Affective Intelligence Theory
Building on insights from neuroscience~a topic which will be covered in
more detail in the next chapter~George Marcus and his colleagues explicitly
reject the popular view that we must first " think" before we can "f eel" They
distinguish between two systems which they term the disposition and surveillance
systems. The first deals with information that is routine. It evaluates incoming
information according to the emotions that a particular stimulus elicits: in
particular, a stimulus may evoke enthusiasm or aversion. While the first mechanism
deals with common or habitual ways of thinking, the second deals with
stimuli that are novel and unexpected. The dominant emotion dealt with in this
second system is anxiety. As Redlawsk puts it,
once aroused by something unexpected (read "dangerous") the surveillance
system heightens awareness and prepares us to respond by elevating
"anxiety" levels. This process is not driven by cognitive processing of the
environment but by an emotional response to an unexpected stimulus.
The result is that in this aroused state learning is enhanced, since one needs to understand the nature of whatever threat has been encountered
and is thus motivated to find out more about the stimulus. 19
We are alerted to attend much more closely to the stimulus and rely less
on habitual thought. In this way, the surveillance system promotes more
"reasoned" thought .