Annotated Bibliography
Psychology 409a/b-Fall 2001-G15
Dr. Leon James Instructor
By Dolphingirl
Date: October 22, 2001
Table of Contents:
I.
Introduction
II.
What Are the
Reports About?
III.
In My Opinion…
a) Emotion
b) Feelings
c) Threefold Self: Affective, Cognitive,
Sensorimotor
d) Hierarchy of Motives: Emotions, Feelings,
Values
IV.
Annotated
Bibliography
V.
Conclusion
VI.
References
Introduction
What
are emotions and feelings? What is the difference between emotions and
feelings? Why are some people effected by them and others not? These are some
of many questions we might ask ourselves, when we focus our attention on those
two words. Emotions and feelings sound so familiar, yet when we think deeply
about them, it is very possible to sit and ponder for hours.
In
report 1, I will attempt to define terms, such as emotions, feelings, and
threefold self. I will support my ideas using reports that were written by
previous Generations, News Media, and Web sites and articles. In report 2, I
will analyze my own Emotional Spin Cycle, and also report the process of my
record keeping and rating scales.
What are the Reports About?
In
order to better our lives, we must understand everything that is happening
around us, and be able to deal with each situation properly. In many cases,
this is very difficult to do. Everyday we encounter road rage, work rage, store
rage, and other types of rage that we would all like to get away from. However,
we seem to be having more and more of a difficult time dealing with rage. What
we have to remember is that we must first recognize the rage within ourselves,
and try to modify the behavior on our own. Doctor Leon James has been helping
those negative behaviors of people by using his creation of the "Daily
Emotional Spin-Cycle". The figures listed below will make the Cycle easier
to understand. The figures consist of four zones, each representing an element
that range from "Rage", "Depression", "Mastery",
and "Zeal". Zone 1 and 4 refers to others, and 2 and 3 refers to
self, and each zone consist of the "threefold self", known as
feeling, thinking, and sensorimotor. The main purpose of the report 1 is to
analyze the terms used in the "Daily Emotional Spin-Cycle", and the
purpose of the report 2 is to create a better understanding of the cycle by
analyzing our own emotional spin cycle.
"In My Opinion..."
In this
section, I will define the following terms in my own words: emotions, feelings,
threefold self (affective, cognitive, sensory motor), and hierarchy of motives
(emotions, feelings, values).
Emotion
Emotions are
not something that could be described in a couple of sentences. Emotions are
often a reaction(s), which arise from a given situation. For instance, when I
found out that my Dog had past, I felt incredibly sad. In this case, the
emotion that arose from finding out about my dog was being sad, which also was
my reaction to the bad news.
In some case
emotions are visible, and others not. Sometimes when people are upset, they
react to their anger by hitting the wall, stomping, or slamming on the door.
Those are visible emotional expressions that make others aware of their
conditions. However, there are those who keep their emotions locked up in side,
so that they are not obvious to other people’s eyes. For instance, my Father is
a typical Japanese man, who does not prefer to express his feelings as much.
Sometimes when he is in pain, for example, he keeps it to himself, rather than
verbally expressing about it. This of course makes it harder sometimes for the
rest of the family to know what is going on with him physically and emotionally.
Sometimes
emotions are expressed in series that are short term or long term, depending on
the individual and the situation. For example, when I lost one of my family
members in a sudden accidental death, my initial emotional experience was a
shock. I could not believe that he had past, and I was in a complete shock for
a while. Soon, my emotions changed from shock to anger. I was angry that he
past so soon, and I was even more angry that there was nothing I could do to
bring him back. Then, my emotions changed again into anger towards myself. Even
though there was nothing I could do about it, I blamed myself for his loss, and
those emotions were overwhelming. Then, my emotions changed into grieve and
sorrow. I was then, finally able to accept his death slowly, and move on. This
would be an example of a long-term emotional series, or Doctor James would call
it the "Emotional Spin Cycle". It is crucial to maintain a balance
when we consider emotions. Sometimes when people are emotionally disturbed, everything
in their lives may suffer.
Feelings
Feelings are usually
accompanied by emotions, and are often expressed as a form of awareness. For
instance, if it snows out side, most people would feel the weather and express
it as being cold. Expression of this sort is a form of awareness, and without
such awareness, it would be difficult to live.
Feelings are often in a form
of physical awareness as well. If a child touches a boiling pot of water, s/he
would feel the burning sensation on the hand, thus learning not to touch the
boiling pot of water again. Another example would be, if someone gets carried
away with friends and drinks more than s/he could handle, s/he might feel sick
later on and throw up as a consequence. In turn, s/he may learn not to get so
carried away next time, and control his/her drinking patterns. In these
examples, both burning sensation and the feeling of sickness from the alcohol
were the physical awareness.
So, feelings are very important
to have, and without them, as mentioned before, it would be difficult to live.
If someone accidentally lit my hair on fire (Ah!), but I could not feel the
pain from the burning and the heat, I would lose all my hair and possibly burn
my head before realizing that my head was on fire. This would not be good.
Another frightening example
is when my Grandfather suggested my Father to have a complete physical
examination several years ago. My father agreed to do it, even though he did
not feel sick. He asked the Doctor to take a CAT Scan as well, and to
everyone’s surprise, the Doctor had found a tumor in the middle of his brains.
