Anger and Sadness; Obsession and Passivity

[Adonai One]

Anger is when you desire to get rid of something but cannot; Sadness is when you desire to have something but cannot.

They are the same. It is their focus that differs: What is seen as the self and what is not.

Obsession is when you desire to have something above all else; Passivity is when you desire everything equally with no discrimination.

These two are also the same. The difference: What continues and what is final. Respect for what currently exists and respect for what may exist.

[Unbound]

Define 'same'?

[Plenum]

Anger is when you desire to get rid of something but cannot; Sadness is when you desire to have something but cannot.

They are the same. It is their focus that differs: What is seen as the self and what is not.

Obsession is when you desire to have something above all else; Passivity is when you desire everything equally with no discrimination.

These two are also the same. The difference: What continues and what is final. Respect for what currently exists and respect for what may exist.

yes, its these 'psychological understandings' which enable true change and growth.

self observation and self reflection.

a non-denial of emotions (emotional feedback) in other words.

[Rhayader]

I see anger/sadness as the same but the difference lies in the power/energy/effort.

[Adonai One]

Define 'same'?

Identical except for their polarity.

[Unbound]

Define 'same'?

Identical except for their polarity.

So polarity is not an aspect of identity?

[Adonai One]

Define 'same'?

Identical except for their polarity.

So polarity is not an aspect of identity?

Is polarity not identity?

[Spaced]

Here's a thought:

Anger arises from rejection of catalyst, sadness arises from suppression of catalyst.

Obsession arises from attachment to an experience, passivity arises from detachment from an experience.

[Adonai One]

Does sadness truly suppress or does it grieve for what may be suppressed?

[Spaced]

Does sadness truly suppress or does it grieve for what may be suppressed?

I would say the latter. The sadness is a form of feedback letting you know that there is unprocessed catalyst that has yet to be integrated.

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I think you're right in anger and sadness being opposite focus of the same phenomenon: the inability to process catalyst. In the one case there is desire to integrate the catalyst but a seeming inability to do so, in the other there is a desire to be rid of the catalyst but the perceived inability to do so.

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I'm quite aware I could be dead wrong about this too

[Adonai One]

I agree with you completely. You are most correct, in my eyes.

[reeay]

Spaced, yeah, your description reminds me of how anger and sadness are categorized: Anger can be described as 'externalization'. Sadness is called 'internalization' bc it's kind of withdrawing inside rather than expressing outwardly like anger.

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There are many functionalities (ways to use) anger or sadness, and that's context specific - so the meaning & nature of anger or sadness or any emotion depends on the specific situation.

Emotions are signposts of a catalyst yet to be processed - so what's to be processed? When catalyst occurs you might experience varying (sometimes contradictory) emotions at the same time but the brain can attend to it only one at a time. It isn't emotions per say that is important but what is called 'emotional schemes' - organized sets of information about action tendencies, our beliefs - so anything we learned/experienced before is organized into these neat packages that help us to tune into what we need to attend to. It's kind of like a template that tells us how to interpret catalyst based on emotional experiences. We can figure out what these emotional schemes are about by looking at the different levels of emotions (primary, secondary, and instrumental) + loads of other stuff like how we avoid certain emotional experiences (we call it 'splitting').

Primary emotion is one's deep feelings towards catalyst. This is usually hidden because we notice how we react to emotions rather than the core emotional experience at once (and this might be more than one emotion being experienced).

Secondary emotion is the reaction to the primary emotion. For example, you are hurt or sad (primary) so you react in anger, fear, shame, etc.,. This is probably the most accessible experience.

Instrumental emotion is the way we express our emotions bc it's the most 'convenient' or do-able or socially accepted way. I can react to painful situations via anger but since anger is not acceptable way to express myself I will cry and appear sad (ooooh honesty). Maybe I'm very angry in the core, but being angry somehow makes me experience loads of sadness. Then I begin to cry. Many different ways we emotionally respond to situations.

Basic point - it really depends how emotions like anger and sadness and fear and whatnot means in a specific situation, and what it has meant in past experiences.