A thought on 'the head and the heart'

curadh · 10-06-2009, 16:16

Ive been studying psychology for a year. Regarding the psychoanalytic theories of the conscious and unconscious, I had a thought today I'd like to develop. When someone says 'I went with my heart' or 'Don't let your head rule your heart' etc., I think it is these gut feelings of the 'heart' that come from the unconscious.
For example, in love, when someone has strong feelings unreciprocated, has been dumped by this person, then they will do things and have conscious thoughts related to their deeply embedded feelings of love for this other person.
Unless they learn to move on and re-train their thoughts and emotions they will unconsciously veer towards things to do with this other person.
Similarly with someone who has been conditioned a certain way in for example learning a computer game, will react the same way mostly, because of their gut instinct and heart each time.
So am I right in concluding that letting the heart or a gut instinct rule over the head is no more than a comfort zone being selfishly accessed? In order to grow mentally we try new experiences and move in to the deep end. Therefore being 'wise' is having a wide zone of comfort linking many places, things, experiences, - to your emotions, changing or manipulating your unconscious reactions to situations. When I say unconscious I mean of course what thoughts are prompted in your conscious of the now.

Odysseus · 26-06-2009, 20:55

Hi Curadh, I'm not being funny when I say this but your post has nothing psychoanalytic in it. If you are interested in developing an understanding of love from a psychoanalytic veiwpoint, have a read of Freud's Three Essays on Sexuality. It won't answer your questions but will give you a starting point, and when you read the word instinct replace it with the word drive, the word instinct in the English translation of Freud was a bad translation.

Torakx · 23-07-2009, 19:16

funny i was reading this in a book about freud a few days ago.
i THINK it is related to the ego/superego and a lesser extent the id. its kind of confusing those 3 they seem to intertwine according to freud.

but i would say that gut feeling could be the superego or the ego trying to protect the person and our subconcious wants or needs may effect this "gut" feeling or feeling of the heart.

id say its not just a simple answer but a mix of a few parts of the subconcious.
just a thought

nice topic though

10-06-2009, 16:16	#1
curadh Registered User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Dublin Posts: 191 Adverts \| Friends	A thought on 'the head and the heart' Ive been studying psychology for a year. Regarding the psychoanalytic theories of the conscious and unconscious, I had a thought today I'd like to develop. When someone says 'I went with my heart' or 'Don't let your head rule your heart' etc., I think it is these gut feelings of the 'heart' that come from the unconscious. For example, in love, when someone has strong feelings unreciprocated, has been dumped by this person, then they will do things and have conscious thoughts related to their deeply embedded feelings of love for this other person. Unless they learn to move on and re-train their thoughts and emotions they will unconsciously veer towards things to do with this other person. Similarly with someone who has been conditioned a certain way in for example learning a computer game, will react the same way mostly, because of their gut instinct and heart each time. So am I right in concluding that letting the heart or a gut instinct rule over the head is no more than a comfort zone being selfishly accessed? In order to grow mentally we try new experiences and move in to the deep end. Therefore being 'wise' is having a wide zone of comfort linking many places, things, experiences, - to your emotions, changing or manipulating your unconscious reactions to situations. When I say unconscious I mean of course what thoughts are prompted in your conscious of the now.

26-06-2009, 20:55	#2
Odysseus Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,559 Adverts \| Friends	Hi Curadh, I'm not being funny when I say this but your post has nothing psychoanalytic in it. If you are interested in developing an understanding of love from a psychoanalytic veiwpoint, have a read of Freud's Three Essays on Sexuality. It won't answer your questions but will give you a starting point, and when you read the word instinct replace it with the word drive, the word instinct in the English translation of Freud was a bad translation. __________________ "Wisely and slow: they stumble that run fast" R+J iii.iv.90.

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23-07-2009, 19:16	#3
Torakx Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 313 Adverts \| Friends	funny i was reading this in a book about freud a few days ago. i THINK it is related to the ego/superego and a lesser extent the id. its kind of confusing those 3 they seem to intertwine according to freud. but i would say that gut feeling could be the superego or the ego trying to protect the person and our subconcious wants or needs may effect this "gut" feeling or feeling of the heart. id say its not just a simple answer but a mix of a few parts of the subconcious. just a thought nice topic though