Positive and negative numbers, definition, examples.

Positive and negative emotions

You might think that positive psychology is only about positive emotions. But it's not just them. Negative and neutral emotions are an integral component that we must feel in order to live brightly and richly. Why are negative emotions needed in combination with positive ones, and why a neutral state is an integral attribute of everyday life, read on.

List of positive emotions

So, “positive feelings”:

• Calmness, relaxation, contentment,
• clarity, preciseness,
• flexibility, smoothness, responsiveness,
• warmth, acceptance, empathy, sympathy, compassion,
• tenderness, love, gratitude, trust, care, affection, relaxation, kindness,
• soft kind irony, gaiety,
• composure, readiness, stability, confidence,
• passion, sexuality,
• emancipation, freedom, lightness, grace
• joy, jubilation, happiness, bliss, ecstasy,
• goodness, serenity,
• security, feeling of safety,
• foresight, attentiveness,
• anticipation, presentiment, hope,
• openness, interest,
• admiration, tenderness, reverence,
• aspiration, intention, perseverance, perseverance, commitment, devotion,
• swiftness, speed,
• Self-esteem, respect, self-respect.

And then - another list of “ conditionally positive ” emotions, states and qualities. That is, those that we do not always consider positive, but depending on the context.

• Specificity, directness, frankness,
• softness, fluidity, pliability,
• a pity,
• seriousness,
• detachment, impartiality, impartiality, abstraction,
• thoughtfulness, daydreaming,
• caution, trepidation,
• naivety, spontaneity, surprise,
• pride,
• light sadness,
• remorse, regret,
• inflexibility, conviction.

A look from psychology

People have been studying emotions for years. Given the difficulty of focusing on feelings, it is not surprising that we know little about them. Most people lack an understanding of the necessity of both emotions for healthy functioning and a full range of feelings. Let's start with definitions and find out the types of feelings and impressions when certain emotions arise, what is their source and how to create them yourself.

Definition and meaning of positive emotions

Positive emotions are emotions that we generally find pleasant to experience. The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology defines them as “pleasant or desirable situational responses, distinct from pleasant feelings and undifferentiated positive affect.”

Essentially, this definition states that positive emotions are pleasant reactions to our environment (or our own internal dialogue) that are more complex and goal-directed than simple sensations.

Definition and meaning of negative emotions

On the other hand, negative emotions are those that we usually don't like. Negative emotions can be defined as “unpleasant or unhappy emotions that are evoked by people to express a negative impact on an event or person.”

If an emotion lowers your emotional state and worsens your mood, then most likely it is a negative emotion.

Learn more about conflicting feelings and cognitive dissonance.

Character traits and their classification

Any person has many qualities and properties, characteristics of the nervous system, physiology, emotional and motor spheres. We are all very different, but not all manifestations of our nature have to do with character.

What is a character trait

A character trait is not just one of the many qualities of a person; it is characterized by a number of features:

• stability, constancy;
• manifestation in various activities and areas of life;
• connection with the motives, needs and values ​​of the individual;
• influence on the formation of behavioral stereotypes and habits;
• social conditioning, that is, connection with the norms of behavior in society.

The presence of such stable traits makes it possible to predict human behavior. Having learned the character of your partner, you can say with confidence what he will do in a given case. This greatly facilitates communication between people.

Classification of traits

There are a huge number of personality qualities that make up her character, and simply listing them would take too much time and space. Therefore, since the time of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, they have been trying to classify these qualities, highlighting the main ones.

For example, the Austrian doctor and natural scientist of the early 19th century, F. Gall, while developing phrenology (a science that allows one to describe a person’s character by the structure of his skull), identified 27 basic properties that make up the personality makeup. These included the reproductive instinct, the need for self-defense, love for offspring, etc. Currently, neither innate instincts nor physiological characteristics of a person have anything to do with a person’s character, although to a certain extent they can influence his character.

After Gall, attempts to create a classification of character traits were made repeatedly, but it always turned out that some traits did not fit into this classification.

