how do emotions differ from feelings?
Printable View
how do emotions differ from feelings?
I didn't think they did differ...
I would think emotions are basic things like love, anger, fear, regret, compassion, and possibly others. Feelings could be the nuances of these emotions and could vary in intensity depending on the situation. I am feeling sad expresses an emotion but how sad would depend on the feelings of the individual person.
For me the feelings are involuntary but the emotions I can mask if I'm alert. Example--any urge to vicariously strangle a smart aleck AAA member who thinks my crystal ball's warranty hasn't run out when they tell me they are in Englewood Park but not sure which side he's on and assumes the tow trucks have all day to find him while the feelings is righteous killing in any country.
True, we are commonly confused by these two terms, as they sport a striking likeness to one another, but there is indeed a difference.
No two words, even synonyms, are alike; though some may be astoundingly similar, almost the same. But we must always remember that no two terms are exactly alike. Let's look at this in a practical and logical way: if, in case, we ever allow two entirely different words to mean exactly the same thing, why in the first place would we need two when we can actually make do with one? This would only create more confusion, especially today in this world that is already confusing without them.
i have once read of a passage that says:
"Feelings are the language of the soul, while emotions are the outburst of mind."
True, I sometimes get the thought that emotions are triggered by feelings (and perhaps otherwise, though I'm not really sure), which we may percept through physical or emotional means. I'm not a psychologist, though (and pretty much far from one), or any kind of philosopher, so I'm not to know exactly; that is just a personal analysis.
(A lot of this is tackled in Values Education... a truly internal-philosophical piece of subject matter. Sometimes I find it complicated, as you need not only analyze what is there, you must also internalize what you learn and feel what you know. :))