The verb infuse , coming from the Latin word infundĕre , is used to refer to the action of provoking a certain sensation or emotion in the mind . It is possible to instill different kinds of impulses.
For example: “The objective of this type of group is to instill terror in the population to cause chaos and thus achieve a change in the system ” , “Sometimes, as doctors, we have the task of instilling hope in our patients” , “We must instill love for nature in children so that they are the ones who lead a new era that is more friendly to the environment.”
Take the case of a journalist who is investigating acts of corruption in the government of her country. This woman has presented several articles with evidence about the crimes. One night, he receives threatening telephone calls where an anonymous voice warns him that if he continues with his investigation, he will end up losing his life. The journalist, the next day, makes public what happened and affirms that some individuals with a lot of power want to instill fear in her so that she abandons her job, although she warns that she will not do so.
These two concepts, instill and fear , can be found hand in hand in a large number of cases, in several different areas. For this reason, it is common for the verb to carry a slightly negative nuance in the perception of speakers, although this does not correspond to its true meaning, according to what is expressed in official dictionaries.
In any case, we must think that the verb infuse tells us about an action that an individual executes and that another receives involuntarily, generally without having made a decision. Needless to say, no one would ask another person to instill fear, but also love, security or faith, since these things happen spontaneously.
This leads us to think that it is precisely in this lack of control that the person who receives the feelings or emotional impulse that a third party instills in their spirit has where that kind of "violence" resides that we often associate with its meaning. Human beings tend to think that we know what others need: from our children to our parents, including our friends, we believe we are capable of understanding their needs and many times we proceed to try to satisfy them without asking their opinion on the matter.
In this way, more than once we make a mistake and give them something that they do not need or, worse still, that causes a negative feeling in them, precisely the opposite of what we intended at first. Instilling fear can be easy, especially if the person doing it chooses the right candidate; but instilling faith or joy is something that depends much more on the characteristics of the other. We don't always want that hopeful speech to rise from a depressive well; Sometimes we prefer someone who listens to us, who simply allows us to vent. In such a case, an attempt to instill good feelings can fail miserably.
The technical director of a football team, on the other hand, may be very satisfied with the level of his team's new goalkeeper (goalkeeper). In a press conference, the coach highlights that this player managed to instill confidence in the team.
Infusing can also refer to putting something in a liquid or pouring a fluid into a receptacle : “The drug must be infused at a precise rate,” “Infusing the tea takes a few minutes,” “Only a professional should infuse medications.” ” .
In the field of nursing, for example, there is a device called an infusion pump , which is used to infuse serums precisely at a previously defined time and in a proportion.