Emo Nation and Learning

It doesn't take much effort to realize that we are rapidly becoming a nation of EMOs (emotionals). Logic, common-sense and rigor seem to be things of the past...

What makes us an Emo Nation? The answer is all around us:

• we "react" emotionally to most things, seldom stopping to analyze the root of our reactions. This of course is dangerous and EMOs can be easily manipulated for political and other reasons to "react"  in ways we may not consider desirable.
• we vote emotionally as evidenced by the dearth of skill, honesty and ethics in our political system.
• we meet and date emotionally with an unquenchable desire to make our emotions feel well, or normal; whatever normalcy might mean to an EMO.  EMO love is usually fraught with petty emotions, short-lived marriages and unwanted kids.
• we learn emotionally. While this sounds good, it really isn't. That means all that is learned by an EMO is done so through the filter of emotions. These emotions can be unbridled, usually quite illogical and almost always irrational. 

In a society where being EMO is rapidly becoming the norm, how do you train people effectively? I'm not sure I have the answer and this may be more of a question I'm asking. But I will endeavor some ideas for discussion...


An EMO is not in a state of mind that is conducive to learning. 

When someone is completely emotional, driven by a disconnect between the regions of the brain that control logic, impulsivity and judgement with those that harbor feelings, emotions and memory, the results are usually not ideal. The only real way to train an EMO is to reduce the emotional state so that learning can be introduced. Easier said than done And how exactly does one do that? Well:

• Meds are an option. Problem is that they have many side-effects and there are no real tests to determine which med better suits an individual over another. Some meds enhance the emotions and others quiet them (sometimes too much).
• There are methods of re-programming the brain but these are costly and often can border on the Orwellian.
• There are disciplines which force us to become immersed in something other than ourselves. Most sports, martial arts, dance, etc. are good for this and possibly the most effective of all. The mind-body balance not only helps the hormonal EMOs but also the ones suffering from neuro-transmitter disconnects.

And there are probably many more ways to help an EMO become less so or actually in control of themselves.

Training a work-force that is rapidly becoming more EMO and, as a result, less logical and less productive, is really a quite challenging task. Businesses often see the EMO behavior in the following:

• Uncontrolled Internet behaviors with chat, social media and just about any other on-line medium.
• Lack of discretion, privacy, respect, consideration or general Business etiquette when sending e-mails to others.
• Lack of work ethic, feeling of entitlement, laziness, unmotivated, and other seemingly hapless behaviors.
• Disruption of teams in large or smaller numbers resulting in much loss of time and money.
• Lack of focus, resulting in a lack of achievement and productivity.

You get the picture: EMOs cost us a lot of time and money in both management and productivity. And yet, as the pool of qualified candidates decreases, the number of EMOs increases exponentially.

Now I'm not suggesting that everyone should be a cold, logical Spock. No. no, that has its own series of issues which could rival those of EMOs. I am suggesting that educating and training EMOs is a major requirement in order for us to make what we have in our job pool productive and useful members of society.

Think about ways you deal with EMOs; ways in which you make them successful in spite of themselves. While challenging, it can and is being done everywhere.

Just remember this, EMOs are growing in numbers and they come with a wide array of issues and challenges. Be aware of your options and of how uncontrolled emotions can affect your processes, your interrelationships and your environment on the whole.

Oh, and if you're an EMO, I'm not talking about you...