August 18, 2018

Other emotions and conditions

There are many ways to categorize different emotions. In addition to what we have called basic emotions (fear, anger, sadness, shame, joy and disgust), there are also a number of other feeling states that. Below is a brief discription of other important feeling states.

Jealousy

Jealousy can be seen as a combination of other emotions, like fear of losing, shame for not feeling good enough, and anger/aggression. In a healthy and primary form, jealousy is an important emotion that can tell you that your relationship is at stake and makes you do something about possible threats to the relationship. However, jealousy is often a problematic feeling. Many of those who struggle with recurring jealousy probably is struggling with problematic shame, fear, and sadness. In an intense form, jealousy is a dangerous emotion that is closely associated with controlling, dominating, and excerting power over someone. Problematic jealousy is also very painful to experience.

Hate

Hatred is an emotional state that can be seen as consisting of anger, fear, and contempt/disgust. One might wonder if there is a healthy form of hatred, like if someone inflicts serious injury to a child, or your entire group is severely threatened. A way of undestanding probelamtic hate is to think of it as aggression that can’t be expressed. For example, if someone does or has done something against someone you love, and you can’t do anything, this can feel like hate. Hatred is probably most often a secondary feeling, where you are really afraid of something, but don’t know how to deal with it.

Envy

Envy is a feeling of wanting to have something that someone else has or feeling like someone else is not deserving of what they have. For example, you might envy someone a job, trait, skill, partner, or something they’ve accomplished. It can be an important emotion that tells you what you want to accomplish, but it can also be a secondary feeling when you are really feeling not good enough as who you are.

Hopelessness

Hopelessness is not a separate emotion, but a painful state characterized by deep despair, collapse and lack of faith in ones own ability to recover. Hopelessness is a state of being defeated, without the possibility of fighting and where the prospects of the future is dark and impossible. Hopelessness is probably closely associated with depression. From an evolutionary perspective, this resignation can be an appropriate response that will cause you to save energy when basic needs are unattainable. It can also help you redirect your efforts to a more attainable and realistic goal.

Attachment

Feelings of attachment is a complicated experience that consists of joy of being with someone, sadness or pain of being separated, pride of being recognized by someone and fear of losing. It is an experience that someone in your life has enduring importance to you. It is different than love, even though it is closely related to it. You can also have attachment feelings towards places, things and ideas/values.

Love

Love is composite state of different emotions where you feel a strong and enduring emotional bond and commitment to another person. Love is the feeling of something lasting and important, and it can be with or without romantic and sexual elements.