This last must be stressed. Quite aside from the question of the objective validity of his values, a man may misapply
them in a given case, so that his appraisal is incorrect even by his own terms. For example, a man may
misapprehend the nature of the facts to be judged. Or he may focus on one aspect of a situation, failing to grasp the
full context, so that his involuntary evaluation is grossly inappropriate. Or his evaluative process may be distorted
by internal pressures and conflicts that are irrelevant to the issue confronting him. Or he may not recognize that his
past thinking and conclusions are inadequate to a judgment of the present situation, which contains new and
unfamiliar elements.
In making value-judgments, man does not hold in mind automatically the full, appropriate context. Brief, out-of-
context reactions are not uncommon. One of the penalties of an improper reliance on one's emotions, is a tendency
to attach undue importance to such responses. People sometimes reproach themselves for momentary emotions, felt
out of context, that have no significance whatever. Suppose, for example, a happily married man, deeply in love
with his wife, meets another woman for whom he experiences a sexual desire; he is tempted, for the space of a few
moments, by the thought of an affair with her; then, the full context of his life comes back to him and he loses his
desire; the abstract sexual appreciation remains, but that is all; there is no temptation to take action. Such an
experience can be entirely normal and innocent. But many men would mistakenly reproach themselves and wonder
about possible defects in their character revealed by their sexual response. Enduring and persistent emotions that
clash with one's conscious convictions are a sign of unresolved conflicts. Occasional, momentary feelings need not
be.
As to enduring and persistent emotions that clash with one's convictions and/or one's other values, these can be
made the means of increased self-understanding and self-improvement—if one recognizes the nature and source of
emotions. By analyzing the roots of his feelings and desires, a man can discover ideas he has held without
conscious awareness, he can be led to a knowledge of values he has formed without verbal identification, to
concepts he has accepted without thought, to beliefs that represent the opposite of his stated conclusions.
Reason and emotion are not antagonists; what may seem like a struggle between them is only a struggle between
two opposing