Section Headings [ Feelings] [ Model of Emotion] [ Influence of Value]

[ Compound Emotions] [ Unconscious Ideas]

Emotions have two origins : feelings and unconscious ideas. So now I turn to unconscious ideas.

Deriving the unconscious ideas was not easy. Some emotions occur three times ; for example, self-pity occurs on its own, as a mode of jealousy, and as a mode of guilt, and each one produces a different response.[¹]. To work out the underlying idea, the overall theme or motif of the emotion needs to be considered, that is, what the emotion is trying to express. Also, in a compound emotion, one unconscious idea needs to be harmonious with the other one. Below are the results that I derived.

I use the word ‘implies’ to indicate the central idea that determines a particular emotion. These ideas are focused on relationships. When a relationship is not the issue, then different responses may occur. For example, the vanity mode of pride, when applied to crafts, produces the satisfaction of doing good work.

Table 2.  Unconscious Ideas

The motif of guilt and pride is punishment / humiliation
Guilt is self-punishment
self-pity mode implies life is punishment.
self-hate mode implies I deserve punishment.

Pride is punishment / humiliation of other people.
vanity mode implies you are inferior to me.
hate mode implies I despise you / I will punish you.

The motif of jealousy and narcissism is responsibility
Jealousy is social responsibility.
self-pity mode implies I need a reward (from other people).
love mode implies I reward other people.

Narcissism is self-responsibility.
vanity mode implies I will do it my way.
love mode implies I do not depend on anyone.

The motif of self-pity and vanity is help
Self-pity implies I need help.
Vanity implies I do not need any help.

The motif of anger and fear is domination
Anger implies I need to dominate other people
Fear implies the world is dominating me.

The motif of love and hate is identity
Love implies I am the same as everyone else.
Hate implies I am different from everyone else.

The motif of resentment and bitterness is disgust
Resentment implies people are repulsive.
Bitterness implies life is repulsive.

The motif of paranoia is the betrayal of trust
Paranoia implies I trust no one.

The motif of anxiety is a sense of oppression by one’s conscience or by other people
fear mode implies do as you are told / control yourself.
vanity mode implies I am uneasy in the presence of other people.

Depression arises from self-pity ; there are three forms of the latter, so there are three forms of the former.
The most common type arises from jealousy (mode of self-pity) and is the depressive stage of manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder). Guilt-based depression (or ‘endogenous ’ depression) has its source in the infant’s traumatic experience of parental relationships and represents a response to the feeling of being rejected. Depression that arises from self-pity may be seen in political refugees denied asylum, and in anyone who is a victim of injustice.

The motif of manic depression is victimisation
depression mode implies I am a victim.
mania mode implies I help victims.

The motif of guilt-based depression is self-denigration
Depression implies I am a sinner.

The motif of depression based on self-pity is equity or fairness
Depression implies there is no equity, no fairness in life.

These ideas enable me to state how motivation is usually handled by the subconscious mind.

Subconscious motivation usually means the influence of the current subconscious mood and its associated ideas.

By dwelling on an associated idea, an emotion becomes prolonged into a mood. Since moods change frequently, this form of motivation is short-term. Long-term subconscious motivation requires a subconscious desire, but unless this desire is powered by idealism it is likely to be much weaker as an influence on the ego than any mood.

The specific mental attitudes and ideas that have become characteristic of each emotion are the subject of the next chapter, E2 : Characteristics of Emotions, beginning with the article Jealousy and Narcissism.

Footnote

[¹]. The modes or factors of several compound emotions are given in the previous article Compound Emotions.

Copyright @2002  Ian Heath
All Rights Reserved

The copyright is mine and the articles are free to use. They can be reproduced anywhere, so long as the source is acknowledged.