Currently, it is customary to divide into types not character traits, but the areas of their manifestation. Traditionally, there are 4 groups of such personality traits:

• Manifested in relation to other people: individualism and collectivism, indifference and sensitivity, politeness and rudeness, benevolence and aggressiveness, deceit and truthfulness, etc.
• Manifested in relation to oneself: demandingness, self-criticism, self-respect, self-esteem, etc.
• Manifested in relation to business: initiative and passivity, laziness and hard work, organization and disorganization, perfectionism, etc.
• Strong-willed qualities: perseverance, perseverance, determination, independence, willingness to overcome obstacles and one’s own weakness.

But this classification is also not complete, since it does not include such individual characteristics of a person that characterize his attitude to things: neatness and sloppiness, frugality, stinginess, etc.

Excessive emphasis on individual character traits

Various character traits, when mixed, form that unique alloy, which is called a unique personality. If some traits or a group of similar qualities are excessively dominant, as if they stick out to the fore, violating the harmony of the image, then they talk about accentuation of character. For example, a pronounced need to always be in sight, a love of “showing off,” obsessive sociability and the desire to openly violate generally accepted norms of behavior speak of a demonstrative type of accentuation. And excessive aggressiveness, lack of self-control, a tendency to scandals and hysterics are signs of an excitable type of accentuation.

Psychologists evaluate accentuation as some kind of “deformity” of character. Even if positive traits are highlighted, a person’s behavior often becomes unacceptable and inconvenient for others. Thus, it is difficult to coexist with an overly neat person, to the point of fanaticism, and exaggerated cheerfulness and sociability can be very tiring.

There are 12 types of character accentuation in total. But they are not common to everyone and appear mainly in teenagers. In adulthood, accentuations smooth out, but can be noticeable in every third person.

Do we need negative emotions as well as positive ones?

Look at the list of negative emotions. Would you be willing to volunteer to try any of them? Probably not, and this is not surprising! We have already talked about the harm of negative emotions on physical health in an article about psychosomatics .

Here are some examples of identified patterns between negative emotions and human diseases.

Now refer to the list of examples of positive emotions. It is easy to see that this list is full of pleasant experiences that people strive to find and prolong. We need positive emotions to function effectively, grow and prosper.

So, if we generally dislike experiencing negative emotions and enjoy experiencing positive ones, do we even need negative experiences? As it turned out, yes. Next, we will look in more detail at why this happens.

The meaning of the word positive

By personal magnetism one should mean actually positive magnetism; You strive to develop it, because positive magnetism attracts those around you, while negative magnetism repels you and makes you unpleasant to others.

The positive terminal of the battery was connected to a copper hollow ball on the mast: Güli soldered many long and thin ends to the surface of the ball so that the positive charge escaped through them into the atmosphere.

The positive religious ideal, which raised Dostoevsky so high above the dominant currents of social thought, this positive ideal was not given to him right away, but was gained through hard and long struggle.

It is very likely that I will give a positive answer... That is, I will certainly give a positive answer: in the event, of course, that this material,” he pointed a thin finger at the photographs of Stirlitz lying on the oak table, “sounds the way it should sound... I will give you the address and telephone number of Walter Rubenau's widow.

Take another critic and ask: “You yourself, I apologize, of course, who will you be: a positive character or a negative one?” The critic will probably be embarrassed, blush, mumble something evasively, one hundred percent sure that he is undoubtedly a positive character, but it’s awkward to attest to himself.

The criterion of “positive effect” is excluded, based on the definition of the work and the unlimited breadth of interpretation of the word “positive”.

Do you understand now? “Not really yet,” Anatoly Trofimovich said warily. “It seems like a positive fact - such a drug?” “Positive, I agree,” Pavel nodded. - But not for you and me.

Attention is paid to the issues of tuberculosis and HIV infection, tuberculosis in young children, adolescents and elderly patients. This reference book presents a set of radiographs on tuberculosis in children, adolescents and adults, which provide information about the nature of changes in the respiratory system and extrapulmonary lesions in patients .Familiarization of outpatient and hospital doctors with the main sections of phthisiology can give a positive result in organizing rational work to prevent the disease and increase the effectiveness of its treatment, which will allow us to hope for a more positive epidemic prognosis. The authors expect that the presented reference book will be useful to general practitioners and pediatricians , therapists and phthisiatricians.Section 1 General issues of phthisiologyEpidemiology of tuberculosis Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease of the granulomatous type, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and characterized by various phases of its course.

