Why do we scream when we’re hopeless? How about when we get angry after experiencing some sort of loss? Here, I argue against Solomon’s definition of moods vs. emotions, as well as how moods will always morph into an emotion, even in the case of mood disorders.
The many ways that depression manifests itself may be confusing or even paradoxical to one. Too often people are dismissed for being angry because they are being “manipulative” and not resolving their issues in a productive way. However, it is vital to understand the relationship between anger as a reaction to a trigger and its manipulative properties that involve self-gain. Most times, unprompted anger is a deflection of one’s pain and suffering, a “call for help” to those who will listen even if they don’t want to. In his first chapter of True to Our Feelings, Robert C. Solomon only briefly touches on the effects of anger but does not necessarily recognize its hidden factors and nuances. Further, while there are key differentiating factors between anger as an emotion and mood (or all emotions and moods of that matter), I believe moods are always a precursor of a certain emotion.
We experience anger as a response to some wrongdoing or unfortunate event that we believe as undeserving, or “out of pocket.” We get pissed off at strangers who walk slow, “friends” who don’t reciprocate their care for you, family members who frequently ask about a traumatic event. We even respond with anger to those who get angry at you for “no reason” (I put this in quotes because I argue, there is always a reason). Within this emotion, there are many levels of anger; I doubt someone who received poor service at a restaurant would be as angry as getting their car totaled.
Similar to how there are different levels of angering situations, there are also times when many unfortunate incidents happen within a short time frame: the higher the ratio between “number of angering events” and “time elapsed,” the angrier we become. Wherever they are on the “anger scale,” these events have one thing in common: we have some sort of expectation of others and the world, and we become angry, depending on severity of the event, when those expectations are not fulfilled. We expect people to be considerate of others and walk at a decent pace. We expect our friends to treat you how you treat them. We expect our family to not bring up our trauma and to perhaps read the room. How about when we just feel angry with no particular reason? Is this even possible? This leads to another phenomenon: the difference between anger as a mood versus emotion.
Anger is often perceived as an emotion when there is a reason to be angry, whether that be a valid reason or not. However, many would argue that anger is solely a mood when there is no true cause. As I mentioned above, I believe there is always a so-called source for our emotions and moods, making it very difficult to differentiate between the two. It is important to differentiate emotions and moods through their distinguishing properties, or perhaps the lack thereof.
In his book, Solomon argues that we experience emotions as a way to interact with the world. Solomon believes that we become angry towards those who wrong us. We become angry as a way to condemn another because “anger transforms a situation in which we have been humbled or humiliated into one in which we are the righteous accuser” (Solomon, 27). The person who is angry plays a superior role in order to put the blame on the person who caused the anger. He also mentions that there are major differences between emotions and moods, that the latter does not have a true object.
This belief, how emotions and solely emotions are a cause-and-effect, can be misleading to some. Sure, there are times “when someone ‘wakes up on the wrong side of bed’ and gets angry at everyone, indiscriminately” (Solomon, 41). However, Solomon would argue here that there is no particular reason to be angry; the only explanation is that they are in an angry mood. Even in this case, though, is it wrong to say that we get angry at others, simply because we don’t want to be in an angry mood? I believe that even when experiencing certain moods, those moods inevitably morph into an emotion. I find myself raising my voice or becoming passive-aggressive whenever I need to complete a certain task while already annoyed. We often hear people explain their already-shitty day become even worse because of something they don’t want to deal with. Isn’t that enough to make someone feel anger as an emotion?
I think this is a key distinguishing factor when looking at the relationship between anger and other mood disorders. Most of the time anger is a possible symptom of depression (sorry Dr. Gallegos, I know you hate the DSM), as well as self-hatred. At times, those who are depressed have an “if I go down, everyone goes down with me” mentality, where people want to make others miserable through anger because they themselves feel as though they don’t deserve their depression and suffering. It is unarguably so that a chemical imbalance or past trauma are symptoms of mood disorders. However, that criterium alone does not define a mood disorder, nor does it portray the complexities of mental illnesses. I think it is safe to say that people who experience mood disorders generally do not want to, or at least want to be able to live with their mood disorders (i.e. recognizing and combatting intrusive thoughts). There will be moments when the buildup of frustration caused by a mood disorder manifests into pure rage and anger “towards” other people.
It is wrongful to brush this off as “being angry for no reason,” nor is it correct to say that this person is being in an “angry mood.” Here, the reason why this person is feeling anger as an emotion is the frustration of living with a certain mood disorder. More often than not, this frustration is ultimately towards the self, bringing about questions like, “why am I like this?” or, “why can’t I just be happy?” Solomon makes a distinction between depression as an emotion, versus “the very serious clinical variety that involves imbalances in brain chemistry or other neuropathology” (Solomon, 42). I believe Solomon is correct for making this clear distinction. However, I believe there is some common ground between clinical depression and a depressive or angry mood, since they ultimately result in a certain emotion, whatever the cause or trigger may be.
With all that being said, what is the difference between a mood and an emotion? I think a mood is a state of mind that is much more basic than an emotion. The cause of a mood is thought to be nonexistent by many, but I beg to differ – these causes are often overlooked, especially when our moods are manifestations of the subconscious and the stresses of everyday life. In addition, biological or not, I believe all mood disorders and moods in general result in an emotion. Even in the case of a certain mood change – e.g. you woke up feeling like trash, but you end up acing your 9am exam – the mood is always involved in the resulting emotion. You feel prouder that you killed that exam, especially because you weren’t feeling so hot before. You outdid yourself, and the bad mood prior ironically made you feel a stronger emotion than you would have if you woke up just fine (this may not always be the case, but you feel good nonetheless).
I want to emphasize that there are times when we think we feel a certain mood for no reason, but there is always some underlying cause. These moods always manifest themselves into an emotion; these moods combined with another catalyst, whether it be cognitive or totally external, morph into emotions. I think the most important takeaway here is why: why do we feel the way we do, and how can I reconcile with both the cause and effect of my emotions? These are some great questions to ask yourself the next time you find yourself screaming at the poor, innocent child next to you, or any time you’re feeling out of touch with your emotions.
Shared by: Sara H.
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