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My
Emotional Spin Cycle--
The Four Options and the Two Bridges:
Annotated Bibliography
By:
Korey Molyneaux
Date:
February 2002
See
the Instructions for this Report
Introduction
Report 1 is a project for Psychology 409a and is about investigating the human Emotional Spin Cycle; how it effects all aspects of human interaction and autonomy. We are learning to be more aware of our emotions so we can learn to change our behaviors. The emotional spin cycle occurs on a daily basis for all individuals and can either be negative or positive. When investigating human behaviors it helps to look at individuals as a three-fold self; they are composed of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. This three folds self is what is focused on in the emotional spin cycle; emotions effect thoughts which produce behaviors. The emotional spin cycle diagram is composed of four options; negative about self, positive about self, negative about world/others, and positive about world/others. These are called options because they are choices in how we will interact with others and ourselves. The self is referred to as the Blue Zone, while the others/world is referred to as the red zone. Negative feelings about the self lead to feelings of depression and inadequacy, these feelings lead to pessimistic and cynical thinking that finally result in self destructive behaviors. Positive feeling of the self (Enthusiasm and confidence) are necessary for optimistic and realistic thinking, and followed by self enhancing behaviors. Negative feelings (rage and arrogance) toward others and the world is followed by emotionally impaired thinking, and acted out through aggressive and destructive behaviors. Resolving with compassion and empathy is the key to positive feelings about the world and others, which lead to emotionally intelligent thinking and supportive and constructive behaviors. It is possible for the spin cycle to change from negative to positive, and this is done through the bridge technique. There are two bridges a red bridge and a blue bridge that help individual cross from negative to positive. The blue bridge is used when changing thinking from pessimistic and cynical to optimistic and real; this is done by using self regulatory prompts and promotes emotional health and self confidence. The red bridge is used when changing thinking from emotionally impaired thinking to emotionally intelligent thinking. This bridge promotes productivity and is also crossed through self regulatory prompts. This can be done by thinking positive thoughts about the situation or the individual. Individuals have a tendency to get stuck in the negative spin cycle, continuously spiral through the negative about the self and negative about others/world. This is what the Emotional Spin Cycle is all about, the spiral effect of negative emotions that lead to negative thoughts which produce harmful and aggressive behaviors. The idea of this theory is that we are able to change our behaviors by regulating our thoughts and emotions. If we are able to effectively asses our emotions before we are emotionally impaired then we are able to cross the bridges to produce healthy behaviors towards others and ourselves. Are you are interested in viewing the Four options Diagram?
The Emotional Spin Cycle is a process we all get caught up in, the key is to learn how to change our behaviors and to try and change our innate aggressive drive to harm others who hurt us. We are automatically programmed from social scripts (explained below) in how to behave in situations, the idea is to recognize the negative emotionally impaired actions and to change them. It is possible to change and learn to choose options from the positive emotional spin cycle, but an individual must be able to identify the emotions they feel and change their thought provoking behaviors. Dr. Leon James is trying to prove that we are able to change our behaviors by changing our thoughts and reactions to emotion. In this project we are investigating how cognitive scripts, behavioral routines, cognitive appraisal and emotional intelligence all play their part in our emotional spin cycles. Using www.google.com , I have located 5 sources for each of the four topics above. Hopefully this will give the reader a deeper understanding of the Emotional Spin Cycle.
Cognitive Scripts Relating to Motivation:
Cognitive Scripts are important when looking into the emotional spin cycle because they are guides for our thoughts and feelings in life; formed through an automatic process. These scripts are motivational when the outcome of a situation is amiable. If we maintain scripts (schemas) that are emotionally impaired then we will spin through the negative cycles every time we are places in the evoking situation. If we maintain healthy schemas then we view the world through compassion and resolve conflicts with empathy, resulting in a positive spin cycle.
Behavioral Routines Relating to Socialization
Behavioral routines, guides that direct our behavior that we learn about through socialization, they help us to exist with out having to think about every thing we do. It is a routine and we just do it. Individuals can develop negative and positive behavioral routines, it is important when trying to asses our cognitive appraisals that we notice our behavioral routines. We should embrace the positive and try to asses the negative, this will often involve changing negative and pessimistic thinking to optimistic thinking. The outcome will be more productive behavioral routines.
