On Boredom

Is boredom an emotion or a way we view the world? This has been a question that I was thinking about while on a particularly boring weekend in order to try to entertain myself (I do philosophy when bored.). Opposed to other emotions, boredom alters the way  one perceives the world more drastically than I would say others do. Other emotions tend to focus on the self (ex: I feel good because I am happy, I feel bad because I am sad), boredom seems to focus on external objects. When bored, one perceives the external world without any interest. One is indifferent, and it seems more like there is an absence of emotions or fascination with one's world. However, it still provokes a response in the mind. Boredom can be the cause of much mental anguish, and some might say that this pain implies that boredom is an emotion. However pain is not an emotion. It can make one sad or angry, but pain in itself is not an emotion, so why should boredom be defined in that manner?

Constructing Realities.

So, I have stumbled upon a book labeled "Constructing Realities: Meaning Making Perspectives in Psychotherapies." It is a book on constructivistic approaches to psychotherapy, and so needless to say I bought it for 5 dollars on Amazon. Thinking about the role constructivism would have in a psychotherapy confuses me a bit, so I am looking forward to learning about it. Many concepts in psychoanalysis can be claimed to be constructed after all, such as normalcy, deviancy, and some even argue mental illness. To see an approach that accepts that reality is constructed by the individual holds many interesting ideas to the psychotherapist, whose function is to try and understand the person and how they function in their reality. I am really excited to see what this book discusses.