In this module we focused on the different theories behind emotions. Emotions are part of our cognitive system and it’s impossible to separate our rational mind and emotional body. We created emotions with our life experiences, they do not just happen to us. This week we watched Inside Out and episode Man of the People from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
“Man of the People” Star Trek: The Next Generation
In this episode, the Enterprise is set out to help Ambassador Alkar be transported to Rekag, where he’ll be a part of a negotiation between two other planets. After his mother’s death, Alkar performs a ritual with Troi in which he transfers all his negative emotions to her. Since counselor Troi is considered to be an empath, it is hinted that Alkar chose her for this because she would be able to take in emotions easier than anyone else. Counselor Troi quickly begins to change along with her body, further conveying the connection between the body and mind. We see Troi during meditation (in which body and mind are intertwined) staring at a mirror, and studying her body as if she were seeing it change before her. She begins to act out in anger and jealousy towards others, and ultimately her body ages fast, shocking Alkar. It’s possible that because she was an empath, she “absorbed” the negative emotions quicker which resulted in her quick transformation compared to other receptacles. This episode further explains the Theory of Emotional Construction because the emotions did not just happen to Troi, they were transported into her mind, which would mean they happened to her, and in turn deteriorated her body.
Inside Out
In Inside Out, we meet eleven year old Riley and her 5 emotions: joy, sadness, anger, disgust and fear. Her memories and emotions were created from experiences she went through while growing up. The older she got, the more memories she made and the more emotions she made, which explains how emotions are created by us, and not just happen to us. This is further explained when she decides to leave San Francisco to go back to Minnesota to create more joyful memories, which will make her happy again.
The emotions made her act in certain ways because emotions are constructed concepts based on our social reality. Going to a new school meant she wanted to get in with the popular crowd, which is why she tried acting “cool” in front of the popular kids, and why she was devastated when she began crying in front of her classmates. Since bodily sensations are emotions, we were able to understand and see she was sad when she started to cry remembering her life back in Minnesota. I thought the core memories being created towards the end in all different colors of her emotions was a creative way to show how complex emotions and memories are.
9 thoughts on “A BALANCE BETWEEN EMOTIONS”
Hi Alessa,
I just want to clarify that the way that you explain Deanna’s experience of emotion in “Man of the People” is a actually the opposite of what the Theory of Constructed Emotion is arguing. This theory states that emotions *aren’t* something that happens about, they are something that we construct through the intersections of our conceptual system, body, brain, culture, and physical and social context. The fact that is experiencing Aklar’s emotions—which he is projecting into her– suggest that they are something that happens to us rather than something we create.
In your discussion of Inside Out, you bring up an important point about emotions; they are culturally constructed, a part of our social reality. This means that emotions are not innate, but concepts that we learn and then use to make sense of the world. Can you say a bit more about how this understanding of emotion is represented in the characterization of the different emotions in this film?
Jessica Hautsch
Hey Alessa,
I like your concept of emotions being created through experiences in life as both films kind of follow the Lange theory of being aroused by your experiences and then your emotions being the reaction to that experience. I didn’t pick up how fast Troi degenerated but it’s interesting that you correlate that to her being an empath which makes a lot of sense. I think in both films emotions are being put on each character as well, even though I do agree that they are created through experience. In “Inside Out”, the emotions dictate Riley’s mood and actions further making me believe that the emotions control her. It makes them become a different consciousness that works hand in hand with Riley.
amyint
The emotions made her act in certain ways because emotions are constructed concepts based on our social reality. I agree but also we learned that some theorists believe it is innate. I personally believe that we are born with certain emotions but we also pick up things from family, friends, peers, what we are taught. Some emotions are expressed differently and varies from person to person. As we watch Riley grow, the scene in the beginning when she is learning what she likes to eat and what will keep her satisfied I feel like that has a lot to do with who she is as individual. Emotions control humans in a sense but also has to do with what we are born with.
ellryan
Hi Elizabeth,
Yes! Some great points here. The way that emotions are explained in the Theory of Constructed Emotion is that we have feelings–and those are innate, embodied, and embedded in a social situation–and then we learn emotion concepts to make sense of those feelings. So, I might experience what we understand as the physical feeling of anger, but if I don’t have a concept for “anger,” I will understand those feelings in a different way.
Jessica Hautsch
Hi Alessa,
Great post! I like that you mentioned how emotions can be expressed physically. The emotions were in her head, but most people would probably not recognize her sadness unless she cried or displayed it on her face. I think you might’ve mixed up the meaning of The Theory of Emotional Construction, but it didn’t take away from the post too much.
Also, thank you for reminding me that Troi was an empath. I probably should’ve picked up the clues that her being an empath contribute to the rate at which her body deteriorated. I wonder what the average deterioration rate would be for a non-empath.
toyoung
Hi Tonicia,
There is some debate about the relationship of mind and body when it comes to emotion. While some theorists argue that the body expresses the emotion (as you suggest); so, we cry because we are sad. Others, like William James, argue that the body is constituting the emotion; crying is sadness, not just an expression of it.
Jessica Hautsch
I truly enjoyed how you explained the connection between our body and minds for the Star Trek episode. I use the example of former presidents but the same aspect applies to how negative emotions have an impact on the body. The fact that she started aging so quickly after the emotion transfer was to show how intricately connected our emotions are to our bodies.
jjwaterman
Hi Alessa,
I agree its a very intriguing idea that at the end the increase in maturity is shown through the display of different colors of memory compared to the beginning. I touch on this on my own blog, it definitely has a lot of cinematic visual impact. Also the fact that the different colored emotions were represented specifically in the core memories, also speaks vehemently to the value found in all different types of emotions. This was a core aspect to the film so im glad they decided to do add this element in the end.
onobs
Hi Alessa! I like that you pointed out that our emotions are based on our social realities, and thus can make us act certain ways. While I don’t believe that going back to Minnesota would have made her happy again, I do believe that with all of those conflicting emotions trying to make their way out in her head, and because it was the only idea Anger could find, it was the idea that seemed to make the most sense. Great Post!
Rebecca Kennedy