Cognitive Appraisals in Relation to Self-Enhancing Behaviors
Cognitive appraisals are individualsâ evaluations of a situation and in their lives as harmful, threatening, or challenging and how it will effect their well being. They help individuals to assess the situation, giving them a feeling of how to deal with it producing the ability to cope with the problem. This ability to cope with the problem through cognitive appraisal leads to self-enhancing behaviors.
Emotional Intelligence in Relation to Productivity and Success
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to allow thinking to be led by the understanding of emotions; others and one's own. With emotionally clear thinking an individual will act in ways that are supportive and constructive, giving people the ability to productive because they are not wasting time by arguing. This thinking is needed for success because it allows individuals to be more productive, they are not existing through their emotional feelings but are quickly able to address the emotion and productively deal with it through compassion and empathy.
Cognitive Scripts
#1 This web page is very helpful in understanding the very basics of what schemas are all about. The article, Social cognition and Cognitive Schemas, discusses the basic definitions of schemas and their interaction with culture, development, and decision making. Three types of cognitive schemas are personal, event and role schemas:
| A. Person schemas- Schemas about the attributes (skills, competencies, values) of a particular individual. This often takes the form the personality we attribute to that person. |
| B. Event schemas (cognitive scripts)- These are processes, practices, or ways in which we typically approach tasks and problems. They are the programs we call upon when faced with a certain stimulus. These are behaviorally oriented |
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C. Role schemas- These schema contain sets of role expectations, that is, how we expect an individual occupying a certain role to behavior. |
Also very important, is the idea of self schemas; formed guidelines about the self from present and past experiences. We develop new schemas every day, they help us to interpret the world around us.
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Schema Development
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So as individuals develop schemas through the process of socialization. If this is done productively then individuals learn the correct behavior to display at the appropriate times, or the correct response when a feeling or emotion is activated. This idea of cognitive script is very important when thinking about the emotional spin cycle. Individuals are socialized, both directly and indirectly, to develop behavioral scripts. If an individual acquires negative behavioral scripts than these would place the individual at a greater risk for aggressive behavior due to their impaired thinking. If an individual has been socialized to develop healthy, non-biased schemas then his feelings towards himself and others-world will be positive leading him to think with emotional intelligence. The outcome would be an individual who approaches tasks and problems and resolves with compassion, emotionally intelligent thinking, and constructive behavior.
#2 In reading the article, Mental Models: how do our minds work?, it gives the reader a brief description of schema theory and discusses how schemas help to enrich our knowledge of moral reasoning. Schemas are not fixed structures but flexible components that fill in the missing details. They asses situations from information learned in the past but the schemas are continually being updated to adjust to the current state of the individual. Schemas can be very helpful in studying motivation and behavior:
A researcher can gain insight into the motivations underlying a person's behavior by gaining insight into the schemas, and the relationships among the schemas, in terms of which that person interprets the world. Understanding motivation is fundamental to psychologists and to society, it is important to try to understand what drives people to behave in certain ways.
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The hierarchical relations among schemas may also function as "means-ends goal linkages," whereby one schema may function as a means relative to a more general schema which acts as an end, but which in turn acts as a means relative to an even more general schema which acts as an end, and so on (D'Andrade, 1992:30). The following example nicely illustrates this property: One recognizes some chair as part of the "finding a seat" schema, which is part of the "attending the lecture" schema, which is part of the "finding out what's going on" schema, which may be for some people part of the "doing anthropology" schema, or perhaps a "meeting friends" schema, or whatever (D'Andrade, 1992:30). The "top-level" schema in a schema hierarchy -- the most general interpretation of what is going on -- is likely to function as a goal. That is, the most general interpretation of events is likely to correspond to the "end" in terms of which actions can be understood as means. |
So motivation can be looked at through the levels of schema in a hierarchical position, there can be observation of what schema is driving the next, and so on. Schemas are important in studying motivation because they guide actions and behaviors. Similar to peeling an onion, there may be layers of schemas hiding the means of the initial schema (drive) of the behaviors. In applying this to the emotional spin cycle, motivation may be a healthy process in getting ones self over the bridge. Because one schema drives the next, a positive schema may help "positive about the self" individuals to be "positive about others/world".
