As part of the public programme of the exhibition HOW ARE YOU TODAY? EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
10 September (15:00–18:00)
Part 1
Emotional Intelligence: Shame and Guilt
15:00
Why is shame so uncomfortable? What are we ashamed of? Our bodies, weakness, failure, ignorance, what we have done and what we have failed to do? Why do we sometimes feel guilty even about things we could not influence? And does feeling guilty always mean that we are actually guilty? Is it possible to inherit shame and guilt?
Guilt is most often connected to our actions. What is done cannot be undone. Shame is connected to self-worth. Guilt encourages us to make amends for what we have done. Shame sometimes makes us withdraw into ourselves. When does “I did something bad” become “I am bad”? And why does shame not disappear even when we are alone?
Participants: Professor Ieva Bite (psychologist, University of Latvia), philosopher and sociologist Vents Sīlis, Associate Professor at Riga Stradiņš University, artist Brenda Jansone, and artist and epilepsy activist Bernadeta Ripa.
Moderated by Una Meistere
16:15–16:30 Coffee break
Part 2
Emotional Intelligence: Jealousy and Envy
16:30
Why does one person’s success make us happy, while another’s drives us mad? We do not always envy those who have more. Often, we envy those who have something that matters to us personally. What do we really see in such moments – another person’s success or our own shortcomings? And why does another person’s failure sometimes bring us a quiet sense of pleasure?
Envy requires comparison. It can motivate us, but it can also eat away at us. Perhaps envy also reveals our longings? In jealousy, meanwhile, a third person appears. Someone who threatens what is important to us. But what are we really afraid of losing – the other person, or something of our own idea of ourselves and our lives?
Participants: Professor Ieva Bite (psychologist, University of Latvia), physician and psychotherapist Inta Zīle, philosopher and sociologist Vents Sīlis, Associate Professor at Riga Stradiņš University, and artist Artūrs Virtmanis.
Moderated by Una Meistere
The event takes place as part of the public programme of the multimedia research project HOW ARE YOU TODAY? EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, supported by the Dr Ilze Aizsilniece Foundation. Dedicated to physician Ilze Aizsilniece (1966–2025), the exhibition brings together works by 28 Latvian artists and invites visitors to explore emotions through the perspectives of art, science, medicine, and personal experience.
The event will be held in Latvian.
Admission is free.
Registration – https://forms.gle/LzQmKX8hUSiuiYuZ6