The past has taught me much about the role of emotions because they effect everything that happens in the life of each individual. People’s lives are influenced by everything that happens to them. This affects work as wll as personal life because people cannot separate their private self from their public self when it comes to their performance. Emotions are crucial for the way people behave in everyday lives and that is why everybody needs to take care about what they let have impact on their feelings. People need to understand that they cannot change everything in life and that they have to accept that. Leading a peaceful life stabilizes emotions and makes people more efficient in all areas of life.
Emotions have impact on the way people think, feel and reason about various things in life. “Emotions are nonetheless widely recognized as a kind of baggage that impedes effective teaching and learning” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 8 ). People cannot distance themselves from what they are feeling and everything about emotions is interrelated. Being efficient in learning and at work depends on people’s emotions because people have to put their whole personalities into the creative process of adopting new knowledge. My past has taught me that emotions can inspire people, but they can also make people unable to be efficient because of the fact that they might feel bad about some personal issue. Learning is related to the personal development and a person has to be determined to put effort into this process. The result cannot be good if an individual is not motivated enough and motivation comes from inspiration which is related to human feelings. “Adult learners experience affect and emotions in a range from positive and energizing to negative and distracting” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 9). Emotions can be positive and negative and this affects the process of learning. On the other hand, learning also has an impact on the emotions because people feel gratitude when they acquire new skills.
Emotions are energy and people give them the connotation of being positive or negative. People are those who give meanings to things because emotions are not inherently good or bad. It all depends on the personal traits of an individual because they give the meaning to the emotions. “Perhaps the most common expression of strong emotions in adult learning occurs around areas of conflict, in which there may be profound disagreement of values or interest” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 9). People tend to have strong reactions to conflict because of the fact that they are naturally inclined to defend their opinions and points of view. I believe that emotions are related to pure energy and that it can be channeled into positive feelings.
All emotions can be looked at as positive if people decide to regards life as a learning experience. Everything that happens in life is supposed to be regarded as an opportunity to grow as a person. Therefore, emotions are pure energy which has to be put into motion. “Feeling blue or generally excited often reveals emotions about something, but we tend to have more difficulty describing just what it is we are feeling blue about or why on some days we feel so happy and upbeat” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 10). Therefore, it is true that people give the meaning to emotions and people can also learn from past experiences because both hardships as well as the good times are predestined to pass. Nothing in life is for sure and forever and that is why emotions have to be regarded as energy which gives people power to explore themselves and the events around them as well.
People are human being because they are able to have feelings whether positive or negative. It is important to bear in mind that emotion is energy so that it can be put to an efficient use. “Educators are acknowledging the powerful role emotions and affect play in the adult learning process” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 5). Learning has effect on emotions at the same time because it gives a person the feeling of power because knowledge makes people well-equipped for life.
Scholars and writers have argued that emotion should be explored and used for educational and psychological purposes. “Humans without emotions could not choose among alternatives, could not act because they would lack a sense of involvement, would be without commitment or conviction, without purpose or direction” (Barbalet, 2006, p. 51). Emotions are a driving force of humanity because the energy they inspire in people is necessary for the progress of the whole humanity. People who do not have emotions are not equipped to be well-integrated members of the society because emotions are necessary for the feeling of empathy. It is important for human beings to have feeling for one another because it gives them the higher state of existence.
People are stimulated when they feel emotions, which means that they are affected by something that is happening in the environment. “The most common understanding of emotion, and the oldest, emphasizes the bodily sensations and excited feelings that characterize our experience of emotions such as anger, fear, and love” (Barbalet, 2006, p. 51). The strongest emotions draw most energy and therefore, people work best if they feel any of these emotions. There are fears that are learned as well as fears of the unknown. “Fear as an emotional response to the encounter of a mountain lion is therefore the result of a learned or acquired meaning schema” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 12). The fear of known is stronger than the fear of the unknown, but it is possible to be afraid of something because it exudes fear. Fear is the greatest factor that triggers emotions and energy as such which means that the goal will be accomplished and that the learning process will be completed.
It is important to be informed about the impact of emotions on human psyche. “Emotions are involuntary, disordering processes that distract people from their proper, conscious activities” (Barbalet, 2006, p. 51). It is impossible to distance oneself from having emotions and experiencing the flow of energy, but it can be understood and channeled in a positive way which will generate good results and the best possible outcome for the benefit of the person. Solomon “consistently links emotions to meaning in our lives” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 14). There is always meaning involved which makes people focus their energy in a good way.
I disagree with the authors who “perceive the expression of emotions as perhaps necessary but only as a means of ventilating and allowing the learners to refocus on the learning task” (Dirkx, 2008, p. 11). I believe that emotions have to be understood in a deeper way and that psychologists have to be included in this process as well. However, it is best to study emotions and the reason for their occurrence than to simply let them out in the open. People need to understand what triggers their emotions and to be prepared when such a situation happens next time it does.
Emotions are important for people to be complete human beings because it is the only trait that separates humans from animals. Each individual has to tackle the deepest part of their soul in order to be able to explain their behavior and their reaction to certain events. When it comes to learning, everything is even more complicated because people need to have great motivation in order to acquire new skills. People need to be inspired in order to be able to produce creative content and prior to that extensive knowledge has to be adopted. Each person is different and deserves a specific approach in the learning atmosphere. However, the freedom of choice and self-expression is what matters most.
References
Dirkx, J. M. (2008). The Meaning and Role of Emotions in Adult Learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 7-18.
Barbalet, J. (2006). Emotion. Contexts, 5(2), 51-53.
