So, here’s quote from an article in the NY Times today:
“We surrealists insist on celebrating the 50th anniversary of hysteria, the greatest poetic discovery of the latter 19th century . . . M. Babinski, the most intelligent man who has tackled this question, dared to publish in 1913 the following: ‘When an emotion is sincere and profound, and it stirs the human soul, there is no room for hysteria.’ And in that we have the best so far that we have been given to learn.”
Link to entire post:
So, this article is anything but straightforward unless you are an honest to goodness psychological historical aficionado. Even so, it’s possible to follow along in a way that keeps it interesting. I loved this quote about emotion towards the end of the piece. And really, isn’t this true? No matter whether your definition of hysteria is a true, definable medical definition or just an everyday run of the mill usage.I think this speaks to the importance of emotions and the place in our lives we can CHOOSE to give them if we deem it important enough.
I don’t know what you all will think of the article in full but I did like the sentiment and wanted to share it in a wider sense.
Alex Russell
Alex is a Program Manager for Six Seconds focused on implementing effective social emotional learning programs with schools and educational organizations. She conducts research on school climate and the links between EQ and success.
