Emotion
He took his vorpal sword in hand...
The ultimate purpose of all human activity is to maintain the levels of the body's metabolic goals, such as nutrition, water balance etc. These metabolic levels, or rather, the cybernetic differential in the levels (ie [target - current]) are manifested as blood concentration of a whole series of endocrine molecules called hormones. The correlations between internal metabolic conditions (ie levels and changes in levels of hormones) and external behavioral situations are tracked by the limbic system. The limbic system is a collective term for the L-lobes at all three TDE levels - see Figure 20 below
Hormones 'report' on the current state of the body's metabolism, via the hypothalamus, which is the 'gateway' between the hormone (endocrine) system and the central nervous (neurocrine) system. The hypothalamus is not just a sense organ, but a gland as well. This means that the hypothalamus has a limited capacity to reflect past metabolic history and correlations as well as report current metabolic status. This point bears repeating- just as much as hormone levels can influence the nervous system, and report on the state of the body, so the nervous system can influence hormone levels, reflecting the relevance and prospective benefits of an imaginary, or soon to be real, situation in as immediate and visceral manner as possible.
Figure 20.2 depicts three typical scenarios.
--In figure 21(a), a novel situation is being appraised emotionally, based upon its current capacities to satisfy metabolic needs, and/or deplete metabolic reserves.
--In figure 21(b), a familiar situation is being re-appraised emotionally, in the light of changes in individual priorities, based upon degree of similarity. How does the situation's emotional response compare to the limbic system's 'memory' of it? Is it less or more satisfying? Is it less or more threatening or exciting?
--In figure 21(c), a putative or imaginary situation is being emotionally appraised, which might be the case when one is watching a scary monster movie or reading a book about a passionate affair. This is also the case when anticipating a situation, such as prior to a visit to the dentist.
Emotions are conscious percepts
Emotions are conscious percepts whose origin lies in the endocrine system. The endocrine system acts like an internal 'display device', whose 'low-res' (low dimensional) representations are associated with metabolic effectiveness feedback. The emotional system produces an assessment which is very similar to the classic military 'SWOT' analysis - S(trengths) W(eaknesses) O(pportunities) T(hreats). A slightly better phrasing, and one which reflects the true situation better, is P(rofits) L(osses) O(pportunities) T(threats). The acronym PLOT also reminds us that (a) emotions are used as much to plan as to experience, BUT (b) also consider the other connotation of the word 'plot' is used, that of one's own patch of ground, the place where one not only builds one's house, but where one is ultimately buried. Your emotional state and outlook represent the Total Quality Measure (TQM) of your life.
The limbic system governs how we view our life, enjoying our todays, preparing for our tomorrows
The limbic system manages our affairs in BOTH senses-
(a) it represents 'where' we are at, individually. That is, it overlays present and predictive value judgements (good, bad, scary, joyful) on all of our experiential mental self-representations. Thus it is very much the arbiter of whether we have a good life or a bad one. It governs our 'today, here and now'. It is the emotional sequelae of chronic mental illness, not the representational symptoms (eg altered perceptions) that usually present the most serious problems.
(b) it governs our probabilistic management of our lives, how we handle uncertainty, how optimistically or pessimistically we view each and every anticipated event, job interviews, learning to ride a bike or exploit a promotion at work, assess our relationships for viability ("should I leave Brad?"). It also governs how we think about our 'tomorrows'.
Pain is regarded as part of the emotional system
(c) At the lowest level, pain signals and sensors which code for tissue damage (nociceptors) may be involved. The reduction in nociceptor input levels, via local or central passivation, is often interpreted as pleasure. Certainly, this is the basis for the euphoric effects of the use and abuse of some opioid medications (eg heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, propofol).
(d) The pain signalling system, like the hormone system, can also be used in 'reverse', as a kind of low-dimensional 'display device'. This is the cause of 'referred pain', eg when someone with heart problems (eg angina) feels pain in their left arm.
Emotional computing = computers that recognize emotions + computers that experience emotions.