#3 In this article the author talks about, Exposure Response Prevention. This is a term of therapy applied to the rehabilitation of drug addicts. The author explains that ERP, is keeping addicts out of environments that may lead to temptation; ERP is based on principles of operant and respondent learning. Respondent learning takes place when we associate a new stimulus with one that already has an effect on us. Similar to a cognitive script, the situation is associated with a set of expectations and feelings. In order for the patients to fully recover from their addictions, doctors recommend ERP, which keeps addicts out of situations that may evoke old feelings or desires. By keeping the individual out of the conditioned situation they can learn to develop new cognitive scripts that are not associated with drugs or alcohol.
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Conventional wisdom advises
people recovering from chemical addiction to avoid the people, places,
and things they previously associated with their drug and alcohol abuse.
This advice is based on the fact that the addict associates, through
respondent learning, people places, and things with the preparation and
use of their addicted substances. Respondent learning gives these
stimuli the power to trigger strong desires to use drugs or alcohol. For
example, if a recovering addict meets a friend with whom they snorted
cocaine in the past the addict will get the urge or impulse to use
cocaine because of the respondent connection between their friend and
cocaine use. Because of this connection conventional treatment advises
that the recovering person avoid these stimuli completely.
Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to avoid all former stimuli
connected with drug and alcohol abuse (Chiauzzi & Liljegren, 1993).
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So by altering the cognitive scripts that are associated with certain stimuli the patients can alter his emotional response. This ERP could be useful in altering behaviors with the emotional spin cycle. If a certain environment evokes a negative feeling and the individual begins to have emotionally impaired thinking, they need to avoid these situations until the feelings can be reconditioned. If the individual can catch the negative feelings before they begin to think emotionally impaired then they probably can cross the red bridge and act out in supportive behaviors. The ERP, similar to the bridges, is a tool an individual can use to change cognitive scripts from self destructive behavior to a positive emotional spin-cycle.
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A typical ERP session
starts with about five minutes of relaxation exercises. After relaxing
the patient is asked to rate their craving level before being exposed to
their triggering stimuli. They use a 10 point scale to do this where 10
represents a desire to use immediately. The patient's pulse is also
measured (pulse rate generally increases as a patient's craving level
rises). Once baseline ratings are secured exposure to the first level of
stimulus begins. After looking, touching and smelling the object and
answering a few questions the patient is again asked to rate their
craving level. Their pulse is taken again as well. Generally, their
craving level is up as is their pulse. If they have become over
stimulated then the ERP stimuli are put away and they return to doing
relaxation exercises. Otherwise, they continue to look at the objects
while repeating their cognitive scripts. Cognitive scripts are
motivating statements designed by therapist and patient. They are
associated with the triggering stimulus and the impulse to use. Typical
cognitive scripts include:
"Remember the
pain and hurt I caused myself and my family."
"I will be able
to feel better about myself if I walk away."
"Remember the
physical pain and consequences of withdrawal."
The patient makes a
respondent connection between these scripts and stimuli formerly
associated with chemical abuse. So not only does the patient break the
drink or drug connection with the triggering stimuli, he also connects
the stimuli with his cognitive scripts. This new connection will help
him to walk away from a tempting situation.
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#4 Cognitive therapy may be very useful in helping individuals to notice how their thoughts can greatly affect their moods. It is helpful in changing dysfunctional cognitions (thoughts), emotions, and behavior. Many people that have maladaptive thoughts and feelings tend to have behaviors that makes the problems worse. In the article, Cognitive Psychotherapy, Doug Berger, M.D., Ph.D. explains to the reader how beneficial psychotherapy can be. It helps the patient to gain a deeper understanding about themselves, helping with their relations with others. However cognitive therapy does not give causes for the underlining schemas, it just helps the individual to adjust their three fold self.
| Patients with problems such as depression and anxiety, or interpersonal difficulties, have many negative and maladaptive automatic thoughts which can lead to behaviors (e.g., helplessness, withdrawal, aggression, or avoidance) that make the problem worse, resulting in more disturbed mood and leading to more dysfunctional thoughts, in other words a vicious cycle. Cognitive therapy attempts to help patients recognize and change these cognitive errors through discussion with the therapist, outlining and listing the situations and distortions in writing, and homework practice. Behavioral change may be necessary to modify long-standing maladaptive patterns of behavior that reinforce the distortions. |
This idea is very similar to Dr. Leon James, The Emotional Spin cycle. It presents the individual as having three main components; feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. This is the three fold self (a term coined by Dr. James), is a way of looking at individuals and seeing "all of them". An ability to do this for ourselves, greatly improves our thinking.
| Psychodynamic psychotherapy is usually required for a deeper understanding of oneself as it deals more with the unconscious concomitants of one's emotional life and how these impinge on relationships. |
The therapy helps individuals to notice their emotional spin cycles; addressing their feelings, thoughts and emotions that arise from schemas that have been associated with negative feelings. This therapy tries to prevent the negative emotions from arising, thus preventing negative thoughts and behaviors. The individual learns to exist in the positive about self and others/world. This helps the individual to resolve problems and conflict that arise with compassion.
