Emotion Mood Temperament

JOTTINGS FROM MY NOTEBOOK

Emotion Mood Temperament

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Many years ago, maybe eight or ten years back, I attended a course in HR Management at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) Hyderabad, which comprised a module on Organizational Behaviour, and here is something I jotted down in my notebook:

EMOTION is a response to a stimulus (or situation). This stimulus can be either external (outside you) or internal (inside you).

MOOD is a long duration feeling as compared to emotion. Emotions come and go but mood persists. Emotion remains as long as the trigger (stimulus) remains, but mood remains for some time even after the stimulus goes away and sometimes mood may not need a specific stimulus.

TEMPERAMENT – When mood persists for a long period it becomes temperament.

Emotion comes first whenever you are in danger leading to impulsive action. Otherwise, thought comes first and then emotion follows.

It is desirable that thought precedes emotion.

If you can manage your thoughts you can manage your emotions.

How do emotions, moods and temperaments of employees, customers, and indeed all stakeholders, affect organisational behaviour? Well that’s what I am going to discuss with my students tomorrow.

Cheers. Be Happy.

VIKRAM KARVE