Human emotions are complex and widely called “feelings” when much of what we call our “feelings” are actually our opinions, our preferences, our ideals, and the stories that we repeatedly tell ourselves about what’s going within the interactive process we call “self.” In this two part episode we will talk about what emotions are and how the dangerous cycle of humiliation and rage can get going between individuals and groups in a way that leads to war and destruction, and prevents resolving conflicts. We will talk especially about the two great categories of human emotions — primary emotions (that we are born with) and secondary emotions that develop to allow us to compare and protect ourselves in human groups, especially our families and close others.
In 1958, psychologist Fritz Heider originated “attribution theory” in psychology. This theory tried to answer the question: How do people make sense of what...
Most of the time, we are walking around talking to ourselves in a manner that strongly affects how we feel about ourselves and others....
Years ago, there was a saying that came out of family psychiatry, especially in working with families of young adults with severe psychological disorders....