We could not believe the
odds of such detection because my Father did not have any symptoms, and was
overall a healthy man. If my Grandfather had not suggested him to have a
physical examination, my Father would probably not have found out about the
tumor until it was too late. This is why many of the internal diseases such as
AIDS and Cancer are very frightening. People who are effected by the disease do
not usually feel the symptoms until it is too late to cure it.
At last, the term,
"Feelings" are used more often to express feelings verbally compared
to emotions. Many times people may say, "I feel tired," or "I
feel great!" however, they may not say, "I am emotionally
exausted," or "I am emotionally in a great condition". Feelings
are more verbally recognized compared to emotions.
Threefold Self:
Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor
There are many
things in life that effect us each day, and through those experiences, we learn
to grow and build characters. According to Doctor Leon James, this type of
process can be explained as the "Threefold Self"(I will write this as
TFS from here), which consist of: Affective, Cognitive, and Sensorimotor.
Affective part of
the TFS could be described as our first reaction to each situation. When we
encounter a situation, each of us react differently. Cultural differences would
be a good example in this case. For instance, if someone bumps into another
person here in America, his/her first reaction would be to feel empathetic
towards the other person. S/he will most likely then say, "Excuse
me". However, in Japan, if someone bumps into another person, s/he most
likely would not feel empathetic towards the other person, and keep going. This
is because many of the places in Japan are crowded, and people are used to
bumping into each other. Their mentality is that bumping into each other is just
a part of everyday life.
Cognitive part of
the TFS is the thinking process followed by the affective part of the TFS.
Every time there is a reaction to something, our thoughts will most likely
support such reaction. For instance, if a Japanese person comes to the States
and bumps into someone, s/he would probably react the same way as s/he would in
Japan. As a result, s/he may not say anything to the person they bumped into.
In turn, the cognitive reaction of the person who got bumped may be, "Hey,
how rude! S/he just ran over me and didn't say anything!"
Sensorimotor in TFS
is the action that follows affective and cognitive parts of the TFS. We feel,
then think, then react. Going back to the same example, if a Japanese person
bumps into someone in America at the wrong place and time, s/he may get a
completely different reaction from what they are used to. The person that s/he
bumped into may push him/her in turn, and say, "Hey! What is wrong with
you!?" In this case, the Japanese person's affective reaction may be shock
or fear, cognitive reaction may be, "Oh no! What did I do!?" and the
sensorimotor reaction may be to bow and apologize.
TFS is crucial in
everyday life, and in understanding human behavior. The process of the TFS
could be described as:
Situation-----Initial
Reaction-----Thinking/Feeling-----Final reaction
(Affective TFS)
(Cognitive TFS) (Sensorimotor)
By understanding
this process and being able to recognize different types of TFS, we may be able
to lead a better and a healthier life. As mentioned before, we react to a
situation differently, especially in different cultures. So, by learning to
recognize different types of TFS in different cultures, we may better
understand each other, and eliminate discriminations toward each other.
Hierarchy of
motives: Emotions, Feelings, Values
Motives are what
drive us in achieving our goals. In this case, meaning of the goals are not
just something that we carefully plan on and work for, but almost everything we
do in life. So, they are not necessarily always positive. The hiearachy of
motives, according to Doctor Leon James, consist of three elements: Emotions,
Feelings, and Values.
Emotions are one of
the three elements of the motivational drives. In other words, emotions
contribute when making decisions in everyday life. Emotions, as mentioned
before, are our first reaction in a situation. For instance, if an attractive
guy approaches a girl, her emotions would be positive, and she may become happy
that he had approached her. In this case, such positive emotion may become the
girl's motivation to communicate with the guy, even if she does not know him at
all.
Feelings are the
second element of the motivational drives. Feelings, followed by emotions may
direct/redirect the decision making. An example of this would be the girl who
was approached by the attractive guy feeling her heart beat faster as she
interacts with the guy. Feeling of the heartbeat may direct the girl's
motivation further, and may drive her to give him her phone number. On the
otherhand, if the girl who was approached by the attractive guy starts to feel
boredom as she interacts with the guy, the boredom may redirect her motivation,
and may drive her to walk away.
At last, values also
contribute to the motivational drives as well. We all value things in life, and
those values often become our motivation in achieving our goals. For instance,
if the girl starts spending time with the attractive guy and values the
relationship, she may consider dating him or even marrying him in the future.
Another example would be, parents working hard to bring home the bread for the
family, or taking care of the house to make a pleasant living environment for
the family. In this case, the motivation to work hard comes from the values the
parents hold in their family. So, without these three elements of motivation:
emotions, feelings, and values, our lives would lack much purpose and meaning.
Annotated Bibliography
In this section I have chosen
articles, websites, and forums by the formers students to discuss about the
Emotional Spin-Cycle from different angles. I found some sites regarding
emotions to support some of my ideas from the previous pages, and I also found
sites that explain the function of the brains. I then, found an article on how
ecstasy effect our brains, in order to give an example of the damage drugs and
alcohol can do to the brains. The forums written by the former students follow
the brain segment of the bibliography.
