Reality can be categorized as things and events.
Thing = Object, unity which retains its identify for a longer period of time/longer duration that a relevant event.
Example: Jane, a ball, and Dick.
A concept is a mental representation/idea of a thing.
A true concept is an accurate mental representation of a thing; a false concept is an inaccurate mental representation of a thing.
An event is relationship between/among things, especially a causal relationship between/among things. Events have a time period/duration much shorter than relevant things.
Example: Jane throws the ball to Dick. [Relationship: Jane -> ball -> Dick]
A principle is a mental representation of an event, especially of a causal relationship between/among things.
A true principle is an accurate mental representation of an event (especially of a causal relationship between/among things; a false principle is an inaccurate mental representation of an event.
A technique is an application of a principle.
Example: Principle: A ball can be thrown to another person. Technique: Jane can throw the ball to Dick.
A practical technique is an effective application of a principle;
an impractical technique is an ineffective application of a principle.
An operational definition describes the observations and/or measurements of people/things/events who/which are (A) comprised of matter and energy and (B) are not the content of ideas.
Operational definitions often can be presented as structured sentences such as
_____ [Term/phrase being defined] IS WHEN __________ [descriptions of the observations/measurements of real-world people/things/events].
Example: Love [Term being defined operationally] IS WHEN someone says they like you and does good things with you and for you [description of the observations/measurements real-world people/things/events].
Operational definitions can make abstract concepts/principles/techniques
concrete (by describing the observations/measurements of real-world/concrete
What is the mind?
An individual’s mind is his personal system of desires/fears/priorities
which causes his behavior as his actions/reactions including his feelings
as his reactions to his realizations of his desires/fears/priorities, his
personality as his mind-in -action, as his behavior as caused by his desires/fears/priorities,
his mental problems as his unrealistic [unachievable or/and inappropriate]
desires, and his mental health as his realistic [achievable and appropriate]
A desire is wanting a person, a thing, or an event.
NOTE: For the purposes of the observation and measurement required for an operational definition of ‘desire,’ scientists (and nonscientists) can observe and measure an individual’s approach behavior towards a person/thing/event as evidence of the presence and operation of a desire.
A fear is not-wanting a person/thing/event.
NOTE: For the purposes of the observation and measurement required for an operational definition of ‘fear,’ scientists (and nonscientists) can observe and measure an individual’s avoidance behavior away from a person/thing/event as evidence of the presence and operation of a fear.
NOTE: Desires and fears are interrelated by being opposites. The desire to live is the interrelated opposite of the fear of dying.
A priority is the importance of each desire or fear compared to
(relative to) all other desires and fears.
NOTE: For the purposes of the observation and measurement required for an operational definition of ‘priority,’ scientists (and nonscientists) can observe and measure the effort an individual makes for his approach behaviors to desired persons/things/events or avoidance behaviors away from feared persons/things/events as evidence of the presence and operation of priorities.
NOTE: The term ‘desire(s)’ can be used for convenience to designate desires/fears/priorities.
Physiological desires/fears/priorities are unlearned and inherent in the body and include desires for survival, food, water, elimination, shelter [cooling/heating], companionship, sex, reproduction, etc.
Psychological desires/fears/priorities are learned in the experiences of the interactions of physiological/unlearned desires/fears/priorities with environmental choices (people/things/events who/which can/cannot achieve physiological/unlearned desires or avoid physiological/unlearned fears).
The Hierarchy of Desires/Fears/Priorities
|3. Specific Psychological/Learned Desire
||For a Seven-Up™
|2. Generic Psychological/Learned Desire
||For a Soda
|1. Physiological/Unlearned Desire
||To Slake Thirst
Feelings are reactions to realizations of desires/fears/priorities.
A realization is the achievement or nonachievement of a desire or an avoidance or nonavoidance of a fear.
A positive realization is the achievement of a desire or/and the avoidance of a fear.
A negative realization is the nonachievement of a desire or/and the nonavoidance of a fear.
A realization could be actual or imaginary.
A feeling develops in a sequence (Desire/Realization/Feeling, or D/R/F sequence):
1. Desire: _____ (?) [Person/Thing/Event Wanted.]
2. Realization: _____ (?) [Person/Thing/Event Achieved/Not Achieved.]
3. Feeling: _____ (?) [Reaction to the Realization of the Desire.]
Thus, the bridge between an individual’s mind and his feelings is D/R/F sequence.
Feelings are either sensations or emotions.
Sensations are reactions to realizations of physiological or unlearned desires inherent in the body and include desires for survival, food, liquids, elimination of wastes, shelter, companionship, sex, reproduction, etc.
The sensations are experienced along a tripolar (three-pole) continuum.
Emotions are reactions to realizations of psychological or learned desires not inherent in the body and include desires for love, work, recreation, etc.
There are four basic emotions:
(1) Happiness, as a reaction to the realization of the achievement
of a desire/avoidance of a fear;
(2) Sadness as a reaction to the realization of an actual loss or of no hope of achieving a desire;
(3) Anger as a reaction to the realization of a violation/frustration of an expectancy (desire), a promise, a contract, a law, or an ethic (increases if the violation/frustration is perceived as unjustified);
(4) Fear as a reaction to a realization of a threat of a loss of self-esteem, a vocational position, social relationship, money, or property, an accident, injury, illness, or a genetic defect, or a physical or verbal attack.
NOTE: The opposite of happiness is often considered to be unhappiness, but where happiness consists of the same positive emotion ranging from contentment to ecstacy/joy/elation unhappiness consists of at least one or a combination of the three negative emotions of sadness, anger, or/and fear.
All other terms used to designate emotions are (A) synonyms of basic emotions; (B) combinations of basic emotions; (C) situations to which an individual reacts with basic emotions.
The emotions are experienced along a bipolar (two-pole) continuum.
|A reaction to an achievement of a psychological/learned desire or an avoidance of a psychological/learned fear.||A reaction to a nonavoidance of a psychological/learned fear or a nonachievement of a psychological/learned desire.|
|Sadness: from a perception of an actual loss or of no hope of achieving a desire or avoiding a fear.|
|Anger: From a perception of a violation/frustration of an expectation, a promise, a contract, a law, or an ethic.|
|Anger: From a perception of a threat of a loss, an accident, an injury, an illness, or a verbal or physical attack.|
|Emotional Reaction: Happiness
Impulsive Reaction: Celebrate!!!
|Emotional Reaction: Unhappiness
|Emotional Reaction: Sadness
Impulsive Reaction: Give up hope of achieving a desire/avoiding a fear; become depressed
|Emotional Reaction: Anger
Impulsive Reaction: Attack Oneself and/or Someone or Something Else
|Emotional Reaction: Fear
Impulsive Reaction: Run Away from Oneself and/or Someone or Something Else