I was not able to understand then that Ostrovsky was a more positive writer than Pisemsky, that his positivity was especially dear for its realism, for the positivity of his images was not in the ideal, but in the warm attitude towards Russian reality, in the love and poetry with which he treated to our half-men merchant life, despite its harsh sides and without hiding them. Apollo Grigoriev looked for poetry in Russian life itself, and not in the ideal; his ideal was a rich, broad, passionate Russian life, if possible, developed to its extreme limits both in virtues and even in passionate depravity. This is how I understand him now; Perhaps I’m wrong, you, as his closest friend, will have to correct my mistakes.Ap.

Why are negative emotions needed?

Although they are unpleasant to experience, negative emotions are truly essential to living a fulfilling life. This happens for two reasons:

1. Negative emotions give us the opposite of positive feelings.
2. Without negativity, will positive emotions be as pleasant?

Negative emotions serve evolutionary purposes, encouraging us to act in ways that increase our chances of survival and help us grow and develop as individuals.

As psychologists note, there is a good reason for each of the basic emotions, both positive and negative:

• Anger is an incentive to fight problems;
• Fear - allows you to protect yourself from danger;
• Anticipation - helps to look into the future and plan;
• Surprise - focus on new sensations;
• Joy is to be reminded of what is truly important to us;
• Sadness - to connect with those we love;
• Trust - communicate with people who help;
• Aversion is to refuse something that is harmful to health.

Without fear, would you be here today? Or have you engaged in life-threatening activities, putting yourself at unnecessary risk? Without disgust, would you be able to refrain from consuming any harmful substances to which you have access?

As unpleasant as they may be, there is no denying that negative emotions serve important purposes in our lives.

Do people really only experience stress in negative situations?

Although you may think of stress as a purely negative emotion or reaction, people often experience stress in neutral and positive situations.

In fact, many events that are usually considered positive can cause enormous stress in our lives.

Here are just a few examples of positive experiences that stress can bring:

• Planning an upcoming wedding;
• Moving or new job;
• Expecting a baby;
• The start of an exciting journey.

It is natural to feel stressed in all of these situations, even if they are classified as happy and positive. This is another example of the interaction between positive and negative feelings that give balance to our lives.

Positive and Negative Emotions: A Look at the Differences

As we now know, positive and negative emotions are vital to living a healthy, fulfilling life. Let's look at how emotions in both categories affect us.

How do they affect the brain? Positive and negative feelings play important roles when it comes to the brain, but in general they are different roles.

Positive feelings

They affect the brain in the following ways.

• Increases efficiency in performing a cognitive task, uplifting spirit, improving concentration and brain function .
• Triggers motivation and reward pathways in the brain, helping to reduce stress and improve well-being.
• They help expand the horizons and capabilities of our brain.

Negative feelings

They affect the brain in the following ways:

• Facilitate the processing of emotional conflicts, helping to understand conflicting information and not fall into procrastination;
• Help solve complex emotional problems;
• Facilitate the processing of cognitive conflicts by participating in the understanding of conflicting cognitive information.
• Reduces empathy and helps you avoid over-connecting with others and focus on your goals.

Both of these senses play important roles in psychology and brain function, and these roles complement each other rather than compete with each other.

Negative and positive qualities of a person for a resume for employment

There are personal positive or negative qualities of a person that determine his role in society and relationships with others, as well as properties that are assessed during employment. They may overlap to some extent with personal aspects of life, but are still largely responsible for work activities.

What character qualities do you need to mention to get hired?

Next we will talk about the features that will always be valued by employers. These criteria are equivalent for both men and women.

