The Clash Between Intellect and Emotion
Knowing how to value the two systems is easier said than done, but there are basically two options for managing them. The first is self-regulation, which is an automated, uncontrolled response, meaning you base your decision on your somatic response. For example, if your gut is telling you to reject a marriage proposal, you heed it. The second option for making a decision is self-control. When you exercise self-control, you are using reason to override an initial instinct.
You might really crave a piece of chocolate cake, but if you want to be in shape by summer, you know you should resist. Or, the butterflies fluttering in your stomach might be telling you not to visit the dentist, but you know that it is better to go now than to suffer more later. Learning to exercise self-control was just as important to the evolution of mankind as self-regulation, however, too much self-control or self-discipline is unhealthy. A general rule of thumb is to base 80 percent of your decisions on self-regulation and just 20 percent on self-control. Unfortunately, most people do just the opposite because society puts more value in cognitive decisions than emotional ones.
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tracey whight
May 5th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Dear Rosemarie,
I found your business card on the floor of an unemployment agency kind of serendipitously, so I thought I should contact you. I am very very interested in the field of abundance, and have been reading books on abundance for the last one and a half years. I am really passionate about “the teachings of Abraham ” which is abundance work by Esther and Jerry Hicks who were the precursors of “the secret”. I am mature age and my background is in the health and fitness industry and I have just completed my degree in Psychology(Hons) . I am also a very spiritual person and don’t really feel a pull to go in to main stream Psychology because working with abundance is so uplifting and positive . Anyway, I just wondered if you ever hire anyone or know anyone who does . Failing that, would you know of anyone who could supply me with any helpful information that could lead me to my next step . Yours sincerely, Tracey Whight (tracey.whight@jcu.edu.au)