Edward de Bono - Emotions & Feelings

Just an opinion…..

• Emotions and feelings are the way we apply our values to a situation.

• It starts with a value, which arouses a feeling, that becomes an emotion if strong enough.

• The affect that feelings and emotions have on your thoughts depends on when they form, like a fine meal may be ruined if you eat your desert first, before the main course.

• Our emotions and feelings have a selective perception. They will direct our attention and pick out what we expect to see. Our perception is never objective.

• Our feelings and emotions are a filter, so we only see what they let us see. Strong feelings and emotions can cloud a clear perception, restricting and narrowing our attention.

Coaching is the mechanism for identifying and managing feelings and emotions.

De Bono obtained a degree in Medicine, an honours degree in Psychology & Physiology, then a D.Phil in medicine and finally a Ph.D. holding faculty appointments at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. He was the founder and director of the Cognitive Research Trust and the Centre for the Study of Thinking. He wrote more than 25 books, numerous TV series and was the originator of the term ‘lateral thinking’.