Position Paper CHI 97 Workshop on Human Needs and Social Responsibility Support for Human Emotional Needs in Human-Computer Interaction

Abstract:  *Since space is limited, only first author will attend if paper is accepted "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. "--Henry David Thoreau It is perhaps a fundamental truth to every psychologist and therapist in the United States and elsewhere that the fulfillment of emotional needs is basic and necessary to human well-being. Leading a rich, fulfilling life is intimately tied to being aware of ones emotional needs, and being able to meet them [i.e. 1, 2]. Conversely, a life with routinely unmet emotional needs is often filled with pain, manifesting itself as anxiety, depression, or violence. Indeed, many of the most virulent problems that plague human society, from drug and alcohol abuse to violent crime, may be traced to a widespread inability to meet such basic emotional needs. Two main factors seem to be at play here: The first may be called "emotional skill needs", an awareness of emotions and the ability to manage them, both ones ' own and those of others [3]. The second factor