#5 In the articles above I have explained how cognitive scripts work to help asses situations or fill in missing pieces and how they can evoke feeling. This article, Peacemaking: Dealing with Conflict Schemas, describes a situation where an individual is placed in a emotional situation and she is faced with conflict. She can either take control of her emotions or allow herself to be controlled by them.
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ã ãSure
Pete, come on in,ä Pete sat
down in front of ãWell,
whatâs on your mind?ä asked ãThe board has lost confidence in your ability to lead the company.ä, said Pete. |
Sharon has just been confronted with a serious problem, she is probably experiencing intense emotions at this moment. With her motivational states in chaos, she experiences wishes, hopes, fears, anxiety, and dread. She was positioned to either escalate the conflict or de-escalate it, depending upon her response. But Sharon does not allow these emotions to effect her thinking, she calmly allows her self to resolve with compassion and empathy.
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If she
allowed her neuropsychological state to overwhelm her, she would probably
invoke defensive schemas she had developed over her lifetime.
These schemas or patterns might be represented by an angry
outburst, by silence, by avoidance, by denial, by counter-attack or any of
many other possible reactions. Whatever
First, Second, So, if ãPete,
this is obviously a serious issue. You
must be frustrated with what Iâve done and are hoping that changes might
occur.ä In this response, |
Sharon resolves her conflict with empathy and allows herself to begin thinking emotionally intelligent, thus acting out in supportive and constructive manners. Sharon's actions are representative of a positive and healthy emotions. She uses the red bridge to promote her productivity, using self regulatory prompts to guide her behaviors. This helps her gain control of the situation, seeing things in a clear perspective. Her emotionally intelligent thinking also allows her to resolve the problem, get others to see the real problem, and to keep her job. Sharon's quick assessment to resolve with compassion and connect with Pete through empathy allowed her co-workers to restore faith in her.
| Each person has the ability to override the human fear response system. The task is not difficult if you know you are not a slave to your preconscious processes. Simply being aware and making a conscious choice not be reactive is a positive response to unexpected conflict in your life. |
Behavioral Routines
#1 In this article, Television Violence: How and Why do the Mass Media Influence People?, the research shows that individuals (especially children) are heavily influenced by the media and TV. TV. is a very powerful socializing agent for adults and children, they both learn behaviors and routine from aggressive, non-real, characters they observe. Many emotional problems may arise out of this socialization through the Television for children; hitting other children, screaming, and destroying toys.
| TV can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and behavior, most of all in children. Unfortunately, TV producers seldom take this fact into consideration, and more and more violent movies and even cartoons are being made. Several studies have found that children may become Îimmuneâ to the horror of violence. Children will gradually accept violence as a way of solving problems and imitate the violence they see on television. Often they also identify with certain characters, victims and victimizers. Teenagers have reported that while watching violent or horror movies they felt a mixture of horror and delight. |
By watching behaviors on the screen the children are learning that these behaviors might work for them. They adapt this behaviors into their ways of thinking and react in situations in emotionally impaired ways.
| A positive
correlation between the habitual watching of television violence and
acceptance of aggression as a way to solve problems has been demonstrated
by a variety of experiments and field studies. The correlation has been
observed in many countries and among boys and girls independently of race,
age, and social class.
There are several ways in which exposure to media violence leads to aggression. One way is simple imitation or observational learning, in which "cognitive scripts", in other words basic learning models, are established which later guide everyday social behavior. Exposure to television violence may also activate an existing aggressive thought or feeling. Finally, violence on TV may cause a decline in emotional and psychological responses to such violence. Children are likely to imitate violent behavior of television stars and may often not be able to distinguish clearly between cartoons and other unrealistic programs and reality. |
This socialization of behavioral routines through the television is not only present in children but also in adults. Television Violence can also cause a syndrome called, "Mean World Syndrome". This is where an individual decides that the real world is as dangerous and mean of a place as it is on the Television. People who develop this syndrome tend to be cynical and skeptical. In applying this to Dr. James "Emotional Spin Cycle", we can see that developing these ideas about the world can only lead to destructive behaviors that keep recycling through the negative spin cycle. If individuals thoughts are impaired then their behaviors will be actions through emotionally impaired thinking; harmful to the self and to others. If an individual falls into these behavioral routines their reality is based on fictitious beliefs about the world. Until they can modify their socialized behaviors they will continue to cycle through the negative, feeling depressed and cynical about the world.
