Some of us-ie,those who are predominantly rational or emotional,will answer this question in a jiffy,but many others will have to think hard in order to find the answer.Most of us possess these two characteristics in varying proportions;except the psychopaths who have bare traces of emotion,and the profoundly mentally retarded who have very little intellectual ability.
The logicians pride themselves on their ability to find their way out of a complex maze.Of any kind.They can assess the pros and cons of any situation and arrive at quick decisions.So much so,that they are rarely caught on the wrong foot.They can easily espy deceit or treachery.
What of the highly emotional people?They are gentle,kind,empathetic,tactful,caring,passionate and more perceptive of others' emotions.They are the ones who will give you emotional support when you need it.
They find it difficult to make decisions,and their inner dialogue intensifies when important issues are at stake.But they often follow their heart's diktat even if their rationality pulls them in the opposite direction.Given their vulnerability,they are more susceptible to disappointments and mental disorders.
The HSP find rationalists hard and uncaring,while the rationalists fail to understand the workings of an 'emotional brain'.It is generally believed that rationality and emotionality are mutually exclusive-that one cannot be rational if one is too emotional,and that,the profoundly logical have few emotions.But recent research informs us that though it is hard to be logical when you are too emotional,you cannot be rational if you are not emotional.
The neurobiologist Francisco Damasio points out that rationality depends upon a deeper system of regulation that consists largely of emotions and feelings. Emotion can disrupt reasoning in certain circumstances, but without emotion there is no reasoning at all. “Traditional cognitive models don’t understand that reduction in emotion may constitute an equally important source of irrational behavior,” Damasio claims.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fred-kofman/you-cant-be-rational-if-y_b_8517098.html
The ideal situation would be to have a perfect balance between the two.I am sure by now some of you must be wondering where you stand in this duality.So here is a quick test to help you decide:--
Emotional Rational Test-Brain Entertainment
PS:-I think before I look forward to reading your replies to the question posed above,I should divulge what the test revealed about me.I am supposed to be 62% rational and I need to inculcate more emotions in myself.No wonder I have often wondered if my children found me too harsh :(.
The logicians pride themselves on their ability to find their way out of a complex maze.Of any kind.They can assess the pros and cons of any situation and arrive at quick decisions.So much so,that they are rarely caught on the wrong foot.They can easily espy deceit or treachery.
Logic is a very handy tool no doubt,especially when someone is in the midst of an emotional turmoil or a challenging situation.But those who are hard core rationalists need to be a little more empathetic.This will make their personalities more appealing and wholesome.
What of the highly emotional people?They are gentle,kind,empathetic,tactful,caring,passionate and more perceptive of others' emotions.They are the ones who will give you emotional support when you need it.
They find it difficult to make decisions,and their inner dialogue intensifies when important issues are at stake.But they often follow their heart's diktat even if their rationality pulls them in the opposite direction.Given their vulnerability,they are more susceptible to disappointments and mental disorders.
The HSP find rationalists hard and uncaring,while the rationalists fail to understand the workings of an 'emotional brain'.It is generally believed that rationality and emotionality are mutually exclusive-that one cannot be rational if one is too emotional,and that,the profoundly logical have few emotions.But recent research informs us that though it is hard to be logical when you are too emotional,you cannot be rational if you are not emotional.
The neurobiologist Francisco Damasio points out that rationality depends upon a deeper system of regulation that consists largely of emotions and feelings. Emotion can disrupt reasoning in certain circumstances, but without emotion there is no reasoning at all. “Traditional cognitive models don’t understand that reduction in emotion may constitute an equally important source of irrational behavior,” Damasio claims.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fred-kofman/you-cant-be-rational-if-y_b_8517098.html
The ideal situation would be to have a perfect balance between the two.I am sure by now some of you must be wondering where you stand in this duality.So here is a quick test to help you decide:--
Emotional Rational Test-Brain Entertainment
PS:-I think before I look forward to reading your replies to the question posed above,I should divulge what the test revealed about me.I am supposed to be 62% rational and I need to inculcate more emotions in myself.No wonder I have often wondered if my children found me too harsh :(.
I found this quiz on fb.... Even i thought that most of us would be kind of a mix... In fact we have the logical and emotional parts of our head working simultaneously though we call it the head and the heart... What we listen to defines if we are logical or emotional i suppose
ReplyDeleteJaishree thanks for giving your views,agree with you.
DeleteLove.
I took the quiz for self exploration but am scared to share it here as usual:(
ReplyDeleteA nice read, Indu ma'am:) Thank you:)
Let me guess--very emotional?
DeleteI am the gullible fool. Trust easily, get hurt and never learn.
ReplyDeleteLove you as you are,Purba :)
DeleteI too am a little more emotional, but I consider it being more human:)
ReplyDeleteRahul after reading the replies above,I am beginning to feel like a robot :(
DeleteI try to balance both :)
ReplyDeleteDidn't take the test though!
Thanks Anita,happy to see you here :)
DeleteI have often found that those who claim to be rational and logical apply the logic to others but not when it comes to analysing their own actions or reactions. Perhaps they should take the test to convince themselves about their true nature :) No one can be an equal mix of both. And 60:40 is fine. I am on the other side of yours, same score :D Going by your conclusion vis-a-vis your kids, I must have been a bad mom too :(
ReplyDeleteZephyr
Now here I beg to differ from you Zephyr-in fact I feel that while I might pride myself on being rational,I could dispense others views as being emotional or illogical simply because I do not know the considerations which led to their statements.
DeleteYou leaning on the emotional side is no surprise :)