Before each articles and forums,
I have made comments, and discussed my opinion of each by supporting some of
the ideas with the terms presented previously.
The first article I chose
talks about the distinction between affect, mood, and emotions. When words are
not clearly defined and distinguished, they become confusing and may cause
conflicts. So, a clear description of the word "emotion" for
instance, becomes crucial in avoiding such conflicts. In this article, the
author talks about emotions as being "specific and intense".
The terms affect, mood, and emotion are
used interchangeably throughout much of the literature, without distinguishing
between them (Batson, Shaw, & Oleson, 1992: 294). Some of the confusion or
lack of clarity may be a result of the overlap among the concepts (Morris,
1992). Some researchers have attempted to distinguish these concepts based on
structural differences and functional differences. Schwarz and Clore (1988)
differentiated emotion from mood based on structural differences, such as the
specificity of the targets (e.g., emotions are specific and intense and are a
reaction to a particular event, whereas mood are diffuse and unfocused (George
& Brief, 1995; Frijda, 1987; Clark & Isen, 1982) and timing (e.g.,
emotions are caused by something more immediate in time than moods). Batson and
collegues (1992) differentiated mood, affect and emotion based on functional
differences, like changes in value state (affect), beliefs about future
affective states (mood), and the existence of a specific goal (emotion).
http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/gallery/young/emotion.htm
The second article
talks about how emotions are constructed. In dealing with different types of
emotions through various situations, it is important to maintain a balance in
life. In order to maintain such balance, we must also learn to cope with
different situations properly, and not let the situations take over our lives.
How did emotions arise and assume their
distinctive structures? Fighting, falling in love, escaping predators,
confronting sexual infidelity, experiencing a failure-driven loss in status,
responding to the death of a family member (and so on) each involved
conditions, contingencies, situations, or event-types that recurred innumerable
times in hominid evolutionary history. Repeated encounters with each kind of
situation selected for adaptations that guided information-processing, behavior
and the body adaptively through the clusters of conditions, demands, and
contingencies that characterized that particular class of situation. This could
be accomplished by engineering superordinate programs, each of which jointly mobilizes
a subset of the psychological architecture's other programs in a particular
configuration. Each configuration would be selected to deploy computational and
physiological mechanisms in a way that, when averaged over individuals and
generations, would have led to the most fitness-promoting subsequent lifetime
outcome given that ancestral situation-type.
http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/emotion.html
The next article briefly
talks about the importance of being able to interpret emotions in others, as
well as ourselves. Again, being able to understand different types of emotions,
and dealing with each kind is crucial in keeping a healthy life.
One of the most important skills in emotional
literacy is the ability to correctly perceive feelings, both in oneself others.
If you misperceive feelings in yourself, it will cause you to react in a way
that will likely not get you what you really want.
http://www.kidseq.com/articles.html
When we are able to interpret
and deal with emotions, they will "direct us to important information.
John Mayer and Peter Salovey
"Emotions prioritize thinking by
directing us to important information."
(From
Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications,
p.11)
Nathaniel Branden
Emotionally mature people realize that
others do not exist to meet their needs. (HTS tape)
The next article describes
briefly about a difference in the emotional responses in Chinese people and
American people. The author had concluded that one of the reasons why Chinese
and Americans react differently to certain situations is because they have a
very different perspective toward a value of a person and a group of people.
While some aspects of emotion are very
general across cultures, and possibly even universal, it is also clear that
people's emotional lives are profoundly influenced by the culture to which they
belong, Ellsworth said. Supported by empirical studies of Chinese and American
fourth-graders, seventh-graders and adults, Ellsworth has developed what she
calls "an appraisal theory of emotion." Simply put, "how you
feel depends on what you think is happening," she stated.
Emotions correspond to people's
interpretations of their environment, according to Ellsworth, and either
individual or cultural differences in emotion correspond to differences in
these interpretations.
Ellsworth proposed a hypothesis of
"universal contingency"--if people from different cultures or roles
appraise a situation in the same way, they will feel the same emotion. If they
feel different emotions, it is because they have interpreted the situation differently
in one way or another.
This theory, she maintained, leaves a lot of room for cultural differences in emotions, which obviously exist. In her studies of Chinese and American children and adults, conducted with colleagues Kaiping Peng and Fan Fu-Xi, she began with the idea that differences in how Chinese and Americans reacted emotionally to various situations involving groups and individuals would differ systematically. This is because the American and Chinese cultures place very different emphases on the value of individuals and groups. http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/9798/Mar25_98/fish.html
So, why do we react to
things the way we do? Perhaps understanding how the brain works would help us
better understand the way we live. For instance, malfunction of the Cerebral
Cortex may effect a person's functioning of the threefold self, and the
hierarchy of motives. If the person were not able to learn new information, and
form thoughts, s/he would not be able to develop a motivation to achieve
his/her goals. In fact, s/he wold not be able to make goals without being able
to form thoughts and make decisions. This would be a problem in leading a
healthy life. For another example, malfunction of the frontal lobe would cause
difficulty concentrating. If a student has a hard time concentrating and
maintaining new information due to frontal lobe malfunctioning, his/her goals
of graduating from college and having a career may not be a possible. In order
to avoid such conflicts, it is very important that we take well care of
ourselves by eating nutritious food each day, exercising to keep the oxygen
flowing, and staying away from alcohol and drugs.
