Psychologist explains brain mechanisms behind emotions that lead to violence
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Two stabbing incidents in recent weeks have raised questions about how a person can lose control to the extent of committing violence.
A psychologist, Theresia Novi Poespita Candra, S.Psi., M.Si, Ph.D., of the Faculty of Psychology at Gadjah Mada University, explains that biologically humans have two areas of the brain involved in responding to emotions: the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.
“The amygdala is the centre of basic emotions such as fear and anger. When a person feels threatened or stressed, this part can dominate and trigger instinctive responses such as attacking, fleeing, freezing, or complying,” Novi said when contacted by ANTARA on Thursday.
However, humans also have the prefrontal cortex which functions to think rationally, make decisions, and regulate emotions and behaviour.
“If the prefrontal cortex is not well trained or is not optimal, a person tends to respond impulsively. In that situation, violence can occur because emotion is more dominant than reason,” she said.
According to the lecturer who earned a Ph.D. from The University of Melbourne, weak emotional regulation can be influenced by educational patterns that involve little dialogue and a culture that does not train children to think critically and delay responses.
In addition, intense exposure to social media is believed to accelerate impulsive decision-making because it encourages quick responses without deep reflection.
“In these conditions, emotional responses such as anger or feeling threatened become very dominant compared with the ability to think rationally. As a result, individuals may act impulsively as a way to vent emotional tension,” said the psychologist who graduated from the University of Indonesia.
She added that factors such as prolonged stress, fatigue, relationship conflicts, a history of experiences of violence, and even substance use can lower a person’s tolerance for frustration.
The ability to recognise and manage emotions from an early age, according to both psychologists, is key to preventing aggressive responses when facing life pressures.