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by Giuliana Proietti
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GP You got started to psychology
reading Freud, which you initially studied in a course on rhetoric. I
know you appreciated very much his writing style, but what about his
theories? Did they convince you since the beginning?
PE No they did not. Of course some of his ideas are so fundamental
that no one can study human beings without subscribing to them: many
of our most important actions are motivated by processes we are
unaware of; sexuality has very important role in understanding much of
human behavior; early experience has a profound effect on personality.
But many of the specifics of his theory I do not subscribe to. And he
had a very meager account of emotions.
GP Dr. Martin Seligman, often says in his books that Freudian
psychology is too pessimist, because mainly focalized on
treatment of pain and disease. On the contrary, positive psychology
looks at prevention of diseases, reachable also through the state of
well-being. Do you think it might be useful ‘wearing’ positive facial
expressions, to become more optimist and confident?
PE I doubt that putting on a positive expressions will change the
quality of life; and, most people can not voluntarily activate one of
the two critical muscles for enjoyment, orbicularis oculi,
pars lateralis.
GP You said that you have been interested to psychology as a young
man because, in some way, you ‘wanted to change the world’ :psychotherapy
was a way to resolve, or at least to alleviate the problems of
humanity. Now you said you’ve changed your mind. Why? Is there
anything else in the world that could carry out this task ?
PE I came to believe that more could be accomplished in understanding
the causes of suffering from research than by treatment. Both are
important, but I thought my talents would be
better deployed on research.
GP Your long lasting research on facial expression has actually
created a new science on this subject, science which, in theory, is
possible to teach to everybody… Could this new skill help people to
really improve their human relations?
PE I hope so. It can certainly help to better understand how others
are feeling. It is harder to understand our own feelings, but I have
written about that in my most recent book
EMOTIONS REVEALED.
GP You said in human expressions there are the ‘themes’, which are
the universal expressions and the ‘variations’ which are
culture-specific. What are the ‘variations’ that typically belong to
Italian people?
PE I wish I had spent enough time in Italy to know that.
GP Recently some scientists have asserted of being ready for the
transplant of the human face: should this be really possible, the
expressions on such a face are to be considered typical of the new
owner (which moves his muscles following his habits) or essentially
due to the anatomic feature of the person dead, whose face has been
transplanted?
PE What creates the exressions are various centers in the brain; so
unless the brain is transplanted the same expressions would appear.
GP In your research on
facial expressions you surely have faced the blushing phenomenon: not
a proper expression, but something that usually make people think that
the person interested might be 'guilty', or at least 'involved'.
Is the 'common sense' right when states such a belief ?
PE Blushing Darwin said occurs when there is undue or unwarranted
attentention by others to one self. blushing occurs with praise; or
when a make causes others to notice what one has done incorrectly.
GP How much influence have family-life, education, general
atmosphere in which you grow up in settling down your typical
expressions? Is it possible to change them as an adult?
PE Very good questions but we dont know the answers.
GP You are Advisor to both the American Defense
Department, the Pentagon, and the artists who design cartoons... What gives you a greater satisfaction?
PE I enjoy the work with the animators, helping them better entertain.
The work with the Defense Department is aimed at saving lives by
better detecting terrorists, and although my help is only a tiny
contribution, saving lives is more important.
Giuliana Proietti
© copyright psicolinea.it - August 05
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Who is PAUL EKMAN?
Paul Ekman, Ph.D. is
Professor (Emeritus) of Psychology at
University of California, San Francisco. Ekman is a world-renowned expert in
emotional research and nonverbal communication, particularly for his studies
on emotional expression and the corresponding physiological activity of the
face. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental
Health for 46 years.
Contrary to the belief of some
anthropologists, as
Margaret Mead, Ekman found that most facial
expressions and their corresponding emotions are not culturally determined,
but are presumably biological in origin, as Charles Darwin had once
theorized. Ekman's finding is now widely accepted by scientists. Expressions
he found to be universal included anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness and
surprise.
Ekman also reported facial "microexpressions"
that he claimed could be used to reliably detect lying, in an effort called
the Diogenes Project. He also developed the Facial Action Coding System (FACS)
to taxonomize every conceivable human facial expression.
His latest book is Emotions Revealed (Times
Books, April, 2003).
www.paulekman.com
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