Toward Emotional Maturity (1955, sound)

[Music] the last big dance of the year is over tonight is the most wonderful spring night you ever [Music] Sally the air is so soft and Hank Hank is such a nice guy let's go to Mountain Park for a while and look at the Moon we can turn off at Hatfield let's decide when we get St hat Phil all right okay you could have impulsively answered yes or no why didn't you Sally was it because you have learned to recognize when your own emotions want to take over it wasn't too long ago when you started to think about your emotions objectively there was that day in class Hank was there too may I have your attention please you are wondering what today's lesson will be about today's lesson psychology is going to be about emotions now we all start with a primary set and as we grow older we acquire more of them we've all read about blue Beard's closet and Pandora's Box most of us know the fascination of locked places and hidden things that Fascination is probably the emotional side of our curiosity would you like to know what's in the box all right why don't you come up around the table oh Je you've just experienced emotion unreasoning illogical emotion thank now do you think that I'd turn loose a poisonous snake in the classroom only Association would cause you to feel the emotion of fear at the sight of a harmless snake emotion can so work on us that under its stimulus we we may sometimes perform Feats of almost superhuman strength now would you like to come up around the table and see what's in the second box most of you now plainly show the results of emotional condition in a box held a snake you don't like snakes so now you associate a box with a snake or with some possible danger many experiences condition us emotionally a bitten child May fear a dog or a howling dog may make us feel lonely a train whistle at night the ticking of an Old Clock a word may bring an emotional response those pu reminded you of your own cppy Cappy rarely changes his feelings toward you he's friendly and loyal and you feel the same way toward him you wouldn't tolerate anyone hurting a single hair of his Shaggy coat yet how quickly your emotions changed while walking with Cappy that afternoon [Music] you saw the familiar convertible rolling by Hank was smiling there was an attractive girl beside him a stranger she sat so close to him she was practically in his lap how could he the deceitful You Yank poor Cappy along behind you the Cappy you love you were hurt Furious and indignant all at once you were jealous you felt completely alone deserted any other time you would have been the first at the phone just in case it was Hank but now jealousy had swept away your common sense [Music] fortunately your mother has a sense of [Music] humor and you hoped Hank never found out what a fool your emotions had had made of you you came to realize what your parents mean to you how pleasant the feeling of emotional security is the mutual love and respect you all share and take for granted [Music] loving others and being loved is a good feeling a feeling everyone wants to share [Music] then there was the night your schoolmates shared a different ugly emotion hate everybody was whooping it up at the rally the excitement about the coming game built up to a frenzy of enthusiasm then someone started a whispered rumor that Twisted excitement into something something else what made them pick that particular teacher's house what reason did anyone have to start such a thing as a stone smashed the window you saw how hysteria turns individuals into a mob you were amazed to see sudden impulses Rob normally decent people of their [Music] values that night you and Hank kept your emotional balance and remained rational so you learned that it isn't always easy to think things out in the Heat of the Moment and you'll never forget that day in the fencing class Sally when you found out how uncontrollable and intense emotion can be your opponent's dogged parrying seemed perfect tireless again and again she moved just a little faster than you your intense frustration boiled up inside you and then suddenly erupted into white anger you wanted to injure her and then caught control of yourself yourself it left you sick to your stomach and even now you wince when you think of it no you never want to feel that way again Sally it wasn't easy learning to stop and think things out when strong emotion possesses you but that's the real test of whether you are learning to handle your emotions let's just go on home shall we Hank you're the boss you're sure you won't mind of course I mind you've learned through experience that no matter how deep the emotion is you don't have to let it take you over you have come to realize that by bringing calm reasoning to emotion questions your decisions will be what you really want them to [Music] be you're starting to think about your emotions Sally and you are on the way toward emotional maturity [Music]