Background Information
Humans universally express emotion. Emotions are evident in human children from infancy, while our more sophisticated logical operations are long in forming. Logical functions such as moral reasoning and abstract mathematical thinking often wait till after puberty to fully develop, and we are are highly dependent on others to teach us these skills. A mark of maturity is the ability to make a large range of reasoned and appropriate responses, not just emotional ones. Still, many of us are aware that even the most strategic decisions may rest on an emotional response to a person or a situation.
Nico Fridja is a psychologist who focuses on emotions as adaptive responses, or reactions to events that have consistently been important parts of a human environment. He believes that emotions generate action tendencies, and that action tendencies are our ability to appraise and respond to specific situations. Some situational responses may be hard-wired: e.g. a fearful fight or flight response to a threat such as an angry dog or speeding automobile. Some are not as hard-wired, allowing for a more subtle range of response. For instance, in a social situation where someone appears to insult you, your response can range from physical retaliation (potentially expensive or fatal behavior; increases emotional intensity), to a polite inquiry as to the source of the problem (allows for a much wider range of options; reduces emotional intensity). Developing a wide and appropriate range of response to other humans is important to us, and a life-long learning process as we adapt to different people and places. Humans who cannot respond appropriately to subtle cues from other people are considered so damaged or dangerous that we isolate and ostracize people who cannot or will not “act normally”, as in the case of the mentally ill or criminal.
As early as 1844, William James speculated that emotions and body are inextricably entwined. You can change an emotional state, in many circumstances, simply by changing physical posture or expression. This course will use physical activities such as role-playing, songs, and games to alter people’s emotional perceptions of a situation. Presentation feedback will help clarify and refine your ability to effectively communicate context and content. Increasing emotional awareness and getting realistic feedback from team members and coaches enhances our ability to deal creatively with any problem. But does a physical expression of an emotion really change anything?
In 1983, Ekman, Levenson, and Friesen studied the effect of different facial expressions on such bodily indices as heart rate and blood flow to the extremities. They found some significant differences in the way that the body responds to an emotional state, even an “acted” one. For instance, facial expressions of fear, anger, and happiness all produced increases in heart rate, but the expressions for fear and anger produced much larger differences than the rate for happiness. The expression for disgust, on the other hand, produced a greatly reduced heart rate.
Imagine what it does when we ask for whole body participation! Acting out the emotions of other people allows us to feel empathy for them. Empathy allows us to see their point of view, and communicate directly to their interests. The best ideas can be difficult to communicate if you cannot get on the proper wavelength, and we communicate a great deal of information physically. A good actor can embody a character by skillfully evoking their physical characteristics and movement mannerisms, without a word being said.
When we tell stories we will be asked to get up and gesture because it provides important emotional information that may enhance or detract from your message.
Role-playing allows the mind-body connection to become a conscious part of our communication as we practice. Many of us have tried sports or dance and realize that skill only comes with effort allied with desire for improvement. We can train our bodies to flow into a stance of relaxation and confidence, and our minds will follow. As we incorporate a new emotional stance into our awareness (e.g., I now feel able to cope more calmly with new situations when I step back, smile, and breathe), we often increase our self-esteem. Increased self-esteem enhances our ability to approach new tasks and persevere to a successful endpoint. In a learning economy, this is a valuable commodity
This is helpful if you want to gain a deeper understanding of how this powerful program works.