ABSTRACT
According to Lorenz (1950), “interest typically occurs in pattern with joy.” Interest enlivens and excites. It motivates the approach response and supplies the drive that pushes us toward meeting our survival needs. This is Freud’s libido. Because interest represents drive, it is a modulated emotion. It has a range and that range is part of its essence. It is not just on or off. It moves from mild interest to desire, to strong desire, to frantic excitement.
