Are extreme emotions forms of insanity and are we the only creatures who express these?

[kvnchrist]

Are extreme emotions forms of insanity and are we the only creatures who express these?

I was looking at the two extremes of Love and hate as well as anger and it seems to me that people have done some of the most constructive and the most destructive actions under the effects of intense emotions.

I've seen women cling to men who beat them senseless, on a daily basis, because they say they love the guy. I've heard about mothers lifting cars from off their children and people not remembering intense situations they have been through.

Is this the minds way of coping with being overwhelmed by situations?

Is love a thing of needing or needing to be needed?

Are emotions sometimes so intense that reality is altered enough to make it irrelevant?

Do domestic animals feel love or hate or just the pull of nature to protect those that they are familiar with?

Do Wild animals protect their offspring out of nurture or nature?

[Arcadiast]

I have watched quite a lot wildlife documentaries and one thing strikes me most. Humans have all animal behaviours.

 

What does that mean? well, let me give you a example. Ants live in colonies with strict class assignments, there are/were people who lived in societies that were very similar. Wolfs have hunting packs, humans have hunted in groups. Tigers live mostly solitary, so does some humans. The interesting thing about that is, you will not see great variation of behaviours in certain animal species while variation in Humans is absolutely common.

 

I think Humans are the most "complicated" animals. They have many traits that many animals have but in a more "complex" fashion. As fascinating as some animals might be, none of them are as fascinating as Humans. Try to look at it not as a Human but as a alien species who comes to earth to make a documentary about live on it. Which species do you think would capture their fascination most?

 

What I try to say is this. Humans are very, very complicated beings. Emotions are among the most complicated and least understood Human Behaviours.

 

When it comes to emotions we sometimes speak of "emotionally balanced". That means that the particular Human being has some degree of control over his emotions.

 

One example; Fear! lets say you have to go into a Forest in the Night (for whatever reason) and lets say this Forest is in a perfectly "civilized" location with no dangerous animals, robbers or whatever there might be. You would be surprised how many people would refuse to go in alone (yes we are talking with flashlights). Fear of dark forests is something that is deeply anchored in our brains. Mainly because dark woods were really dangerous places throughout the history. All normal Human beings have this fear yet some still manage to go in while some dont. The person that can go in has a certain degree of control over his fear while those that dont go in are controlled by fear.

 

Thats basically it. A Woman who is getting beaten by her Husband might not be able to overcome her "love" for him. Still thinking that he will get better or all will be well. Even if logic or reason try to dictate otherwise. This Woman (in my specific example) fails to resist against the emotion that we use to call "love". It may also be fear mind you but i try to keep it simple.

 

Animals on the other side, are simpler. They are practically completely controlled by their insticts which are very similar to emotions. When its mating season than no animal that is able will resist the call to fight off rivals to mate with the females. They dont have the "luxury" of logic or reason.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Arcadiast

[Vagrant0]

Not unique to humans... Just unique to reasonably complex organisms who exist outside the normal bounds of natural selection by which destructive or insane behavior usually leads to death. Humanity has had far too many cases where raging psychopaths have not just survived; but thrived, and have even been celebrated, spawning further generations of raging psychopaths. By nature of these individuals having a niche in the genepool, the traits that cause this sort of behavior have not been weeded out over time. Then once you start adding in the part by which people are allowed to grow to maturity and procreate without the mental or emotional facilities to sustain their existence or the existence of those they are related... And you can just forget about any of the usual mechanics that help regulate disease and dysfunction within a population. Then there are drugs, additives, and destructive psychology to make the healthy sick, the sick feel healthy, and set the average just slightly higher than the cast of the latest hit "reality" show.