Tensions free themselves in definite cycles.
Which we may use as a general principle.
Tensions activate elementary programs having definite form, run, input and output, and definite purpose. We call these units cycles.
There may be short or very short cycles of undefinite extent and great intensity of mobilisation, that we call in this context: reactions. Reactions may appear in rows, or at the same time (then they can compete or block one another). They are impulsive and linked to survival: flight; impulsive contact; kick and strike ; shout, shriek, howl; puke, piss or shit; will to kill or hatred (blow in vital parts, strangle, tear to pieces); will to die; break everything.
Reactions are built-in impulses, survival instincts, need very intense mobilisation of the body, and are of the originary register.
There are definite cycles having relational meaning and a more or less standard form. They appear single (although often in sequence of more or less definite order) and last a definite time. They have an extended intensity scale. They produce a specific state of the body. In this context we call them: emotions. Emotions are progressive, meaningful and linked to interaction:anger, repulsion, wanting, attraction, pleasure, pain, hurt, sadness, laughter.
Emotions are progressive, linked to relationship management, need the mobilisation of a charged body for release, and are of the primary register.
There are inner motions of much lesser tensions which do not need mobilisation and have their own inner means of release, through thinking and imaginary activity, and mostly talking. Their cycles are less defined in extent, and they may come simultaneously. They have deep meanings of a great variety of tones and significance. In this context we call them: sentiments.
Sentiments are subtle inner motions which need not body expression for their release. They may be externalised by words only, or not. They are of the secondary register.
Fear has a special status: fear of an external danger, or of an internalised danger. It is always the response to another hostile being or a menacing situation. Undefined fear is called anxiety or anguish. It has to do with the unknown and with a loss of experientially based response and amounts to a loss of inner references for response or understanding what is the case. It is a sort of alert for the stop of the (psychic) program owing to lack of data.
Proposition
Anxiety is felt when one has no internal clues (experience) to make sense of the situation or instinctively respond to it.
Cycles tend to unroll at all times, even during sleep. The fundamental life motivation, vitality, press all cycles to run unchecked. When they are held in the midst of their run, 'energy' is fed into them to try continue, building up tension. What checks the cycles is another program, at that time more important with respect to survival, which has taken the advantage. Unless that other program is freed, the first one cannot progress. [see Deconstruction ->]
There is a constant pressure for the cycles to proceed. However, there is a competition between cycles, owing to emergency and solution seeking advantages, so that some cycles may hold while more basic procedures are put into action.
To be complete, we have to mention here that some cycles are independant of the triggering event (FAPs: Fixed Action Patterns) and others run using a key input or imprint (IRMs: Innate Release Mechanisms). [see Structural Psychology][see Structuring]
Some release patterns need an initial imprint to run. Some need only triggering.
Major essential cycles have an inner component, a programmed procedure, and an outer component, an imprint which is necessary for the program to run and determine certains aspects of the later outcomes.
Factor analysis has shown that our whole spectre of emotions have only 2 components: one of distance, the other of degree of confort. All emotions are the (vector) sum of these two components with intensity factor. Anxiety is a special scale of degre of loss of inner references for reaction. Thus our emotional mobilisations follow 4 scales (variables):
| Distance scale: | Attraction |
|
Repulsion |
| Confort scale: | Pain |
|
Pleasure |
| Intensity scale: | Low |
|
High |
| Anxiety scale: | Safety (peace) |
|
Vital menace (terror) |
A 'normal' cycle unrolls along the following pattern. There are 5 stages or phases:
The figure belows describes the phases in intensity of the body charge variable.
Figure Cycle_1
A 'normal' cycle will be able to release only a limited amount of energy, and thus dispose of only one unit or quantum of the total initial tension. Therefore, a number of cycles are necessary to reduce the full initial tension to almost zero. The pattern will re-emerge and seek release as long as there is tension in it. This is the source of recurrence or repetition compulsion.
Figure Cycle_2
The by-products of release are of great importance, i.e.:
Now it is easy to understand the memory of the body: the infant fighting for his life in a hostile environment uses cycles to defend itself and release what amount of tension it has acquired through anxiety. But it small body can only release a very small quantum of energy at a time so that the remaining has to wait for a better opportunity to emerge and be released. This is the origin of the need for future release of emotions, memorisation of the pattern and the persistance of the past, or repetition compulsion. Now, it will probably try to release the same pattern very soon, but if the attitude of the parent and/or educators does not vary and does not allow it, the tensions will have no opportunity to release, and even they may cumulate. The child is constantly seeking healing through release, but if the environing adults do not allow it, this will eventually lead to a cristallisation of the tensions and even to their piling up. Impeding the child's natural seeking of the release of its tensions is the strongest way to create pathology and the fixation of its early patterns.
Our life is driven by a general cycle of 9 phases: conception, uterine growth, birth, infant development, child development, passage, adult active life, adult transmitive life, and death. Each of these phases or macrostages is a cycle in itself. And each of these macrostages has subphases called stages which are global cycles spanning months and even years. [S. Freud, A. Freud, M. Mahler, E. Erikson] Each of these stages has specific motivation patterns with associated tensions patterns and purpose. Each stage has a primary goal of healing the undissolved remnants of the preceding stage, and integrate the knowledge acquired thereof. Therefore, the task of each stage is first to produce the emergence of the hereto unhealed tension patterns, try and release them through advancing their cycles, and if possible go to their dissolution, draw information and meaning of their advancement. With the freeing of checked cycles, one gains freedom of the active past and energy for further purposes which are the secondary motivation of the stage: develop the pattern of the stage, a cycle in its own place, a specific complex of experiencing and integrating definite features of the world and function of self. This will not develop fully until the frozen issues of the past and preceding stage are tackled and sufficiently progressed. And overall, the life global cycle is an integration of all processes and giving meaning to its complexity and transmitting it to the next generation. Its pattern (to be developed) is the archetype.
Figure Cycle_3
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