#2 Many individuals develop behavioral routines that are completely unconscious, they begin to be reinforced during childhood and through out the adult life. In an article titled, What do Women Really Want?, a therapist discusses problems that many of her clients face in maintaining relationships.
| In the beginning
we learn at our parents' knees, internalizing the strengths and weaknesses
of mom and dad. Of their weaknesses we pronounce, I'll never let that
happen to me." If we feel emotional or physical pain, we retreat
through instinct, a natural ability. We withdraw by getting away or
overcompensate by acting tough.
We are born fine, and then the world DEFINES us! |
Through out natural instinct (emotions?), we develop behavior routines in relationships. These behavioral routines are survival strategies, combined with our innate physical and intellectual abilities form our adult personalities. The routines are as follows, a girl looks for a nice guy to date, finding the nice guy she gets bored. This nice guy chases after her and she rejects him, he can't figure out what he did wrong? Wasn't he nice to her? These are the dysfunctional routines that dating often takes. One feeling uninterested and the other feeling rejected.
Often boys are socialized into behaviors that they should not have, like crying. This is a social expectation that is taught to them as children. Yet later on in life when they are adults and are asked in relationships to express their feelings they are unable due to the socialization of controlled feelings.
| It was not OK (and still isn't) for a boy to cry on the playground if he skinned his knee. Now, as an adult, his girlfriend asks him to feel? On top of this he often has, like other people, internalized the partial mind-set of a critical parent. So, he retreats when she wants connection, perceiving her needs as criticism. |
This confusion often leads to many dysfunctional relationships. Because of inadequate feelings of the self, an individuals emotions remain in the negative spin cycle; producing outward negative behaviors. Feelings of rage & inadequacy begin to spiral along with rage & Depression.
#3 Behavioral Routines are often a process of socialization that individuals experience from young age, they learn to do what is socially accepted. In, Socialization and Surrogate Activities, acting out in ways which are not socially acceptable are often followed with feelings of guilt and discomfort even if the individual has not done anything wrong. Socialization may be a positive process in guiding behavioral routines and it may also be negative. Socialization may provide rules or guidelines for ways in which individual must behave, thus controlling negative actions. Yet socialization may be harmful because it places such great emphasis on the society, not the individual.
| Note that a
highly socialized person doesn't necessarily behave more or less ethically
than a less socialized one - the rules by which they live are not
consistently good or bad. For some people, acting according to their
training may cause them to be better than they otherwise would be - the
rules do, after all, cause consideration for society where none might
previously have existed. On the other hand, a good person may be worsened
by socialization, because of the subjectivity and the focus of society -
socialization does not necessarily teach concern for the environment or
non-humans or even for different societies, and can even displace these
concerns if they did exist. The lack of reasoning and the overriding focus on society means that some socialized but otherwise decent people become entirely anthropocentric and may turn out to be our worst enemies. Acting in a manner contrary to accepted practice can cause feelings of liberation and empowerment in the individual as the one overcomes the rules and bindings of society. |
This is very important in thinking about the emotional spin cycle, an individual can choose to use socialization as negative experience or a positive one. Individuals may obtain a sense of empowerment by overcoming the rules of socialization or they may choose to feel negative and have feelings of incompetence and inadequacy. These two outcomes of socialization are ultimately defined by how the individual views themselves in comparison to others. There are many self regulatory sentences that one can tell themselves when trying to cross the blue bridge. The individual should start by trying to question the social ideal and figure out if it is really a positive & healthy ideal or expectation.
