العنصر الذهني ، طبيعة الهيجان .. كتاب علم النَّفس جميل صَليبا

The mental element, the nature of frenzy

2- The nature of the excitement
We said that agitation is an emotional state:
1 - Generated from an idea,
2- It is accompanied by physiological changes. We now want to look into each of these two missionaries.

1 - The mental element
It has become clear to you that agitation is not devoid of intellectual elements, for example fear, which is not devoid of awareness of danger, and likewise anger, which is not devoid of memory of the faults, disgraces, and standards that have befallen us. The more intense the agitation, the richer the mental element present in it. An example of this is religious emotion, literary emotion, artistic emotion, and other complex emotions, as they include many intellectual elements.

This is what led the rationalists to say that agitation is generated by mental activity. I saw how Descartes explained psychological pleasures and pains with opinions and judgments. As for Herbart, he claimed that psychology is the mechanics of the soul, and that perceptions are the only forces that move the soul, and that sensitivity is generated from the influence of perceptions on one another, so that a person finds pleasure in the agreement of perceptions, and pain in their discrepancy and disagreement. Because every perception is a force, If these forces are directed in one direction, they join together and their effectiveness increases, and if they contradict each other, they hinder each other and their speed is delayed. Pleasure is generated from the consistency and harmony of the united forces, and pain results from their discrepancy and cessation (Hemmung). Let us illustrate the above with an example: Suppose I waited for a friend of mine to come. For a long time, I entertained myself with meeting him, prepared for him all the means of hospitality and entertainment I could, and made a plan for the parks that we would go together. So if I received news of his arrival, I was happy, and if I went to the station to receive him, my joy for him increased, because his arrival resonated with me.
A perception that is compatible with the first perceptions, thus uniting with them and harmonizing with them. But if I waited for him for a long time and then returned with hidden longing, his delay, or his not coming, would pain me, because this last perception contradicts all my previous perceptions.

Although the apparent appearance of this theory indicates that it contradicts Aristotle’s theory, scholars have found similarities between the two theories, because perception, according to Herbart’s claim, is not a static state, but rather a driving force, and therefore the agreement of the nationalists was a reason for an increase in effectiveness, while its disagreement led to its decrease. He said. Nahlowsky, one of Herbart’s students:

We can define emotion by saying that it is a direct awareness of the cessation or increase of the movement of perceptions in the soul. However, since perceptions are the active forces in the soul, every cessation or increase in their movement causes a cessation or increase in the effectiveness of the soul. We can then express the previous meaning by saying: emotion. Feeling of increased or decreased self-efficiency (1)

Therefore, Georges Dumas said: Herbart’s theory explains the emotional with the rational (see the book Sadness and Pleasure, p. 403).

In summary, the three elements of agitation follow each other in the mentalist doctrine in the following manner: 1 - Idea, 2 - Emotion, 3 - Physiological phenomena. For example: I realize danger, so I become afraid, then I tremble. I see the calamity that has befallen me, and I feel sad, then I cry.

Criticism of this theory. - The goal of those of the mentalist doctrine is not to explain physical pleasures and pains with thoughts and perceptions, because there is no trace of clear perception in the relationship of the taste of apples to the salivary glands. Rather, their goal is to explain psychological pleasures and pains (i.e. agitations or emotions), and we now want to criticize their theory within these limits.

This theory cannot explain the sudden joy. I might meet a friend I had never thought about
Meeting him, and rejoicing in this meeting without there being a consensus in perceptions, for not every agreement is a cause of pleasure, nor is every disagreement a cause of pain. For example, I am saddened by the death of my friend even though I know that he will die, and I rejoice in his recovery despite my despair over him. Appropriate agitations are born from the compatibility of inclinations and inclinations, not from the compatibility of perceptions. Contrary agitations arise from the incompatibility of tendencies with real circumstances. In addition, the followers of this doctrine neglect the influence of physiological factors, which are necessary, because no psychological irritation is free from them. This will become clear to you after reading the following paragraphs?

(Figure - 19) Phenomena of agitation in chimpanzees
From right to left and from top to bottom: (1) Calmness (2) Sadness (3) Laughter (4) Mouth (5) Anger (6) Agitation.
(Quoted by N. Kohts)