Spirit Quest

Seeking Veracity

baut0@greytrek.com

Well, the discussion of feelings looks like it will be very complicated.  There is so much interplay and the semantic problem gives rise to the feeling of frustration!!

I think that the study of the nature of feelings is an absolutely essential step in the development of the mind model.  For many years, the subject of feelings, the intangible, has been remote.  And, if I ever took two minutes to contemplate feelings, emotions, passions, or what ever you would like to call them, they seemed, or it seemed to be nothing more than an amorphous mass . . . . . . totally undefined.  So why bother with it?  I suspect that my past behavior is not too different than that of most people;  that is, almost no concern for human feelings and primarily because of ignorance . . . . . not that even if we try to understand the emotions we will be successful.

After spending a few days considering the previously listed 35 feelings, I can see more than a heap . . . . . but less than a structure as of yet.  However, it is encouraging to me that a form. .  . . a shape . . . . some relationships are emerging from this analysis.

The feelings seems to be related to each other (not all) by the existence of a direct opposite feeling, the antithesis . . . . . such as Joy and Sorrow.  Then, are feelings that similar and sometimes different words mean the same feeling, such as Apprehension and Fear?  Some feelings can lead directly to other feelings such as satisfaction can cause Joy.  The following page is a first try at making some sense out of the relationship.

Feelings seem to be focused on either self (egoistic feelings) or on other's (sympathetic feelings).  For example the feeling of jealousy would be egoistic since the jealous one fears replacement by another . . . . . self concern.  The feeling of pity is sympathetic because the concern is for another . . . . . sorrow for another's misfortune.

Now, feelings can be caused internally or externally.  Examples of external sources would be:

1.      "a barn" – inanimate

2.      "a king" – life form

3.      "socialism" – conceptual

4.      "a storm" – conditional                                               

             (is the antithesis of)

Love

Hate

Want

Repugnance

Hope

Despair

Satisfaction

Frustration

Joy

Sorrow

Pride

Shame

Security

Fear

High

High

Intensity

Intensity

All of these terms are objects of the feeling.  They are real things, situations and events that are all perceived.  A feeling, however, is generated from subjective forms of information; that is, analyzed and characterized (processed) information (objects) that has been perceived, or stored facts and concepts, or from a conception of what a relationship with the object might bring (objective intercourse), or from a different feeling (motive feeling).  Examples of subjects of feelings would be:

1.      The object (itself)! As, "feeling hate for the king"

2.      Objective intercourse, as, "feeling fear for what the king might do"

3.      Motive feeling, as, "feeling fear for what the king might do because of your desire for the Queen"

The following chart summarizes what we have just said.

OBJECT

SUBJECT

Feeling

Egoistic

Sym-pathetic

In-animate

Life Form

Con-ceptual

Con-ditional

The Object

Objective Intercourse

Motive Feeling

Fear

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Love

cx

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Hate

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Sorrow

x

x

x

x

x

Joy

x

x

x

x

x

x

Hope

x

x

x

x

x

Despair

x

x

x

x

x

Shame

x

x

x

x

x

x

Pride

x

x

x

x

x

x

Envy

x

x

x

x

Jealousy

x

x

x

x

x

Desire

x

x

x

x

x

x

Greed

x

x

x

x

x

Frustration

cx

x

x

x

x

Confusion

cx

x

x

x

x

Apprehension

cx

x

x

x

Indifference

x

x

x

x

x

x

Empathy

x

x

x

x

x

Sympathy

x

x

x

x

Embarrassment

x

x

x

x

x

Depression

cx

x

x

x

x

Respect

c

x

x

x

x

x

Satisfaction

cx

x

x

x

x

x

Reverence

c

x

x

x

x

x

x

Pity

x

x

x

x

Security

x

x

x

x

x

Repugnance

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Pleasure

cx

x

x

x

x

x

x

Affection

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Concern

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Anxiety

x

x

x

x

x

Hatred

x

x

x

x

x

x

Solicitude

c

x

x

x

x

Animosity

x

x

x

x

Enmity

x

x

x

x