By the last decades of the 20th Century, much of the attention was directed (as a result of the neurobiological revolution) to the ways in which energy is engaged in our brain. This neural energy is usually conceived as either electrical in nature (firing of neurons) or neural chemical in nature (chemical messengers and chemical “bath” and resulting reactions at the synapse). With this all-too-condensed summary, we can explore the various forms of energy that have been identified during the past century.
Tangible energy
While “Energy” is often deployed as a metaphor regarding the way in which people are motivated and devote attention to specific matters, it has also been identified in quite tangible terms – as something that can be seen (or at least measured). As Feldenkrais mentioned, the early 20th Century focus was on Energy as a thermodynamic phenomenon. It was manifest as Heat. Central to this conception of Energy was a disturbing assumption concerning an ultimate dystopic based on the thermodynamic property called entropy (each conversion of energy from one form to another form results in the reduction in overall quantity of energy). Given this property of entropy, the entire universe dies with ultimate and final diffusion of all energy)
A psychological conception of energy directly concerns the nature of attention—that which directs our senses to what is interesting and important. What is it that we should immediately process. Where do we look for threat as well as opportunity? We can readily detect this attention and the setting of priorities in the behavior of people we have observed. This is the “cognitive” dimension of Energy.
There are also the affective and motoric dimensions of Energy. It seems that Energy has often been equated to Emotional intensity. Our energy is “burning” in us and is on display to other people in our behavior. This display of energy is often manifest in our physical activity. Much as in the case of thermodynamic processes, we are converting biochemical energy to muscular energy (and movement). This is the process of “burning” the stored-up calories in our body.
Intangible manifestation of energy
While there are these quite tangible ways to conceive of (and measure) the engagement of Energy, the most common ways in which Energy is conceived when considering human behavior are often not tangible. They can only be inferred. We find Energy in Resilience. Human beings find ways in which to come back from adversity. We honor the energy expended by survivors. We speak of the unique Energy that is on display among people with disabilities or “swimming upstream” as outliers or “others’ (from a different culture or embracing a different lifestyle or gender identification).
There is also the matter of Mental health. In these cases, energy is ill-defined—but it is considered of greatest importance. Often, the state of our mental health is measured by the amount of “energy” we have and how we use this energy. Depressions is often identified by the loss of energy and even the inability to engage in action. As my colleague, John Preston, has noted, the decision to do something (take action) involves many parts of the brain. “Will-power”, in other words, is quite challenging to engage. People who are depressed often are unable to link together all of the cortical functions need to take action.
Similarly, we find that people with major phobias are confronted with energy that is unbounded—yet directed toward the blocking of specific actions (such as leaving one’s home and communicating with other people). The phobia, in turn, is built around the eruption of anxiety—a topic to which I will turn shortly. As all of our diagnostic experts would emphasize, there is a powerful connection between energy and anxiety. The Tin Man’s energy may be bound up in his armor in part because he is anxious about something. About what might he be afraid?
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