Cerebral Cortex
The outermost layer of the
cerebral hemisphere which is composed of gray matter. Cortices are
asymmetrical. Both hemispheres are able to analyze sensory data, perform memory
functions, learn new information, form thoughts and make decisions.
Left Hemisphere
Sequential Analysis: systematic,
logical interpretation of information. Interpretation and production of
symbolic information:language, mathematics, abstraction and reasoning. Memory
stored in a language format.
Right Hemisphere
Holistic Functioning: processing
multi-sensory input simultaneously to provide "holistic" picture of
one's environment. Visual spatial skills. Holistic functions such as dancing
and gymnastics are coordinated by the right hemisphere. Memory is stored in
auditory, visual and spatial modalities.
Frontal Lobe - Front part of the brain;
involved in planning, organizing, problem solving, selective attention,
personality and a variety of "higher cognitive functions" including
behavior and emotions.
The anterior (front) portion of
the frontal lobe is called the prefrontal cortex. It is very important for the
"higher cognitive functions" and the determination of the
personality.
The posterior (back) of the
frontal lobe consists of the premotor and motor areas. Nerve cells that produce
movement are located in the motor areas. The premotor areas serve to modify
movements.
Parietal Lobe
Processing of sensory input, sensory discrimination.
Body orientation.
Primary/ secondary somatic area.
Occipital Lobe
Primary visual reception area.
Primary visual association area:
Allows for visual interpretation.
Temporal Lobe
Auditory receptive area and
association areas.
Expressed behavior.
Language: Receptive speech.
Memory: Information retrieval.
http://www.waiting.com/brainfunction.html
Below is a picture of the
"plain brain" and the "brain after ecstasy". The brain
after ecstasy has many holes in it, which show permanent damages to the brains.
When ecstasy is taken repeatedly, the condition of the brains are the same as a
person who has had a multiple strokes. Those types of serious damage to the
brains could be detrimental to a person's life in many ways. Obviously s/he
would not be able to function properly in everyday life. This is why drugs and
alcohol are threatening to our health and lives.
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/shows/show_ecstasy4.html
The next article simply
distinguishes the difference between sadness and depression. Although it may be
easy for a Psychologist or even a Psychology student to distinguish the two,
perhaps it is not so easy for many people to recognize the difference. Many people
may experience denial of having a depression without even realizing.
Acknowledging the seriousness of depression and understanding the symptoms
would help us in detecting it, so that we would be able to modify our lives to
a more positive one. In the "Daily Emotional Spin-Cycle", a
depressive person would most likely stay in the zone 2 (Negative Blue Self).
S/he would constantly have negative feelings about him/herself, and think
negative thoughts each day. Then, the attitude may even result to negative blue
doing, which may be physical harm to him/herself. This is why we must
understand the cycle and be able to manage our cycle from remaining in the same
zone for a long period of time.
Sadness vs. Depression
Sadness affects us all from time to time. It
is part of the everyday human repertoire. Sadness has many names and
descriptions-people have "the blues," they are "long-faced"
or "under the weather." Sadness is familiar to us, easy to approach.
Depression, on the other hand, can be a paralyzing affliction that has a
drastic impact on daily living.
Sadness is the easier condition to
understand; we've all "been there." There is no stigma associated
with being sad. Sadness is seen, heard and discussed everywhere. We can talk
about it over dinner, at a sporting event, even at work with our colleagues. It
is found in novels and on the silver screen, and television actors suffer
through it on our favorite situation comedy. Because its reach is short,
sadness always remains above the surface, never penetrating through to the
depths of the human psyche.
Depression is a different entity altogether.
It is a serious mental health problem, and fortunately not as commonplace as
sadness. Depression, sometimes called melancholia, is referred to in lay terms
as a "nervous breakdown." Depressed people are not actually broken,
but they are bending downward. And if sadness is like walking through a muddy
swamp, depression is like flailing helplessly in quicksand. When it overtakes
us, we feel powerless, lost, with no options.
http://www.theultimatefirehouse.com/emotional_issues.html
This next article touches on
something new about emotions. It talks about the connections between our
handwriting and the emotions. The author explains that although emotions are
easily hidden and in many occasions non-visible, emotions may be detected in
handwriting by looking at the reflections of the movements recorded on paper.
Perhaps it would be possible to record an Emotional Spin-Cycle of handwriting
in the report 2.
But
these physical signs alone cannot tell us enough because we can all hide our
real feelings rather well. Voices and physical actions can be misleading and
the spoken word can be manipulated in many ways.
There
is a sympathetic resonance in handwriting that reflects the emotions of the
human personality.
In the
act of writing, we make many spontaneous movements. These movements are
recorded on paper and reflect our ever-changing emotions.
Handwriting
is directly connected with our thought process. It is also particularly
responsive to emotions such as sadness or enthusiasm. During the process of
writing, we transfer our feelings onto paper and the words that we have shaped
reflect these emotions.
Excitement,
fear, anxiety, irritability or anger can be seen quite clearly.
