Glad You're Curious, Too, C.H.

• Responses to First Learning about Affect Theory by Jim Duffy a.k.a. J.C.D., 2/28/97
  • San Francisco Postal Workers' Protest Shaming (Scripts and Systems--Learning about Affect Theory) by c.h., 3/14/97
    • Postal Workers Scripts/Systems Not Unlike Hazing Mental Health Interns by c.h., 3/14/97
      
      

Thank you, c.h., for your smiling response to my posting on backed-up affect. I have two contrasting ideas, borrowed from two 20th Century geniuses, that aptly express my ambivalence about my own posting.

1) Albert Einstein, a quote: "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity."

2) Silvan Tomkins, my interpretation: A possible down side of much curosity is that when it far outreaches comprehension, a type of distress-making cognitive style may exist, one that Tomkins referred to, I believe, as something like "information greed," in AIC III, Chapter 4, dealing with anger. The relation to anger goes something like this: a high baseline of neural activity from so much curiosity (information greed) may be so high that it predisposes to anger insofar it may not take much more stimulation to far exceed an optimal level.

I wish I understood backed-up affect, but my impression as a new student of Tomkins/Nathanson and others is that the notion has not yet seen a whole lot of development. I hope I am wrong. Thus, I, too, am eagerly awaiting some thoughts from Vick, Don, or anyone who cares to comment.

• Einstein, Tomkins, Darwin and *Hiding Out*....... by c.h., 3/15/97