Creating False Realities to Justify Intense Emotions
When you experience intense emotions, you might find yourself creating a false reality to justify that emotion.
For example:
A child who feel afraid at night might imagine a monster under the bed. The imaginary monster is a false reality that justifies the child’s fear.
A husband who feels anxious might imagine that his wife’s behavior is unacceptable. The way he think about his wife’s behavior is a way to justify his anxiety.
A politician who feels angry might invent context that would seem to justify his anger. The imaginary context serves to justify his anger.
When you experience strong emotions that don’t seem justified by what is really happening in your world, you have two options:
Accept the fact that you are the kind of person who feels intense emotions that can’t be justified by what’s real
Create a false reality that would make your emotions seem more justified.
In practice, we choose option #2 most of the time.
This dynamic is illustrated in the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind,” where the main character creates intensely detailed false realities to justify his own fear and anxiety.