This
evidence of emotion in handwriting is genuine. It cannot be falsified. It
remains visible for all to see provided that we can understand the
"code". That is why an understanding of handwriting can be so
valuable.
http://www.graphicinsight.co.za/emotions.htm
This is a definition of what
aggressive driving (a.k.a.: Road Rage) is. Aggressive driving is a product of
the threefold self. For instance, a driver gets cut of on the freeway by
another driver. S/he who got cut off feels upset at the situation (affective),
and thinks to him/herself, "You jerk!" (Cognitive) then tailgates the
driver who cut him/her off (sensorimotor). As Doctor Leon James has mentioned,
threefold self could be positive or negative, and the above example is a
negative threefold self. In order to stay away from this type of cycle, and get
out of the zone 1, the negative red others, we must switch our cycle to a
positive one, such as changing it to a positive red thinking by saying, "I
don't know that s/he meant to cut me off, so I better let it go". This is
much better than tailgating the driver.
Aggressive driving is considered when a
person makes unsafe lane changes. They tailgate other drivers or speed down the
highway at excessive speeds. Aggressive driving is considered a traffic
violation and is handled by the traffic courts.
http://www.fightagainstroadrage.com/
The following article is
interesting, somewhat comical. In Knoxville, road rage is handled by the
civilians through the Internet. They have made a page to post roadrage
incidents on the web, with a space to put down the rager's licensee number.
This, however, sounds like a rage in itself.
Witnessed really bad driving behavior
in the Knoxville area? Ever
been almost run over by another really bad driver? Ever been assaulted
or nearly assaulted by a nutcase?
Ever called the police to report these
people? They are USELESS.
Ever wanted to do something things,
but don't know how?
*** Now,
something can be done!! ***
With a short form, you can keep a record
of the objectional driver for other Knoxvillians to view. Data on these pages
will also be submitted to insurance companies on a regular basis. Now we'll
know to keep away from that idiot with that certain license plate number. If
nothing else, filling out this form and seeing the offending party on the
internet will make us feel better, no?
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/3130/complain.html
This article is about a
possible cure for children with dyslexia and other language related problems.
The solution is a special training of the brain regions, in order to help those
children who have a difficult time reading. The training consist of using
computerized educational games to make physical changes in the brain. If this
is true and the training is affective on those chidden, their lives may have a
brighter outcome. Through the training, the child may learn that s/he is
capable of learning, and such experience may lead to a healthier school life
for him/her. Learning disabilities in children can cause a lot of problems,
such as low self-esteem, losing interest in learning, going to school, and
exploring. These problems then, could lead to further problems, such as
communication problems with others, and depression. In order to avoid such
serious problems, cure for dyslexia and other language related problems are
very important.
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Do genes determine your
brain's abilities, or can you retrain the brain to overcome inherited problems,
such as helping a learning-impaired child to read?
Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich has
proved that special training, targeting specific brain regions, can help some
children with dyslexia and other language-related disabilities to learn.
Sophisticated neural imaging shows the retraining, using computerized
educational games, leads to physical changes in the brain.
If it works for dyslexia, Merzenich
reasons, why not for more profound neurological disorders like autism or
schizophrenia? His theory: Such disorders aren't simply inherited illnesses.
Instead, they're inherited brain weaknesses that turn into full-blown disorders
only when the ever-changing brain essentially gets stuck in the wrong gear -
and that might be possible to reverse.
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/011015/13/brain-training
This article is about a rage
that took place soon after the attack on September 11th. The rage on September
11th caused by the terrorists has started a whole spin cycle of rage that is
even more difficult to control than ever before. Many people seem to be stuck
in the zone 1, negative red others and this is not healthy at all. In this
case, an Arabic person was involved in a rage, as he found the word "Osama"
written on his vehicle. Perhaps yet another small cycle of rage started from
this incident. The victim of the incident may get stuck in the zone 1 as a
result, and may not be able to resolve the matter with positive attitude. We
must all learn to stop such cycle, so that we could continue a better,
healthier emotional cycle throughout the world. This infact, may be the only
solution to stop the world rage in the end.
A University of Southern California
student of Arab descent reported that some someone had scrawled the word
"Osama" in the paint of his car earlier this week. When the student,
whose name was not released, approached his Jeep in the Century Apartments
parking lot Monday afternoon he noticed the vandalism on the back of the
vehicle.
http://news.excite.com/news/uw/011019/university-287
The next one is a forum
written by a former student about a raging situation he was in. This article
shows that maybe when people feel danger or scare, those feelings turn into
rage. In this case, the author, who was crossing the street with a friend, got
upset at a lady who almost ran his friend over. Perhaps he felt scared of his
friend getting hurt, and such feeling turned into a negative red thinking, and
as a result, turned to a negative red doing; yelling at the lady. The author
had the right to feel angry for being in such frightening situation, however,
if he was able to recognize the spin-cycle and the consequence of his actions,
he might have been able to react in a different manner.