#4 In the article, Control out of control behaviors, there is discussion about the socialization of how we excuse our inner feelings. We all at times feel jealous, depressed, miserable and possessive. But we tend to excuse one another from behaviors, exclaiming, "It is not their fault".
| Many people are "socialized" to believe "their feelings control them," and that "their reactions have power over others," as well. People are blamed for how much they "make" us angry, jealous, or mad. It is as if the responsibility for our actions or feelings is given to someone else or something outside of our control |
If society tells us that we have no control over our emotions, and that we are at the mercy of our emotions, then we all would be able to go around committing crimes at the mercy of our inner drives. Our world would be a state of chaos. Never the less we learn subtle queues that allow us to excuse our behaviors or place the blame on something or some one else.
| On the other hand, for some, the model to live by is known as "You Are What You Do." It implies we should be able to "control" our behaviors so we can achieve our goals. If our objective is to be balanced, responsible, to let go of life's craziness, to "learn" self-esteem, and support social interests, it has to be understood that "negative" behaviors and feelings aren't necessarily helpful nor do they usually serve any positive purpose except to confirm what excellent students we have become of faulty concepts of surviving and living well. |
We can control how we feel about ourselves and the world, also how we will treat ourselves and the world. We can accept and resolve with compassion, acting more gently. It isn't an acceptable excuse to expose ourselves to inadequate and negative situations just because the world may treat us badly, because we can not control how the world treats us. We need to asses the situation first and foremost with intelligent thinking, then we can proceed with supportive and constructive behavior. We only have our selves to blame for our actions, because we can be in control of our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. If we allow ourselves to act out in anger and rage we are allowing ourselves to recycle through the negative spin cycle over and over, not taking responsibility for our own behaviors.
| There's no pain in the world that can't be "conquered." By learning to be secure in ourselves, we can eliminate the unnecessary pain and suffering that our out-of-control behaviors may bring us. |
#5 Mind Watching , was an interesting article that discussed several areas of Behavioral Routines some research showing that we are heavily ruled by our nervous system. The first section discussed a situation where in situations of violence few people will step into the situation due to their own feelings of fear, their behavior is to brush the responsibility onto someone else in the crowd.
| There have been many occurrences of
violent attacks in cities where the attack was witnessed by many, yet they
did nothing to help.
Experiments show that a key factor is the number
of witnesses present: if there are many, the responsibility for action is
diffused - so an individual is more likely to act (when alone rather than
in a group). People tend to look to the others for the way to
behave: if everyone else ignores the situation, or just stops and watches,
then the normal reaction is to do the same. If someone does act, this
encourages others to also. |
This research makes me feel extremely uneasy! Do individuals help out of empathy or is it really to gain some sort of recognition?
Crime and punishment also seems to greatly affect behavioral routines through the nervous system. The limbic system and the neo-cortex are two areas in the brain that deal with the expression of emotion and reason.
| When a child
misbehaves (is antisocial) it is punished. The child learns to
associate this stimulus (ie being antisocial) with punishment,
resulting in an anxiety toward anti-social behavior. "This anxiety, coupled with the intention of carrying out some antisocial activity, is what we commonly call 'conscience' ". |
These anti-social anxieties could lead to pessimistic and cynical thinking about the self, then may extend out ward towards others. The thinking has become emotionally impaired due to the negative feelings from punishment. This can only lead to destructive behavior along with feelings of inadequacy.
Cognitive Appraisal
#1 In this article, Cognitive Appraisal, thought challenging, the author discusses the positive affects of cognitive appraisal on abnormal behavior. An individual is challenging his/her own belief about a situation, trying to gain a better understanding of reality.
| A person's thoughts can set the self-perpetuating cycle of anxiety into motion. Being able to challenge one's thoughts to be more productive and enable desired behavior, is a useful skill to be taught for sufferers of social phobia. It can be a technique useful when any intense emotions (such as anger, depression, guilt - not just anxiety) are experienced, even in everyday situations. |
An individual must recognize their "automatic thoughts" that perpetuate negative thoughts and behaviors and try to challenge them. This thought challenge helps individuals to try and identify distorted thinking habits.
| It is not simply 'positive' thinking, it is identifying those thoughts which are not helpful to our lives because they are erroneous. |
This "cognitive appraisal" is a fundamental part of the emotional spin cycle. This challenge of our own thoughts is how we may begin to cross over the Red & Blue Bridge, to begin thinking in optimistic, realistic and emotionally intelligent ways. Cognitive appraisals are the self-regulatory prompts to get ourselves over the bridge.
#2 Coping is a process to obtain psychological well-being; Coping with Illness, is an article that discusses the positive growth that can be made through cognitive appraisal when dealing with acute and chronic illness. Acute is to understand what is happening and manage emotions while chronic is to try to manage the condition and maintain a normal life. Cognitive appraisals are important in getting the patient through the coping process.
