what is the purpose and benefit of secondary emotions?

Question

I’ve noticed that most of the pain emotions I feel are guilt and shame as secondary emotions.

I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting this and experiencing relief, as I believe all of my primary emotions are legit to feel, therefore I see no reason to dwell on negative secondary ones.

But, they must be there for a reason, so I wonder if I can break something in my brain by ignoring something like this.

Thanks so much!

In: 0

Answer 1

Emotions are reactions to stimulus (including other emotions), and we experience the emotional reaction before we process the stimulus rationally. We are social animals, and emotions like shame and guilt are useful for enforcing the group rules. You feel these emotions when you believe that you’ve violated a social norm. And it doesn’t need to be a legitimate social rule, just one you believe.