AnimalLover 01/23/01 11:38 PM Street
Crossing Rage
Last week I was waiting to cross the
street. At the time there was a there was a bus stopped and a van behind it
that we would need to cross between. When the loght turned to walk my friend
and I started crossing and the lady in the van was talking on her cell phone
and wasn't paying attention so when she saw us crossing she moved forward and
almost hit my friend. I got really mad at her and I swore out loud at her before
I even thought about what I was saying. When I looked at her to see her
reaction she was just staring at me and I just gave her the stink eye right
back. I think that instead of talking on her cell phone she should have been
paying attention to what's going on around her and if not she has no right to
get angry. (Generation 14)
This is a forum about a rage
between the author and the customer at his/her work place. Unfortunately, such
"service rage" takes place all over the place and many times such
rage is caused by angry customers. Why do so many people have rage against
people in the service business? If we managed to understand that a store clerk
is not someone to be bossed around, but s/he is just there to help out, perhaps
the customers would take better care of them. Of course not to say that it is
always the customer's fault, and there are those in service business that do
not know how to provide a pleasant atmosphere. The first step to illuminate
such rage is recognition and consideration toward others.
Watashi_No 01/22/01 7:16 PM
Worker/Customer Rage
How about the rage between customers and
workers? I remember when I used to work at a store and a customer came in and
wanted to have his custard pie cut into pieces. Now it was store policy that we
cannot cut the pies, and I knew this because another person got in trouble for
cutting a pie in the past. I do not know what the big deal was for a policy to
be that we cannot cut the pies but nevertheless there was the policy. The
customer got really angry at me and kept on insisting that I cut his pie, and I
kept on telling him that I couldn't and it was against store policy. He then
started to raise his voice and in a haughty manner he told me that when he came
in before another worker had cut the pie for him. That was the last straw, but
luckily I did not start yelling at him (I really, really wanted to though!!) I
just tossed the pie on the counter and got a knife and cut the pie into really
ugly pieces. At the time, I figured it wasn't worth fighting over, and if I got
fired for that it would have been something so silly to be fired over. He had
kept on insisting and the store policy was "the customer is always
right" so that justified me cutting the pie. Although now when I think
about it was a stupid little thing to argue about on both our parts.
It is easy for us to take
things out on those who are around us, even if they have nothing to do with the
situation that made us upset in the first place. In hierarchy of motives, I
have stated that the motivation of positive doing comes from our value we hold
for those we love, and this includes ourselves. However, when we take things
out on our loved ones for no reason, our motivation to let our frustrations out
may often result in hurting those we actually value. This is something to think
about.
virtual-b 01/22/01 3:50 PM bathroom rage
A friend of mine dragged me to this
boring concert recently. To her, it was pretty good. However when she had to
use the restroom, her mood quickly changed. Apparently, the place was not
adequately equipped with enough toilets for the women. Women sometimes take a
longer time, so lines quickly form outside the restroom. When she came back to
her seat, she was ticked off. She missed a couple of songs that she direly
wanted to hear and vented her rage on me, being that I was a convenient outlet.
Inadequate toilets equals bathroom rage.
This forum suggests a
healthy way of looking at a depression caused by massive schoolwork. Rather
than complaining about all of the schoolwork we have to do, her suggestion is
to look at it from an optimistic point of view. If we start to value our work
and accomplishments, we would be able to appreciate the work, rather than feel
depressed about them.
Depressed, Who Me? Feelings of depression
are common, but fleeting. I find myself getting depressed when I think about
all of the work that I must do. I also get depressed when I realize how little
time I have put aside for this huge task. The way I try to overcome this, is to
think of this class and its homework, as an individual growth experience
instead of just another class. This helps me to keep it in perspective. As I go
through the hours spent on the computer, I get a feeling of satisfaction at
having completed a successful link, and this overrides any feelings of
depression that I may be having at that time. The feeling of satisfaction also
gives me the inspiration that I need to continue through the long hours of work
ahead.
The next forum also suggests
a healthy solution to a road rage. By recognizing our own feelings of rage, and
modifying them, we can begin a positive spin-cycle for ourselves. As a result,
out positive spin-cycle may start a whole new positive cycle while we are on
the road.
shanen 01/31/00 12:46 AM
OC RE: SWR #1 44C2
Drivers going too slow bug me, big time! I
also never tail someone. My cousin did that to someone and the guy slammed on
his brakes, mycousin rear ended him and they almost got into a fight after.
After hearing that I never considered tailing someone. As for defensive
driving, i think that it's a good idea b sometimes you have to realize that a
person's personality, and current state of mind are the factors of what they do
on the road. it may be too late help some people. i just try to be very aware
of what others are doing on the road around me. I can't change the guy driving
next to me, but I think that I can be careful of him if I notice he's not being
a good cooperative driver.
By recognizing other people's
rage while being a passenger of their car may be another way to recognize our
own rage when we are driving. In many cases we often excuse ourselves from
having a rage, which is a type of "self serving bias". If we took
time to recognize those biases, it may help us to become a better driver in the
long run.
Sandee 01/24/00 12:26 AM
SWR #1 44C2
I notice sometimes when I am a passenger
while my boyfriend is driving, he often does not let other cars cut into his
lane. When I asked him why, his reply was, "Cause I didn't feel like
it." But I also noticed that he too tries to cut into the lanes at the
last minute. Why do people do this? I really do not mind letting cars cut in
front of me. And I also believe that some drivers don't notice when a car is
trying to cut in. I too don't let cars into my lane without realizing that the
driver wants to cut in. As for idiot drivers, I can't stand when a car cuts in
front of me on the freeway and drives very slowly. I think that slow cars
should stay in the right lane. Drivers that tail you are idiot drivers too. When
you tail a car, don't drivers realize that this could cause a big accident?
