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Is it possible to be completely 'unemotional'

Illmatic

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Like have no emotion at all like Dexter, is it possible?
 
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Saslou

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What does it feel like to unemotional?

Does it mean that one is never on a high or feel great lows?
Does one feel cheated if they are on a constant even keel?

I would love for someone to describe to me the rational behind it.
 

skylights

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probably not really... at least, probably not without being seriously impaired. the thing is, no emotion would mean a huge lack of limbic functioning, and you need limbic functioning (especially your amygdalae) to form emotional memory - such as remembering why you shouldn't approach an angry lion or touch a stove that's glowing red. your stress functioning would be hugely impaired because you wouldn't have normal fear or anger responses (actually along the same lines as what pitseleh mentioned, that's one hypothesis for ASPD - that people with antisocial PD do not experience fear in response to certain situations the same way most people do). you would also probably have a very difficult time establishing and retaining relationships. so... sure, it's possible, but you probably wouldn't want it. learning to temper your responses to emotion, on the other hand, is both very possible and probably beneficial.

in dexter's case, i think he has emotions, and has dissociated his identity from them due to his severe emotional trauma as a child. perhaps admirable, but probably not a healthy thing.


:banana:
 

Flight

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yeah it is possible but it totally changes how you interact with everything because basically everything has emotional connections to it. i know someone like that and he like, literally doesn't care about anything. he could touch a burning stove and will flinch and have pain... but it doesn't actually bother him, he doesn't care about music and doesn't have favorite foods or anythin like that.
 

Such Irony

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I don't think its possible to be completely unemotional all the time but I do think its possible to momentarily shut off emotions in certain situations. What's more common, I think, is having the emotions but choosing not to act on them or not letting them influence your decisions.
 

Seymour

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Every human being has emotions, and those have an effect on our decisions and actions. Emotions are a fundamental part of the valuing process of humans. To quote Kenneth Dodge: "all information processing is emotional, in that emotion is the energy that drives, organizes, amplifies, and attenuates cognitive activity and in turn is the experience and expression of this activity."

However, it is possible to to cut off awareness of one's emotions (usually as a defense mechanism, as can happen with PTSD). One can sometimes lose access to empathy, lose a degree of physical awareness (since awareness of emotion happens largely through awareness of physical responses) and lose having much of a theory of mind at the same time.
 

Robopop

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Like others have said, a completely "emotionless" person would likely have no motivation and be quite apathetic, they'd probably be zombie-like, there is a term for having a low affect though, it's called anhedonia. Anhedonia is an inability to experience pleasure and is related to depression and schizophrenia. But really, it's how you do define "unemotional", is it a certain degree of dissociation from one's emotions, especially when making certain decisions(being imparial or even emotionally unaware) or a complete lack of emotions. Even though psychopaths are emotionally cold and stunned in some ways (mostly lack of emphathy and low fear response)they still have a semblance of emotional responsivity.
 

Stanton Moore

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One would have to lack the mammalian brain to be completely without emotions. No limbic system, no emotions.
A person without emotions is a reptile, basically.
 

Bamboo

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One would have to lack the mammalian brain to be completely without emotions. No limbic system, no emotions.
A person without emotions is a reptile, basically.

This, except do instinctive "brain stem" reactions not qualify as emotions?

Anyone under the impression that they think before they feel is either uninformed, inattentive, or delusional.
 

Stanton Moore

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This, except do instinctive "brain stem" reactions not qualify as emotions?

Anyone under the impression that they think before they feel is either uninformed, inattentive, or delusional.

Depends on how you define 'emotion'. What is an 'instinctive brain stem' reaction?
 

rav3n

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Dexter displays emotion. What he appears to lack are ethics which are perceived as positive by society.
 

Bamboo

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Depends on how you define 'emotion'. What is an 'instinctive brain stem' reaction?

Taking your hand off a hot stove. I wouldn't call that an emotion or even an emotional reaction.

But something like aggression and dopamine seeking behavior for instance I think are associated with the brain stem. After all, you see lizards fighting each other...
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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Perhaps severe damage to the amygdala and the rest of the limbic system would do the trick! :laugh:
 
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