A632.9.3.RB - Role of Emotion in Decision Making

Emotion plays a very important role in decision making. Having a strong feeling or emotion about something gives one high confidence in their decision. High confidence leads to many benefits. Having high confidence is contagious and people will be more willing to support someone if they are confident. Strong emotion, or passion, is also very persuasive and can be used to sway people. Emotion has a direct impact on the wanting system of the brain; confident and passionate people have more motivation, are more engaged, and put out more effort. (Shiv, 2011)

I’ve used my emotions to help me make decisions that not only affected me and my career but also my life and family happiest. When I was in the military I was married and didn’t have a family. So my time in the middle east was my decision alone. But in 2003 I was in a relationship with an infant and there was a opportunity for me to provide for my family, serve my country, work and help the men and women of the military by contracting as a aviation mechanic. My wife (girlfriend at the time) only saw and could think of what she saw on the news reports of contractors being beheaded.

But I made the decision to go and felt very strong and coincident about my decision. I had to inform her about life over there and the security and safety of the personnel I worked with and for. I was very passionate about being involved, but even more so about coming home to here and our child. My confidence and passion give her trust in me and I was able to go and come back knowing she had confidence in my decision.

But that confidence and passion was tested within 3 – 4 months of my being there. I thought going to work for Operation Iraqi Freedom that would work and be located out of Kuwait. Kuwait is an ally of the U.S. and has no fighting on their soil. The U.S. uses their ports to enter and exit the region. But I was assign to Kandahar, Afghanistan. I first week there tested my confidence and passion for being there. We were continually taking mortars and fire attacks. The situation tested my resolve, but the servicemen and women were up to task. And I’m here today working to complete this course.

Emotions play a role in how we view both ourselves, the world we inhabit, and our role within it. Decisions may be made (or not made) based on our emotional state. They either help or hinder the decision-making process.

Works Cited

Hoch, S. J., Kunreuther, H. C., & Gunther, R. E. (2001). Making Decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Shiv, B. (Writer), & Association, S. A. (Director). (2011). Brain Research at Stanford: Decision Making [Motion Picture].