Head versus heart is one of the most common conflicts any human being will probably ever experience. It's simply the curse of having both a brain and a conscience. And this conflict can be as simple as "My clothes are getting tight but I really want those chips," to, well, "I've created a monster that will kill everyone I care about unless I agree to make another one."
That's quite a range.
So! How to decide?
Well..... you can't, really. There is no textbook example of when your head or your heart is right (which is what makes these dilemmas such a fascinating story element, by the way). I think it's safe to say that in most day-to-day instances it is best to follow reason, because the emotion part is generally dealing with some short-term benefit. Those chips may taste good, but the taste will be gone in ten minutes tops, and your jeans will only get tighter. But who cares about these dull, mudane problems? Let us pick apart the latter example:
If Frankenstein makes the decision and denies the monster's ultimatum, then he will see his entire family die. If he agrees, he'll be releasing another monster into the world, which is simply too unpredictable a variable for Frankenstein to consider. Just take a look at that. Having difficulty deciding which is rational and which is emotional, yes? I think we can agree the emotional decision would be to create the second monster, accepting the new risks in order to save what's left of his family. The rational decision would be to deny the creatures demands, resulting in the death of his family but resulting in fewer risky variables.
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