There are many things that we could do to prevent major car accidents. People
should be trained to become more of a defensive drivers.
In this forum discussion,
the author had stated that she would feel guilty if she were to commit an
offense. In her situation, feeling of guilt, which would be under the negative
blue feeling, turned into a positive red doing. This is an example of a healthy
spin-cycle.
Marissa_ 01/29/00 8:58 PM
Exercise 2. TEE Card # 1C1 -- Driving Offenses (SWR)
After reading ‘The Nation’s Top Ten
Driving Offenses’ (TEE Card # 1C1), I observed myself as a driver for a week.
Of all the offenses listed I have not committed a single one. Driving from
Manoa to Pearl City and around town, I am pleased to say that I have been a
good driver. Just because I read the TEE Card before my exercise I did not
change the way I drive to avoid committing an offense. I feel that I do try to
drive with caution, and I try to remain calm while driving. If I were to commit
an offense I would feel guilty. I also had my "driving buddy" read
this TEE Card and help me to keep check.
"I'm a good driver: you're not!"
By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 2000-02-11
Ask British motorists how good their driving
is and they're likely to tell you they're either good or very good. Ask them
about the standards of the other drivers on the roads and the results are very
different. That's the picture that emerges from the most recent Royal
Automobile Club (RAC) Report on Motoring in which a survey shows 78 per cent of
motorists rate their own driving highly whilst few thinks others are very good
behind the wheel. It's also an attitude, one suspects, which might equally well
apply among motorists in any of the industrialized countries.
This next site is all about
driving and it has many articles regarding driving, such as safety, behavior,
environment. I picked some articles from that site, but it is well worth
visiting for your own benefits!
http://www.drivers.com/Top_Training_Advanced_Skills.html
Aggressive driving and road rage: they
aren’t the same
By: Sgt. Robert L. Hohn, Arizona
Department of Public Safety
Date: 2001-10-03
Over the past several years, there
appears to have been an increase in rude, obnoxious, self-centered drivers on
our roadways. The media has dubbed this behavior "road rage."
Naturally this quickly grabs the public’s attention. The terms aggressive
driving and road rage are often used interchangeably, but they are not the
same. There is a major difference between the two.
Aggressive driving
Aggressive driving is a traffic offense
or combination of offenses such as following too closely, speeding, unsafe lane
changes, failing to signal intent to change lanes, and other forms of negligent
or inconsiderate driving. The trigger for the aggressive driver is usually
traffic congestion coupled with a schedule that is almost impossible to meet.
As a result, the aggressive driver generally commits multiple violations in an
attempt to make up time. Unfortunately, these actions put the rest of us at
risk. For example, an aggressive driver who resorts to using a roadway shoulder
to pass may startle other drivers and cause them to take an evasive action that
results in more risk or even a crash. Meanwhile, the offending aggressive drive
continues on his or her way, perhaps oblivious of what he or she has caused.
Rush hour crashes, which are frequently caused by aggressive drivers, are a
major contributor to congestion and 10 percent of these rush hour crashes
contribute to a second crash.
Road rage
Road rage, on the other hand, is criminal
offense. This occurs when a traffic incident escalates into a far more serious
situation. For example, a person may become so angry over an aggressive driving
incident that he or she overreacts and retaliates with some type of violence.
These violent acts may range from a physical confrontation to an assault with a
motor vehicle or possibly a weapon. Often, the roadway incident that caused the
person to become enraged may have been something quite simple and even trivial.
Some incidents, by their very nature, are intentional acts, such as when a
motorist switches from lane to lane in an effort to go around other vehicles.
But others may have been committed unintentionally, such as motorist makes an
abrupt exit from a roadway without properly signaling his or her intent.
Perhaps you have seen this maneuver or even done it yourself when you suddenly
realized you were at your exit.
Getting a Grip on Roadway Anger
Studies Show It Leads to Risky Behavior,
but Therapy Can Help
By Jeanie Davis
WebMD Medical News
April 21, 2000 -- He was a college freshman,
a hothead who drove a pickup, very often on someone's bumper. He sometimes
forced drivers off the side of the road. In his back seat was a baseball bat --
to defend himself, and to threaten those who angered him. One night, a young
girl did just that. She cut him off, trying to pass him on a mountain road.
