I find the subject of the transmission of emotions to be very interesting. On page six, Brennan discusses projected feelings and the different possible energetic dimensions of these feelings. She states “the more cognitive emotions may appear relatively bloodless, precisely because they are projected outward. Via a forceful projection, they may be felt and taken on board by the other, depending on circumstances.” Brennan goes on to say “[emotions] enhance when they are projected outward, when one is relieved of them; in popular parlance, this is called ‘dumping.’ Frequently, affects deplete when they are introjected, when one carries the affective burden of another, either by a straightforward transfer or because the other’s anger becomes your depression.”
I’m sure we have all experienced these occurrences for ourselves on many occasions. Personally, I have carried “the affective burden of another” due to a straightforward transfer. On this occasion, a friend started texting me about his feelings towards a recent break up. I was in a relatively good mood before we started texting. As we continued to text, his feelings gradually began to depress me. I even got to the point where I felt I had to say something in order to stop this emotional downward spiral for both of us. In the end, however, I can’t blame him for this as I often find it difficult to keep my anger and sadness to myself most of the time.
Yes, I think all of us are familiar with what Brennan calls dumping. My example is similar to yours, but with a slight variation.
ReplyDeleteWhenever my roommate is in a bad mood, I always end up in a bad mood too. His negative affect just rubs off on me, even when I'm trying to cheer him up. The end result is that both of us end up in angry moods.
Question: Do you think the dumping effect is less pronounced via texting than via direct, face-to-face interaction? If affect is transmitted through olfaction, then surely face-to-face transmission is more potent that indirect transmission (via phone call, skype, texting, IMing, etc.).
Also, do you think there is a way to shield or immunize yourself from the emotional dumping of others?