Employers place above all else:

• hard work - a person who loves to work will always get a job, regardless of the degree of his skills. Many employers are even willing to make concessions and train a new employee if he is hardworking enough;
• loyalty - loyalty and devotion indicate that a person will be able to work with this company for a long time, which will help its promotion;
• ability to cope with conflict situations - in any company and field of activity, conflict situations inevitably arise, from which a person must be able to emerge with dignity. But the ability to neutralize conflict at the stage of its emergence is a real art that is highly valued;
• desire to develop - workers who always improve their own skills will be valued above others.

Advanced training inevitably leads to improvement and automation of processes that any company strives for.

These qualities are enough to look like a worthy candidate for a job in the eyes of a potential employer. By demonstrating these positive qualities a person can count on getting the desired position.

What is better to remain silent about so as not to scare off the employer?

Along with the positive properties, there are also some aspects that are best hidden from the employer. These are not necessarily bad qualities that spoil a person as a specialist. On the contrary, sometimes even “too good” is quite bad.

Let's try to look at everything that might scare off a potential employer:

• quarrelsome character - a love of conflict can put an end to the career of even the most outstanding specialist;
• Excessive ambition is an excellent quality for a specialist, but a daunting one for an employer. For his part, he will only see a person who will leave the company at the first lucrative offer or will demand too much. Such issues should be dealt with softly and politically, and not with a crude statement of one's own ambition;
• laziness - no one needs a lazy employee who will carry out his duties with his sleeves down;
• lack of discipline - if an employee shows that he allows himself to constantly be late for work or miss deadlines, then most likely they will not keep him in the company for a long time.

More often than not, such people are simply not hired in the first place.

Of course, you shouldn’t brag about such qualities to your employer; you need to achieve your goals carefully, while keeping in mind the benefits for both parties.

The role of both senses in positive psychology

Considering the influence of positive and negative feelings on a person's thoughts and behavior, one can understand why positive psychology pays close attention to negative emotions. It is also important for us to learn to increase our positive emotions and take advantage of the opportunities they provide. It is equally important to learn to adapt to negative experiences and cope effectively with them.

When we are able to accept and use all emotions, we give ourselves the best chance to live a balanced, meaningful life. This is why the field of positive psychology does not focus on positive emotions alone.

It is also important to understand how to turn negative emotions into useful experiences and put them into practice.

A little trick

In order to interest the employer and not push him away after reading the list of shortcomings, you should avoid excessive frankness. It is best to talk about neutral qualities that will not have a big impact on future work activity. If you don’t want to make mistakes when listing the negative aspects, then it is better to cite the following qualities:

• fear of snakes, spiders and bats;
• fear of air travel;
• lack of work experience;
• passion for shopping;
• excess weight;
• increased craving for sweets.

Such shortcomings are more likely to make the employer laugh than to scare them off - this does not affect performance in any way, but unless the work is related to flying and caring for the listed reptiles and insects.

In addition, the following list of weaknesses can be given:

• increased desire to analyze mistakes made;
• tendency to reflect;
• gullibility;
• insufficient precision in expressing one’s own thoughts.

Such negative aspects do not affect the work process too much, and therefore you can safely include them in your resume.

In addition, formulations such as:

• if necessary to tell a lie, I reveal my experiences;
• increased sensitivity to what is happening;
• strong passion for work, which sometimes prevents you from taking breaks.

However, it is important to know what qualities should not be included in the resume, so that at the stage of first reading the document, the employer will still continue to consider the applicant’s candidacy:

• passion for office romances;
• inability to concentrate for long periods of time;
• lack of punctuality;
• inability to make decisions quickly;
• fear of responsibility;
• dislike of early awakenings;
• bouts of laziness.

All this can influence the fact that these qualities are crossed out by the positive aspects indicated in the resume. That is why it is worth being very careful in listing the disadvantages, which may be a negative confirmation for the employer that they should look for another employee.

How to better track your emotions

We now know the importance of accepting and managing our emotions, both positive and negative. The next question is how we actually do it.

The first step to effectively managing emotions is to identify, understand, and look for patterns in emotional experiences.

If you need help identifying positive and negative emotions or tracking experiences, a few charts can help.

Wheel of Emotions