Cognitive
Appraisal:
Alteration
in person-environment relationship due to event (e.g., illness) Two
appraisal processes operating: Primary
Appraisal (What
has happened?) á
Goal relevance Is
anything at stake? Are my goals affected? á
Goal congruence is
the event harmful or beneficial? á
Goal content What
goal is affected - financial, moral, relational (physical health;
life) Secondary
Appraisal (What
can I do?) á
Blame or credit attribution
of cause, responsibility & control á
Coping Potential Can
anything be done to influence person-environment relationship &
what? á
Future
Expectations will
things get better or worse? |
This appraisal helps the individual to regain a sense of reality and not to feel over whelmed by emotions, it helps them to reevaluate the future. This is important in the spin cycle because if an individual gains a negative out look on life or obtains distorted views about the future then the spin into a negative cycle begins. Without proper coping the individual will develop pessimistic and cynical thinking, thus resulting in self destructive behavior. The cognitive appraisal and coping helps the individual to cross the blue bridge into optimistic and realistic thinking.
#3 This article, Cognitive Appraisal, Dr. Tania Abdulezer talks about how emotions may be able to be felt before they are thought. This would be the same idea that Dr. James has about the spin cycle.
| Through physiological studies, a biological basis of precognitive emotions, i.e. emotions not based on appraisal, has emerged. This suggests that sometimes we can feel before we can think ö for example, jumping at the sight of something that has the shape of a snake, before our cerebral cortex can determine that the object in question is in fact a harmless piece of rope. |
If we can stop the negative emotions through cognitive appraisal before they become emotionally impaired then our thinking will become more emotionally intelligent.
| Thus, if we define cognitive appraisal broadly, to include primitive or automatic evaluations of a situation, which we have acquired through evolution, then we may be able to say that almost all emotions involve some type of appraisal. |
#4 In J McCabe's, Health Psychology, he discusses the idea that stress is in the eye of the beholder and that peoples appraisals of stressful event's are highly subjective. There are different situations when certain stressors elicit certain reactions. The diagram below demonstrates how stress can effect cognitive appraisals. It is at the Subjective cognitive appraisal that the individual must use his/her self regulatory prompts for the Red & Blue Bridges. The diagram presented below is very similar to the Negative half of the emotional spin cycle.
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#5 Those Who Stay Healthy, is an article about "optimistic cognitive appraisal", the research was taken from a number of high stress professionals to see whether or not stress was a factor in illness. The data showed that more than half of the employees, all under stress, remained healthy. This data showed that it was not the stress that made the individuals ill but the way in which the individuals were able to deal with the levels of stress.
| They made practical use of an "optimistic cognitive appraisal".2 Thus they had a sense that they could control things÷they could control the impact of problems if not the problems themselves. |
After the big hype about stressors and heart attacks the research began to show that it was not the stress that was the problem but it was the response!
| Those who stay healthy under stress, Kobasa found, have in addition to a sense of control and challenge a commitment to life. They are deeply involved in their work and families, and this commitment gives them a sense of meaning, direction and excitement. They have acquired "hardy" personalities, which helps to protect them against illness. |
Men and women who seem to have a greater sense of control in their lives, a deeper meaning in their work and with their families tend to deal with their stressors better than those who did not. This "Optimistic Cognitive Appraisal" is healthy way for individuals to deal with stress, it is like stepping over the bridge into the positive spin cycle. If an individual seems to have a healthy self then their interactions with others and the world also remains positive, and in turn helps the individual to remain in better physical health.
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Emotional Intelligence
#1 This article, Emotional Intelligence, states that the term contains five characteristics that are necessary to think with emotional intelligence. You need to be able to turn on all five senses and understand what they are telling you.
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Research has provided that emotional health is fundamental in effective learning. The most critical element for students is to learn how to learn. This takes a student who is confident, curious, has a capacity to communicate and the ability to cooperate. These are the essentials that are necessary for success.
| Researchers have concluded that people who manage their own feelings well and deal effectively with others are more likely to live content lives. Plus, happy people are more apt to retain information and do so more effectively than dissatisfied people. |
Emotional Intelligence is proving to be the best predictor of success, and that building ones emotional intelligence can have a lifelong effect. Emotional Intelligence has been used as a tool in helping people with self esteem, conflict with others, drug and alcohol use, and training for corporations. Emotional Intelligence is the key to productivity and it promotes supportive and constructive behaviors. This is a fundamental key in the emotional spin cycle because if you can not learn to think with emotional intelligence then they will act out in aggressive and destructive behaviors, not allowing them to truly be successful individuals.
