E - Emotional Conditioning

Recognizable questions Why do I feel guilt or tension without a clear reason? Why does a song, holiday, or smell immediately trigger emotion? Why does feeling sometimes lag behind what I rationally think? What is it? Emotional conditioning means that, through experience, a stimulus can become linked to an emotional reaction. An event, word, place, or action can later evoke feelings because it previously often occurred together with fear, shame, joy, or relief. Why can our brain do this? Our brains learn connections between events. As a result, emotions can be activated quickly without our consciously recalling the entire past each time. This is a general learning process, and not every strong emotion is conditioned. Example from everyday life Someone who was criticized for years whenever they rested may later feel uneasy when they ‘do nothing,’ even if they rationally believe that relaxation is healthy. How can this occur within close-knit or closed groups? Religious practices can become strongly associated with both positive and negative feelings. Some former Jehovah’s Getuigen, for example, feel discomfort around birthdays or holidays; others mainly experience pleasure or neutrality. A learned emotional link can be one explanation. What can you do with it? Name the emotion without immediately deciding what it means. Ask what your current values are, separate from the old reaction. For mild reactions, new safe experiences can gradually create new associations. Questions to think about Which neutral situations trigger strong emotion in me? What did I learn about that situation in the past? What do I think about it now myself? Summary An emotion can arise from earlier learning experiences. That makes the feeling real, but not automatically a judgment about what is now good, bad, or dangerous.