Emotional Structure (ES)
avoid
"Emotional Apparatus"
seems overly "mechanistic" although sometimes reflects the actual perception quite well
Related Terms
Personality (Structure)
In simple terms:
Your Emotional Structure is ...
... the way you react to everything.
stuff happens to us
>> we produce an emotion
... what tells you what is/feels "right" or "wrong" for you.
... your inner reference.
The intrinsic mechanisms present at a given time that produce an emotion as response to a stimulus.
[intrinsic]
The Emotional Structure is by definition located on a deeper functional level than the cognitive/rational/logic parts of our minds.
One's Emotional System is a result of the specific physical properties mainly of the structures of the nervous system, i.e. the brain and peripheral structures, like the plexus solaris and others.
integrate this into definition
The stimulus can be internal or external.
examples
Delay
The time between stimulus and response can vary ...
immediate/spontaneous
even if not expressed immediately
The emotional response can be empty, i.e. there can also be no response.
This can be because ...
... the stimulus
The expression of the emotion can be influenced consciously ...
regarding
time / delay
intensity and form
Other meanings:
The term "emotional structure" is being used in the advertisement industry.
Wiktionary
Why was a different term necessary?
How is "Emotional Structure" different?
we cannot say:
"Do the emotional labor"
"Just go through it"
... because
it is too much
it is overwhelming
>>
stab
prepare us for emotional labor
otherwise impossible
it does not happen by itself
<<
transgenerational trauma
Goals
In order to experience a different emotion towards a specific stimulus (and react differently as a consequence of that) one should aim for a change of the Emotional Structure.
Strategies
Changes of the ES
can be achieved through
can only be learned through going the emotional path. and emotional processing.
can not be achieved through
(only) talking / rationalizing about them
Features of the ES:
//
Numbness
consistent
your current emotional structure is always the result of genetically predetermined factors and the influences on the growth process over a whole lifetime
the result as a whole cannot be precisely separated - what was there and what came from experiences
however, sometimes we can deduce this quite precisely
and we should not be afraid of it
clinicians would say that what some perceive a character trait is actually a symptom
it gets confusing when genetical/physical predispositions increase the susceptibility to react to certain stimuli in a specific way
more vulnerable
more resilience
The Musical Instrument Metaphor
Our ES can be compared to a musical instrument:
The fingers, playing the instrument represent the external stimulus.
The instrument itself reflects the ES.
The resulting sound represents the emotion that is produced by the ES.
Like for the sound of most instruments, the emotions which our ES produces are shaped by external factors:
Many instruments are sensitive to temperature and humidity, among other things.
In the same way, there are many influencing factors for our ES.
Growth
Becoming
...
Change
Types / Directions
increase of Empathy
/ sensitivity
decrease of Empathy
Numbing / increase in (emotional) numbness
Principles
the experience of pain is the main reason for changes of one's emotional structure
both an increase and decrease of empathy are happening exclusively through the experience of pain:
an unconstructive experience of pain, i.e. associated with helplessness, being overwhelmed etc. leads to a decrease of the ability to experience Empathy
a constructive experience of pain, i.e. happening in a context of sufficient emotional resources, etc. the Emotional Structure will change towards the ability to experience more Empathy
it is central to Emotional Processing to purposefully create these
One's emotional structure cannot be changed by "wanting" or "deciding" so.
Popular belief is different:
There are countless examples in popular culture to express the notion that "I want to feel less (or more)", for example. The fact that this is expressed to frequently might lead us to believe that it could work. In fact, it does not. The expressions describe the emotional situation of a person and the pain which this person experiences may or may not cause the change, but the "wishing"/"wanting" of the same had little to do with it.
The emotional structure of a person changes over a lifetime by natural processes or maturing. This is influenced by environmental factors which include interpersonal relationships (also with animals) above all.
short-term
mostly attributed to influencing factors
long-term
define
it can change - it is not constant
Processing of emotions is an example to deliberately catalyze a change in the emotional structure
Processing (of Emotions)
Change "naturally" happens related to growth
Growth
Influencing Factors
Physical state of the body
hormonal state
etc.
a person's emotional structure can have all degrees of maturity - the scale is continuous
Features of a mature Emotional Structure:
You produce tenderness when perceiving vulnerability.
...
Sign of a mature Emotional Structure: You produce tenderness when perceiving vulnerability."--MB
Empathy
Maturity
Tenderness
Vulnerability
Maturity is a qualifying feature of someone's Emotional Structure.
Post-Traumatic Emotional Structure (PTES)
Definition
Features
"don't tell me how to feel"
emotions can work against our interest = they usually have a root in trauma
How to change one's emotional structure
almost never
rational
cognitive
the more we dissect it the more we can avoid the emotional labor
ES that is characterized by "trauma" will not change by itself
or
in that area
has parts
we can be mature about one thing
very immature in another
ex.
lawyer who is in abusive rel.
rational approaches
exhaustion
"I have talked about it - I don't want it anymore."
I have cried so much.
illusion of understanding = change
/understood it/figured it out..."