"I jumped out of truck, had the baseball bat in my hand … and then I
realized how stupid it was," he later told his therapy group. "This
woman was scared to death. She was shaking like a leaf. I threw the baseball
bat back into the truck, then went back and talked to her." "He
changed from public menace to public helper," says the young man's
therapist, Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD, a professor of psychology at Colorado State
University. "He was still mad at the young woman for not passing safely
and bumping his truck, but he calmed himself down. He told us, 'I realized I
didn't have to behave this way.'" So-called "high-anger drivers"
like this young man are twice as likely to engage in risky behavior, like
drinking and driving and driving without seatbelts, Deffenbacher says. They are
also 1.4 times more likely to have accidents or speeding violations. But his
research shows that relaxation therapy can help these drivers feel less angry
and change their dangerous ways. Deffenbacher's paper on hostile drivers
appears in this month's issue of the Journal of Consulting Psychology. He has
spent nearly two decades studying anger and road rage. Road rage takes many
forms, and not all are aggressive, Deffenbacher says. Sometimes, it can simply
make life miserable. One typical scenario involved a woman with a 45-minute
commute in Denver. "She would get so mad on her way to work, it impacted
her work environment for about an hour. She got angry on the way home and
withdrew from her husband and kids, because she would be so tired and
mad," Deffenbacher tells WebMD. The result: "She had stomachaches,
she had headaches. Her doctor said she needed to manage her anger better, that
it was impacting her health. She said, 'I've got to get a handle on this,
because it's impacting my health, and my family doesn't like me any more,
either,'" he says.
Prevent Road Rage
Prevent Escalation
If you are looking for protection from
the road rage of others, your best protection is to:
Stay in the car
Do not respond with an angry gesture or
action. Keep a "SORRY" sign in the car and use it when needed.
Make a "SORRY" Sign
According to a regional survey conducted
by Drs. Arnold P. Nerenberg and R. Jerry Adams, over half of drivers in the USA
suffer from road rage. The average number of incidents per road rager is 27.
That means that most of us will encounter road ragers many times in our lives.
Road rage can lead to injuries or even death. The U.S. Highway Safety Office
has testified to Congress that tens of thousands of accidents each year can be
linked directly to aggressive driving, including road rage, and is now a
leading cause of death for young children. A road rager can become upset
because you accidentally cut in front of him or her, or other reasons that were
not intentional. A key factor in reversing the process is an apology. Over 85
percent of road ragers said that they would drop the matter if the other
"careless" driver simply apologized. Instead, road ragers claim, the
"careless" driver seems to be unconcerned about what they just did
and, therefore, needs to be taught a lesson. In a car, only one method is
effective in conveying an apology: A sign. We have found that it is very
effective in warding off anger. In fact, many drivers actually smile when we
raise a "SORRY" sign to them after we have accidentally done
something wrong. We keep a "SORRY" sign in the map holder on the
driver's door and the passenger's door. It could also be kept under the sun visor
if it is fastened with a clip or rubber band so that it doesn't hit you in the
face when the visor comes down.
How to Make a "SORRY" Sign
The lettering should be thick, such as
"arial rounded bold," and about two inches high. The lettering should
be black and the background should be white. If you print it on regular paper,
then you can have it laminated at a small business service center, such as
Kinko's. Before laminating, cut the paper so that the sign has a border of 3/8
inch around the word "SORRY." Have the sign laminated with a 1/4 inch
border of plastic extending beyond the paper; be sure to round the edges of the
four corners of plastic so that the corners will not be pointed. Use the
heaviest lamination available, a "10" weight, if possible. The completed
sign should be approximately 9 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches high.
SORRY
If it is night time, you may need to turn
on your car's ceiling light so they can see your sign. Start a Road Rage
Prevention Campaign and include information on preventing road rage with the
signs. The money from the sale of the signs could go toward purchasing more
signs or to support the school's other programs. Provide each student in
driver's education with two "SORRY" signs, along with information on
why the signs are important to use. Get a local radio station to sponsor the
purchase of "SORRY" signs (with the understanding that a station logo
will go on each sponsored sign) and to make announcements about the importance
of preventing road rage. Develop a "SORRY" sign template, along with
information on road rage prevention, and pass them out so that students and
their parents can cut out the templates and have them laminated for use in
their cars. Develop a road rage prevention curriculum for inclusion in health
classes, driver's education, or other classes. If you would like assistance
with starting a road rage prevention campaign in your school or community,
contact Dr. Adams through email at adamsjr@mindspring.com for more information.
Dr. Adams also has information on how to obtain "SORRY" signs in
bulk.
Conclusion
Writing this report was very
time consuming, and I went through the emotional spin-cycle as I was conducting
it. In doing so, however, I have gained a better understanding of my own cycle,
and I am able to have more control over it. Also, defining each of the terms;
emotions, feelings, threefold self, and hierarchy of motives, was interesting
because I was able to sort through my mind in order to figure out what they
truly meant to me. Describing those terms in my own words helped me understand
my perspectives better. This, I think is because those terms are so vaguely
used in everyday life, and I never stopped to think about precise definition of
each. I thought that was a great way of educating myself. The overall experience
of this report, even though it was frustrating and tiring at times, was very
positive, and I have learned a lot from this experience.
References
1)
http://trochin.human.cornell.edu/gallery/youung/emotion.htm
2)
www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/emotion.html
4)
www.waiting.com/brainfunction.html
5)
www.pbs.org/inthemix/shows/showecstasy4.html
6)
www.theultimatefirehouse.com/emotionalissues.html
7)
www.graphicinsight.co.za/emotions.htm
8)
www.fightagainstroadrage.com
9)
www.geocities.com/timesquare/castle/3130/complain.html
10)
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/011015/13/brain-training
11)
http://news.excite.com/news/uv/011019/university-287
12)
www.drivers.com/TopTrainingAdvancedSkills.html