We explain what affection is, the origin of the term and its legal meaning. Also, what is a display of affection and affective neuroscience.
What is affection?
In everyday language, we call affection the affection or inclination we feel for someone or something, that is, a type of bond or feeling of esteem if not to the totality of the feelings or emotions that we can experience at a given moment (generally “affects”).
This word comes from the Latin word affectuscomposed of the prefix ad- (“towards”, “in the direction of”) and the verb facere (“do”), as a derivation of office (“affect”). The Romans spoke of affectus to refer at the same time to the “state of the soul”: the combination of the physical state and the emotional state, either feeling or the will that one could express towards someone or something, that is, how affected one was by it.
In any case, today we understand affection as the measure of our emotional and sentimental world, that is, as that which moves us internally. We feel affection for someone we love, but we are also moved by a particularly moving situation.
The topic of affectivity, however, has occupied philosophers for centuries, who have tried to understand what emotions are and how human beings experience them. Authors such as Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677), for example, reduced them entirely to variations of three fundamental affects: joy, sadness and desire.
However, In the legal field, affection is understood as a burden or obligation that concerns a thing or a person or that legally favors any of the actors involved, and one can speak, for example, of “assets subject to deduction”, for example, or of “subjects subject to income tax”.
display of affection
Given that affect is an internal reality of the human being, that is, an element of those that make up the internal mental world, a manifestation or display of affection is usually required, that is, of an action or word that reveals to others the feelings hidden within a person.
Displays of affection, however, are part of the codes and conventions of cultures, and therefore there are more and less accepted ways of showing affection, depending on the historical and cultural context in which one finds oneself. Thus, for example, in the West the following are considered signs of affection:
- The kisses in the hand of a woman, on the cheek of a friend or family member, or in the mouth of lovers.
- The hugs especially between people who are very emotionally close, such as family or friends, as a greeting or farewell, or in response to news (good or bad).
- The handshake used especially in formal contexts, in which respect, gratitude or agreement is expressed.
- The gifts both on holidays (such as Christmas) and on ordinary days, are interpreted as a way of expressing affection to others.
- The parties in which a group of people gather to pay tribute to the affection they feel for an individual being honored.
Affective neuroscience
Affective neuroscience It is a scientific discipline that is dedicated to the study of affects and emotions from both a psychological and neurological point of view. Thus, he is interested in elements such as personality, emotions and mood, searching for an origin or at least a link with brain chemistry and the biochemical reactions of the human body.
To do this, this discipline uses common techniques and technologies in the medical world, such as magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalograms. It also uses computational models, psychological tests and the history of patients, especially those whose neurological functions have been accidentally altered and have consequently presented drastic changes in their way of being and feeling.
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References
- “Affectiveness” in Wikipedia.
- “Theory of affects” on Wikipedia.
- “Affective neuroscience” on Wikipedia.
- “Affection” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “What is affection?” by MP González to the. at Biopsychology.org.
- “Affection” in Centeno's Philosophical Dictionary.
- “Affection” in Filosofía.org.
