the owner. Whatever the relationship, we tend to believe we have a special status and exclusive privilege in the relationship.

The "threat" to our relationship could be another person, another animal, a plant, a stone, any physical thing, a place, or activity that could take away what we believe is ours.

How Jealousy Feels

Jealousy can feel like anger, disappointment, sadness, or a mix of these emotions. It differs from these emotions in that it always involves at least three parties with one in the role of threatening an pre-existing relationship.

For example, a husband might believe that his wife "is his" exclusively. If he perceives that another person, thing, or activity is a threat to his exclusive privilege, he might feel jealous and take action against either his wife or the perceived threat.

 

Mild to Intense Jealousy

Jealous can range from a mild, manageable twinge to intense, uncontrollable outrage.

Acute and Chronic Jealousy

It can arise suddenly and dissipate as quickly as it arose when the threat disappears. It can also smolder for weeks, months, or years. Jealousy can even be the thumic norm for some.

Gladness of Spirit, Part 2

Life-denying and Life-Affirming Gladness

Gladness is life-denying when it is a response to harming others. It is life-affirming when it is a response to whatever promotes and says, "Yes!" to life.

Gladness Suppressed, Addressed, Expressed (Directly and Indirectly)

Based on my experience and observations so far, it seems difficult to suppress gladness. It's difficult not to at least smile when we feel glad. However, there are times when we do well to hold our gladness in for a time and express it later.

Gladness felt in response to harming ourselves or others is disordered gladness. We do well to address it. In order to address it, we must first deepen our understanding of our spirit this particular disorder.

The ideal is to express our gladness directly, openly and honestly, as we feel it. However, there can be situations in which social norms bid us to express our gladness indirectly by sharing it with a trusted friend or confidante or writing it in our journal, for example.

Gladness, our spirit's response to pleasure, is a basic emotion commonly experienced. Even so,  it's an emotion about which we still have much to learn.

Gladness of Spirit, Part 1

Gladness Defined

Gladness is our spirit's response to what gives us and others pleasure. Feeling gladness is itself a pleasure.

How Gladness Feels

We can feel gladness in our heart, the center of our chest, as warmth and fullness. Our chest muscles relax. It might feel as if our heart is opening to receive whatever it is that gives us pleasure.

The warmth of our glad spirit can rise upward into our throat and sound out our smiling lips as an "Ooo!", "Ah!", "Yes!" or some other affirmation. 

It can color our cheeks, brighten our eyes, and make our face glow.

Mild to Intense, Acute and Chronic Gladness

Our gladness can range from mild to ecstatic euphoria.

It can arise suddenly in response to a surprise and dissipate as quickly.

It can also arise and remain. For some, gladness is their thumic norm.

Mind-based and Experience-based Gladness

When our gladness is a response to our own self-talk or mental images it is mind-based. Memories of pleasurable experiences in the past and fantasies of pleasures we would like to experience in the future are examples of mind-based gladness. 

Our gladness is also mind-based when we feel it in response to reading something we enjoy or listening to someone tell a pleasing story. These are examples of infectious gladness spread to us from another.

When our gladness is a response to our in-the-world experience it is experienced-based. For example, we might feel glad as we quench our thirst with a drink of fresh, cool spring water, taste our favorite food, smell bread baking or coffee brewing, see someone we love or hear their voice, view a scenic vista, listen to a bird's song, sink into a hot tub, snuggle in a warm blanket in front of a fire, hug, kiss, or make love. 

Part 2 will address life-denying and life-affirming gladness as well as gladness suppressed, addressed, and expressed

Anger of Spirit, Part 1

How Anger Feels

We often feel anger as heat and tension in our chest. The heat can rise into our throat, face, eyes, and entire head. It can flush our face and eyes red with blood and heat. Our head can fill to the point of an aneurism with the heat of rage that rises from our heart. From our throat it might sound forth as a growl, yell, or wild, blood curdling scream.

Like other emotions, anger is a matter of that which makes us alive, our spirit. As such it is primarily a matter of thumology rather than psychology. 

Anger Defined

Anger is one of our spirit's responses to being wronged, mistreated, threatened, injured, or nearly killed.

When the well-being of our spirit is violated we do well to respond with anger. We do well to feel, express, and act on it. When we do, we defend and protect ourselves. When we suppress or internalize it, we misdirect it toward ourselves and do ourselves harm. 

From Low to High Intensity

Anger can range from low to high intensity. For example, our anger can range from feeling mildly annoyed all the way up to insanely enraged,

Acute and Chronic Anger

Acute anger can come on in a flash, for example, in response to an insult. It can dissipate as quickly with the reception of a genuine apology.

Chronic anger, bitterness, can smolder for months, years, and even a life-time.

Part 2 will explore mind-based and experience-based anger as well as life-denying and life-affirming anger.

Emotions: A Thumological Perspective, Part 5

Summary

From the perspective of thumology, emotions are primarily responses of our spirit rather than our mind. They are our spirit's responses to experiences that either affirm or deny our spirit. We feel them in our heart, the center of our chest. They can be either acute or chronic, experience-based or mind-based, and life-affirming or life-denying. We can either suppress, address or express them.

As our knowledge of our spirit increases and our understanding of it deepens, we increase our options and opportunities to make wise choices that heal and strengthen our spirits in order to order to live in more life-affirming ways.

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