We civilized member of western culture like to think of ourselves as rational beings who go about satisfying our motive in an intelligent way. To a certain extent we do just that; but we are also emotional beings____ more emotional than we often realize. Indeed, most of the affairs of everyday life are tinged with feelings and emotions. [Joy and sorrow, excitement and disappointment, love and fear, attraction and repulsion, hope and dismay….. etc.] All these and many more are feelings we often experience in the course of a day.
Sincerely speaking, Life would be dreary without such feelings. They add color and spice to living; they are the sauce which adds pleasure and excitement to our lives. We anticipate our parties and dates with pleasure; we remember with a warm glow the satisfaction we got from getting a good grade or achieving something better; and we even recall with amusement the bitter disappointment of childhood or something else. On the other hand, when our emotions are too intense and too easily arouse, they can easily get us into trouble. They can warp our judgment, turn friends into enemies, and make us as miserable as if we were sick with fever.

Just what is an emotion?

Surprisingly, this is not an easy question to answer. It almost seems as if there are as many definitions of emotion as there are writers on the subject. Some 92 definitions were listed in one review (Kleinginna & kleinginna, 1981), and no doubt more could be found. The reason for so many definitions is that emotions have numerous aspects to them; an emotion is many things at once. Attempts to arrive at a comprehensive definition of emotion (Kleinginna & kleinginna, 1981) should……….
 Say something about the way we feel when we are emotional
 Mention the physiological, or bodily, basis of emotional feelings
 Include the effects of emotion on perception, thinking, and behavior
 Point out the driving, or motivational, properties of certain emotions such as fear and anger; and
 Refer to the ways in which emotion are expressed in language, facial expressions, and gestures.
While we have not given a concise definition of emotion because none is generally accepted, this list gives the highlight of what is meant by the term. In a way, the aspects of emotion listed above are a definition.

=Expression And Perception Of Emotions

Our emotions have great impact on others when we express them in ways that can be perceived by others. When we perceive the emotional responses of other people, we respond in appropriate ways, perhaps with an emotional expression of our own. For example, if one of my friends wins a prize and shows joy, I may respond with joy; or, depending upon my perception of the circumstances. I may be jealous, or probably angry. We often seize upon instances of emotional expression in others to form our ideals of their personality. For instance, if I perceive that my boss often expresses hostility towards subordinates but fawns upon his bosses, I know something about his personality and can plan my action accordingly.
We perceive emotion in others from many sources. The voice is one the channels of emotional expression. Screams denote fear or excitement, groans denote pain or unhappiness, sobs denote sorrow, and laughter denotes enjoyment. A tremor or break in the voice may mean great sorrow; a loud, high-pitched, sharp voice usually means anger. Of course, what is actually being said is also an important clue to the emotion being experienced by others people.
Finally on this for now! While what is said and the way in which it is said are major factors in the perception of emotion, movement of the body are also used as cues in interpreting other people’s emotions. Important among these nonverbal bodily cues are facial expressions…… (Message from other bodily movements¬¬___ “body language,” as it called

© kenleypaul Owobi
#tagYou&YourFuture