For my First Draft < Narration >

My persuasive argument thesis is: 

The human behavior radically comes from emotions rather than reason.

 

1. What do people already know about my topic?

Human Behavior : Many people just take this for granted. They do not care about any part in the process of this. However, everyone unconsciously knows that their behaviors are conducted by their reason and emotions.

 

Emotions : Many people tend to say, “You need to control your emotions well in any situation.” It proves that they implicitly behave their immediate bodily responses are determined by emotions rather than any other thing.

 

Reason : Many people often know that reason is one’s logical reflection. Some people misunderstand that reason is more high-level than emotions, but this is not true. Reason is another process occurring in our brain which contributes to human behavior as well.

 

Actually, because this is philosophical topic, not many people are not interested in.

 

2. What research has already been done about my topic?

I have already read two articles concerned with this topic : Roy F. Baumeister, C...etc, <Does Emotion Cause Behavior> and ByungSu Kim, <Reason and Emotions, Which one do we have to follow in a crucial moment>. I am also reading another one : YoungBok Go, <A Meeting of Philosophy and Social Thought>. These have helped me to think and research on this topic flexibly. I also checked ordinary human behaviors and tried to find the process of them. All of these can be the research for the topic.

 

3. What are the implications of my argument (What if I’m right? What if I’m right and people ignore me?)

Many people tend to overlook the importance of emotions so that they tend to say “You always have to follow you reason rather than emotions. Otherwise, you will not be able to get better result.” However, through my opinion and explanation, people will realize that the emotions are a essential factor of human behavior. They will also acknowledge the equivalence of the value of emotions and reason. This will lead them to behave in more wise way and have effects on individual behavioral norm.

 

NARRATION

  Sigmund Freud is the most well-known psychoanalyst who add philosophic concept to psychoanalysis. He denied any religious explanation about human consciousness and behavior but accepted and created more logical and reasonable theory to explain them. He separated human mind into three parts : Ego, Superego and Id. This is what we call ‘psychodynamic theory.’ According to his theory, desire which comes from the id that includes biological instinct, emotions and basic conflict in his early life lets one behave in a particular way. Also, ego and superego lead one to behave in realistic and moral way. These id, ego and superego’s roles are really similar concept to human reason and emotions. Emotions as starting point of behavior and reason as limiting process of consciousness can be explained through id and, superego and ego in his theory. 

  Some people deny the necessity of emotions, looking only negative aspects of emotions such as urge, carnal desire or bad feelings. Some of them regard reason and reflection as the best part of human. They are overlooking the ‘variety of life’ which comes from emotions. Because of sorrow, there is happiness and because of the feeling of inadequacy, there is satisfaction. Byungsu Kim, a Korean psychologic professor in Seoul Asan hospital, even emphasized the necessity of emotions and said that people need to follow the decision from emotions. Regarding emotions as uncivilized things is invalid misunderstanding. Recognizing the importance of emotions and reason and understanding the specific process of them which have effects on human behavior is necessary to everyone. Thus, I would like to explain the process, resolving a misunderstanding that reason is more fundamental process for one’s behavior.

For my First Draft < Introduction >

The human behavior radically comes from emotions rather than reason.

 

Why and how do you read, watch, hear, eat, and walk in daily life? This will be very fundamental question toward your daily life, but you always take it for granted and do not care about the question. There have been many people who tried to explain the root of human behavior such as philosophers and behaviorist. Some of them prefer mentioning human reason, emotions or will to interpret the starting point or the basis of human behavior. However, because there is no accurate method to shed light on the profound process of human behavior, a debate on this topic is still underway and will not end until the complete research on body. Despite this vagueness, it seems like truth that the human behavior radically comes from emotions rather than others, like reason. There are many actual examples and details which support this position.

Oh..

I think i need more research on my topic!
Too abstract and not enough materials....

Old First Draft

The human behavior radically comes from emotions rather than reason.

Reason is just a boundary which creates self-restraint.

 

 

 

 The human behavior has been important matter since from ancient times. Many philosophers interested in explaining it and emergence of behavior psychology can be the representative proofs of the interest on it. How and why does it occur? People who are engaged in researching on this topic usually say that the human behavior comes from emotions and reason. Until now, no sophisticated scientific, psychological or philosophic theory has not been able to proven the answer because there is no way to look into the process of human mentality and human behavior accurately. However, I think the occurrence of human behavior can be definitely explained with human emotions and reason. To say in detail, human behavior is nearly subject to emotions radically rather than reason. There are some reasons to prove this idea.

 

 Before mentioning the reasons, in this essay, emotion is defined as a feeling such as happiness, love, fear, anger, or hatred, which can be caused by the situation that you are in or the people you are with and reason is defined as the mental powers concerned with thinking and forming conclusions and judgments logically according to the dictionary. Most existing materials relevant to this topic also say that the human behavior has more profound relationship with emotions rather than reason. An academical paper introduced two types of opinion about the relationship : One says that the human behavior occurs by emotions. The other says that the emotions come after the behavior. Thus, I thought that the emotions have complex effects on human behavior: Emotions which have effects on the process of human behavior are basically separated in two types. Before behaving, the emotion which causes the behavior is former emotion. After behaving, the emotion caused from the behavior before the end of the behavior is consequent emotion. Reason operates after the consequent emotion as a controlling or feedback system of behavior.