Emotional computing is divided thematically into computers that recognize emotions (eg via facial expressions), and computers that experience emotions. There are precious few examples of the former kind, but their number and sophistication grows exponentially. Clearly, the second type is much harder to design because it relies upon the prior existence of a suitable theory of cognition. Figure 20(a) depicts the basic (tricyclic) form of the TDE, in which the L-lobe lies at its center. The L-lobe is named after the Limbic Lobe, the generic name for the Papez Circuit, which is the part of the brain which many believe* governs affective** states of mind (emotions, drives, motivations etc.). Figure 22(a) depicts the anatomic arrangement of the limbic system, while figure 22(b) depicts the functional interconnections between limbic system and the cerebral cortex.
In TDE/GOLEM theory (TGT), emotions are each subject's cognitive self-governance mechanism
The feature of TGT that interests us most at the moment is its ability to represent emotions within an integrated cognitive framework. That is, our emotions are part of each person's cognitive governance mechanism. In other words, our emotions guide our thinking and behavior in optimal ways, like a kind of inner compass. Recall that the GOLEM cyberfractal pattern in figure 20 is functionally equivalent to a saccadic servomechanism, also called a heterodyne.
emotionality = motivation (predictive/ command) + satisfaction (reactive/ control)
At any given TDE level, it is important to note that emotions operate in a bivalent mode- that is, they possess two complementary submodes.
(a) Anticipation - The feedforward/ predictive/ strategic submode corresponds to the feelings we call 'motivational' - these are emotions which express an inner holistic assessment of our next planned activity or mission.
(b) Reaction - The other submode is feedback/ reactive/ tactical in nature, and express 'existential' feelings - how we 'are', how we feel 'about ourselves'.
We need both of these emotional components to guide us effectively, both in behavior and in cognition. We need the power of our willful motivation to perform our chosen missions, so we can be productive citizens, but we also need the wisdom of our satisfaction levels, so that we may know if those missions we chose are still right for us, or require upgrading (reassessment and reorientation).
Modern medical theory places considerable emphasis on the amygdala as the emotional 'master regulator' within overall limbic circuit teleology. The amygdala corresponds closely to the following equivalent TGT structure - it seems to be that part of the level 2 L-lobe which is most connected (functionally) to the hypothalamus.
Conflicts between reactions and anticipations can cause chronic behavioral problems.
Human behavioral problems, and problematic behaviors, often result when there are unresolved conflicts between reactions and anticipations. We define reactions as contemporaneous feedback from assessment of the current situation, and anticipations as the predictive appraisal about the next, near future situation.
Example #1 - The typical case is that of the drug addict, who spends the grocery money on illicit substances which cause pleasant emotions ('now'), knowing full well that, when the effect wears off, they must face increased worry about feeding the family and balancing the bottom line ('later'). The comparison with the roles of cash flow ('now') and profit/loss ('later') in small business management is compelling enough to warrant mention.
Example #2 - Roman Emperor Nero is said to have played his fiddle while Rome burned. He may well have been lost in the moment, in a temporary state of enjoyment, perhaps even bliss, while he expressed himself musically (emotional reaction to current state of mind), but he must surely have felt some trepidation (at least subconsciously) about what trials and horrors the next day must surely bring (anticipated appraisal about next situation, and the troubled state of mind it will cause him).
*just as many believe that associating the Papez circuit exclusively with the emotions is old fashioned nonsense. Many believe the emotions are located in peripheral neural centers. In TDE theory there are (fractally speaking) L-lobes within every neural ganglion at TDE level 1 , every lobe at TDE level 2 and every sub-system at TDE level 3. Therefore, TDE theory can be said to have a 'foot in both camps'. While TDE emotional theory is clearly based upon the limbic system, in the classical 'Papez circuit' sense, this is only the picture at TDE level 2.
**Affective means inwardly-focussed agency, about states of identity (self-recognition, being) and identification (self-assessment, being-about, feeling-that, reacting to). This term is a complement to Effective, meaning outwardly-focussed agency, about states of situatedness (self-efficacy, domain expertise, 'local-knowledge', skills) and engagement (self-motivation, preparation, task-based experience, as in 'I got this').
***named after James Papez, who though lacking conclusive data during his lifetime, nonetheless resolutely maintained his belief that limbic sub-structures were not disparate ganglia, but cohesive organs whose collective purpose was the computation (anticipation, evaluation, and optimal expression of emotions (autoevaluation of subjective state).