More generally, we are thrilled when we encounter something that is pleasant, but unexpected. Our anticipation must shift from the expected to the unexpected. For instance, we are thrilled when encountering another person or experiencing an event, not just because that person or event is notable, “shiny” or beautiful. There must also be something unique about this person or event but also eerily familiar. And there must be a setting in which this person appears, or an event occurs which enhances the notability, shone or beauty.
The “shiny” familiarity, yet uniqueness, related to what psychoanalysts identify as “transference.” We find something familiar in that which is thrilling because it “reminds” us of something old that is stored in our memory. Usually this something old is hooked to some emotionally-laden relationship (psychic object) of the past—such as a parent figure, dominating uncle or grandmother, or even hero or heroine in a story, comic strip, movie of TV show from our childhood. The thrilling encounter is “shiny” because the transference typically comes with a strong dose of Id energy (a primitive source of primitive emotions related to the transferred object).
For instance, many years ago, I encountered the actor, Gregory Peck, emerging for the La Jolla Playhouse in Southern California. I was thrilled to see this actor, not only because he is notable, quite handsome and immediately gracious when meeting me and other “fans”. I was also thrilled because I was “surprised” to see this notable figure in person, given that my image of him was as he was featured in movies I saw as a young person.
I was thrilled with my transference of the Gregory Peck I was on the “silver screen”. Furthermore, Gregory Peck was “shiny” not only in his gracious greeting of me, but also in the emotional charge he bought with him from the movies in which he starred as a heroic figure. The thrill was further enhanced by his emergence from an exceptional theater (that he helped to form). It became immediately apparent to me that his “luster” extended beyond the motion picture to the “legitimate” stage.
I would have enjoyed going to an event that featured Gregory Peck talking about his career; however, it was much more “thrilling” to see him unexpectedly leaving this theater and shaking hands and greetings with me and a few other people who happened to be walking by the theater as he emerged. The human capacity to be Thrilled requires that we can imagine what is not there. In the midst of being thrilled about meeting Gregory Peck and in moments that linger after meeting him, I thought about and felt thrilled that a moment of nothingness (just walking by the theater) was replaced by something great and extraordinary.
I had to imagine not meeting Peck, as a complement to actually meeting him. The thrill involves the imagining of both nothing and something. Added to this would be the imagining of walking by the La Jolla Playhouse just prior to Peck’s entrance from the theater. This further imagination would elicit yet another emotion, this being the potential for regret. I was “lucky” to meet Gregory Peck and thereby avoid the punishing emotion of regret if I was to later find that Peck had left the theater just moment before or after I walked by.
Thrills are indeed complex emotions that are highly motivating. They require the capacity to imagine, which is complemented by some knowledge about the person or event being encountered and the setting in which the encounter takes place (be it a meeting room, rock cliff or chess tournament). In the case of thrills associated with an interpersonal encounter, there might also be a dose of transference and related Id-induced emotions. In the case of a roller coaster, slasher movie, rock cliff or chess tournament, there might be a dose of adrenaline, whether this event is engaged or just imagined.