 

 The first reason why I think so is that emotions are the first response which induce one to behave in particular way toward your body state or surroundings. Think of your daily life. From getting up and eating to sleeping, most behaviors start very momentarily by the feeling of your body without reflection. It is because, emotions operate directly and primarily to influence on human before the operation of reason. Imagine your morning. Before getting up, sense of fullness that you slept enough or fear that you might get scolded later if you don't get up now come to you and make your eyes open. When you are working, if your boss set you a hard task, the excitement that you will be able to take a break after completing it or the fear that you might be scolded from the fierce boss make you do the work happily or reluctantly. In this way, the starting point of human behavior can be explained with emotions. In this part, the emotion is former emotion.

 

 In the next, human can control his or her behavior by reason(reflection) which comes after the start of the behavior. As I mentioned in second paragraph, once human starts to do something by the former emotion, they feel consequent emotion as an impression which comes from what you did. By the consequent emotion, you operate your reasoning system to control the behavior or save the memory as feedback. Suppose that you have a meal. After you overeat, you will think that overeating can make you unhealthy and fat, so you make your own conclusion that you will never overeat next time. Like this, a kind of system which estimates what you did and control your behavior is what reason do.

 

 Someone can say that not every behavior comes from emotions. They say, it is also true that some behaviors can come from reason or obligation. However, the opinion is overlooking that the primary step which causes behaviors which comes from obligation and reason is even emotions. For example of obligation, you can think of voluntary work. Before you start to do that, you would feel expectation that you will be proud of yourself through helping someone with the obligation. Also, for example of reason, you might reflect on something to plan before do that. However, because the reflection also comes from the fear that you might get damaged if you do not do well or expectation that you would get reward after completing that, the reasoning system operates. Namely, all of the start points of behaviors can be explained with emotions. This is not exclusion of reason or obligation.

 

 To sum up, emotions play a basic role to induce one to do in particular way. The reason which control one’s behavior comes after the start of behavior and the feeling(consequent emotion) toward the behavior. Someone can say that the behavior can come from other factors such as reason or obligation. However, although they have an effect on the start of behavior, emotions cannot be excluded in the process of start of the behavior everytime. Therefore, I think human behavior is nearly subject to emotions radically rather than reason.

__________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCE-
1. Roy F. Baumeister, C...etc,  <Does Emotion Cause Behavior>
  → http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/assets/128887.pdf

2. 김병수, <감정과 이성, 결정적 순간에 무엇을 따라야 할까>
   (ByungSu Kim, <Reason and Emotions, Which one do we have to follow in a crucial moment>)
  → Bcs of copyright, no link.

3. <How your emotions affect behavior?>
  → http://www.mycareertopia.com/how-your-emotions-affect-behavior/

Rough note with my idea

still not enough!

Preparation Process for Essay (Articulation)

The human behavior radically comes from emotions rather than reason.

(Reason is just for self-restraint to the behavior)

 
1) My argument 

-> Emotion means a feeling such as happiness, love, fear, anger, or hatred, which can be caused by the situation that you are in or the people you are with. Reason means the mental powers concerned with forming conclusions and judgments logically.

In daily life, all of our behaviors radically come from our emotions. Suppose that you eat something. Maybe the reason why you do that is that you ‘felt’ hungry. Although you thought that you need to eat to do something(living, working, etc..) without feeling hungry, the thought is based on your feeling which was affected by surroundings. However, because you can use your reason, you can control eating(limiting the amount of intake) by your mind. Other behaviors are the same. The start point of behavior is always emotion and reason play a role in limiting or controlling the behavior. Specific explanation will be in first draft.

 

2) How I found my argument

As I mentioned above, reason is a kind of thinking process concerned with logical deducing in our brains. However, humans should choose what they will do (behavior) in a short moment. Can reason play a role during this moment? No. This is why I assert that human behaviors radically come from emotions rather than reason(Someone can say that there can be exceptions, I am going to refute to this opinion in first draft.)

In additional. a paper which I read, <Does Emotion Cause Behavior>, explains two theory about the relationship between emotions and behavior. One says that the emotions are the main causes of human behavior so that the emotions induce one to act in a particular way. The other says that the emotions come after behavior so that the emotions can be a kind of feedback system in human brain and have effects on following behaviors. After I read this part, I could reflect on the relationship and make my own opinion. The opinion will be explained in my first draft.

 

 

3) New research questions

I think more research on reason is also needed.

a) What is the correct difference between reason and emotions?

 

I also think classification of behaviors is needed.

b) According to my research topic, is there classification of behaviors among many of those?

 

 

4) Connections to the Harvard Sampler How is your argument connected to the Harvard Sampler?

 

At first, my research is dealing with human mind(reason) and emotions. Human mind is also mentioned in Harvard Sampler. My topic can be a expansive research related to the Harvard Sampler. 

What I need to read or research for final persuasive essay (Lists)

1. Roy F. Baumeister, C...etc,  <Does Emotion Cause Behavior>     (Fin.)
  → http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/assets/128887.pdf

2. 김병수, <감정과 이성, 결정적 순간에 무엇을 따라야 할까>     (Reading..)
   (ByungSu Kim, <Reason and Emotions, Which one do we have to follow in a crucial moment>)
  → Bcs of copyright, no link.

3. <How your emotions affect behavior?>     (Reading..)
  → http://www.mycareertopia.com/how-your-emotions-affect-behavior/

4. 고영복, <철학 사상과 사회 사상의 만남>      (Not yet)

Updating..