science

definition of emotions

Emotions are all those sensations and feelings that the human being possesses when relating to his fellow men and the environment in general.. However, this brief description, it is necessary to point out that the interpretation and elucidation of the phenomenon that human emotions constitute has always been a great problem, insofar as the evaluations carried out were vague.

If there is something that we can talk about as a differentiating element between human beings and other living beings, it is everything that has to do with emotions and feelings, especially those considered complex. Hence its central importance when defining what a person is and their identity.

The emotions in the human being.

To better understand why emotions are fundamental, we must point out that human beings are the only ones who have developed a complex system of emotions that other living beings do not possess. While we can mention emotions that have to do with the physical, the bodily or the organic, such as fear, joy, sadness or anger, and that all animals possess to a greater or lesser degree, the human being also has a group of own and exclusive emotions.

These emotions are those that he has developed from coexistence in society and from the complex historical life that he has been building. In this sense, emotions such as anxiety, love, anguish, passion, resentment, revenge, happiness or depression are all emotions that are present in the human psyche, not only in his body and that is why we make them different from any other animal.

The importance of emotions.

For a long time, human societies denied or ignored the importance of those complex emotions mentioned in the previous paragraph. It was not until the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century that emotions, with the development of theories of psychology, began to be recognized as a fundamental and fundamental part of the person as an individual but also of the person as a social being that lives together. with others and that it is inserted in a medium that surrounds it and determines it.

In this way, thanks to the development of psychology and the sciences that study the human mind, it was possible to understand that emotions are central to understanding the behavior, way of thinking and acting of a person. This is influenced by a myriad of elements such as family history, the region where one lives, the economic reality that the person lives, access to a full social life or not, etc. All these elements delimit the basic and complex emotions of a person and make them unique from the rest, for which they end up becoming a very important element of our identities.

Photo: iStock - ZoneCreative

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