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From: era@ih4ep.UUCP (Eric Anderson )
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: responsibility of emotions
Message-ID: <126@ih4ep.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 17:56:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: ih4ep.126
Posted: Mon Jul 29 17:56:32 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 03:20:35 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 45

I have been reading the discussion of controlling a
person's own emotions, and I thought I'd throw in my
2 cents (or fuel on the fire, whichever you prefer).

I tend to take blanket statements ("a person is solely
responsible for his/her own emotions" [paraphrased]),
apply them to the extremes, and see if they are valid.
From the discussion, it appears that many people believe
that the statement is true. I do not believe it is.

Scenario: a person is subjected to some extreme abuse
   (rape, family brutally murdered, etc), and the offender
   is caught.  Although the offender shows no remorse,
   he/she is set free for some minor technicality.
   (I agree, this is an extreme case, but the statement
   in question implied *all* cases.)

Now, the person who has complete control of his/her own
emotions may choose from the following emotions:
(a) relief, because the offender's "civil rights" were protected.
(b) anger, because we were brought up to feel that way.
(c) reverence, because that happened to be the emotion
    on top in his/her emotional grab bag at the time.

This is probably an absurd example, but I hope that it gets
my point across. I don't understand how anyone can "choose"
an emotion. A person may choose to handle an emotion in
one way or another, but the actual feeling is not "chosen."

OK, all that was subjective. I'll try an objective approach.

"emotion ... 2. Any strong feeling, as of joy, sorrow, reverence,
 hate, or love, arising subjectively rather than through
 conscious mental effort..."
           _The_American_Heritage_Dictionary_of_the_English_Language_

To choose an emotion implies (to me) a conscious decision.  The
definition used above states emotions do not come about through
"conscious mental effort." Therefore, a person can not choose
his/her emotions.

Later,
Eric Anderson (ih4ep!era)

"Don't take me seriously; no one else does."