#2 Emotional Intelligence, Mind and Soul, explains that emotional intelligence questions are often part of an initial interview when applying for a job because the have proved to be more successful than the measures of cognitive intelligence (IQ). The successful people of this world are not always highly technically intelligent, but often resilient and optimistic making them emotionally intelligent.
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How
can emotional intelligence contribute to success? Managing your intellect, and guiding your thoughts and feelings, lead you to influence other people in a positive manner. Developing sensitivity and empathy is key to advancement today. |
Emotional Intelligence helps people to be more object, understand strengths/weakness; they are more self aware and can handle their emotions constructively. When you think in emotionally intelligent ways you are handling the hardships that life throws you. As mentioned earlier EQ is vital in crossing over the bridge to act with constructive behaviors. If a person is able to look with in and resolve their problems with compassion, self confidence and empathy then they can begin to stay in the positive options of the emotional spin cycle.
#3 The Emotional Path to Success, This article starts out by talking about an incident that took place at the World Cup before the hype of emotional Intelligence hit the air waves. A reporter claimed that the team that would win would be the one with the greater emotional intelligence. She explains that emotional intelligence is;
| "self-awareness, managing your emotions effectively, motivation, empathy, reading other people's feelings accurately, social skills like teamwork, persuasion, leadership, and managing relationships" |
When an individual is aware of their emotional state, then they can express their feelings appropriately or choose to consciously suppress it.
| We cannot
manage feelings of which we are unaware--as in an emotional hijacking,
when emotions express themselves in words and deeds before the person
has actually identified their nature or even their presence.
Awareness of our own feelings also enables us to perceive the feelings of others accurately--to be empathetic, to feel with another person. Empathy forges emotional connection, and so tends to bond people together even more deeply than shared beliefs and ideas. Empathy, in Goldman's view, underlies many interpersonal aptitudes like teamwork, persuasion, and leadership. |
The article continues to explain how emotional intelligence can help in personal lives as well as in the work place. Emotionally intelligent thinking allows people to resolve the situation with compassion and remain in the positive emotional spin cycle. Individuals are able to resolve situations with compassion and act in supportive and constructive ways.
#4 Emotional Intelligence: Why You Should Care, What it is, and How You Can Build More.
This article bring forth the topic of how important Emotional Intelligence is in raising children, they have to face different situation and problems that are new to the child as well as the parent growing up in a complicated world. Below, the table lists the things that most people consider to be important in life.
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These four desires are experiences many have when they use emotionally intelligent thinking. To ensure that children live a long healthy life, they need to learn how to communicate their emotions.
| Our emotional brain is the part where we decide what to pay attention to, the place where long term memory is stored, and the area where we set priorities. |
Growth and learning are hinged on emotional Intelligence, and can all work together to create a positive emotional spin cycle if children begin to learn at a young age to get in touch with their emotions and know what they are feeling. Individuals can learn to use the red bridge and change the situation that surrounds them, rather than conflict with others they become productive beings in society.
#5 Social Learning: The Seven Key Abilities , Discusses how emotionally intelligent thinking can bring about success from early childhood through the highest reaches of business. The seven key skills; empathy, assertiveness, impulse control, management of feelings, decision-making skills, self-understanding and connection to community can be broken into a hundred component skills.
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Link to Business Success Research has shown that the presence of these abilities marks successful business managers. At AT&T, managers who were perceived as having empathy with their workers were more likely to get phone calls returned than other supervisors. At American Express, sales people who received training in empathy were able to sell more life insurance to their customers, growing the bottom line. Psychologist and New York Times science writer Daniel Goleman found ãemotional intelligenceä more tied to workplace productivity than IQ and technical expertise combined, across businesses. |
There also is an absence linked to crime rate in research when an individual embodies the seven key skills. Those individuals that don't embody these characteristics are more likely to drop out of school, hurt someone, or commit a crime that lands them in jail. The ability to master the seven skills allows an individual to maintain a very emotionally healthy three fold self, that maintains positive red and blue feelings.
Bibliography
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Joshua Freedman., January 11, 1999
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Email Korey at: koreyjean@hotmail.com
