Report #2
Customizing My Emotional Spin
Cycle:
Data Analysis
409b—Fall
2001—G15
Dr. Leon James,
Instructor
By: Shell87
Date: November 26, 2001
Link to report instructions:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy15/g15report2.html
Introduction
To understand report
#2, you must first be introduced to report #1 my Annotated Bibliography. In report #1 my “Annotated Bibliography” the
purpose of the report was to explain the emotional spin cycle that every person
faces on a moment to moment basis, whether they realize what is going on or
not. The emotional spin cycle consists
of four zones, two positive zones, two negative zones, a self zone and an other‘s zone. Within each zone there are three settings
consisting of the threefold self, the affective (feeling), the cognitive
(thinking) and the sensorimotor (doing) setting. After I understood the concept of the emotional spin cycle and
was able to recognize how my own emotional spin cycle went through changes
throughout the day, I had to look on the internet for other sources that
recognize any part of the emotional spin cycle. I looked on websites that were from past generations of Dr.
James, some news media websites and any other websites that happen to mention
any part of the cycle.
If you would like to
see report #1 my “Annotated Bibliography” to better understand the whole
emotional spin cycle concept you can click on this link:
Now that you may have
a little better understanding of the emotional spin cycle and the various
elements that make up this concept the next step is report #2 “Customizing My
Emotional Spin Cycle: Data Analysis.”
In report #2 I had to collect data for a week of my own personal
emotional spin cycle, during the morning, afternoon and night and during each
time of the day I had to be aware of one affective, one cognitive and one
sensorimotor cycle of the same time.
After week one of my data collection I had to analyze my cycles
throughout the week and become further aware of when I was in a negative self
or other’s zone. After becoming aware
of the usual times that I was in any of the negative zones, I needed to somehow
manage to try to change many of those negative affective, cognitive and or
sensorimotor setting into the positive zones of my emotional spin cycle. In week two of my data collection I used my
week one morning, afternoon and night times that were similar and tried to
become aware of my emotional spin cycle at the same times.
The purpose of the
overall data collection was to give myself the opportunity to learn how to
control my own daily emotional spin cycle by going through three steps known as
the Threestep Method also known as the AWM method. The AWM method is a method that Dr. James advised us to use while
analyzing our data from week one, in this methods there are three questions
that you have to take into consideration while doing the analysis and data
collection for week two. The questions are:
1-Acknowledge that I need to gain better
control over my negative spin cycle.
2-Witness my threefold self in the negative
spin cycle settings through objective self-monitoring or self-observation methods
of data collection.
3-Modify my spin cycle in one selected area,
and then I start again in another area.
If you would like to
have a better understanding of the instructions and process of the Threestep
method also known as the AWM method please click on this link:
GENERAL
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPORTS
If you would like to
have a better understanding of the overall instructions of this report #2,
please click on this link:
Data Collection and Analysis
Week 1: Sampling and differentiating
Data Analysis I
Psychology 409b
11/11-11/17
Sunday:
Morning-
time: 11:34a.m
place: home
affective (feeling): I woke up feeling very fustrated
cognitive (thinking): I am
thinking of the upcoming week and everything I need to get done!
sensori-motor (doing): I am
staring at the T.V. but not really watching anything on the screen.
Afternoon-
time: 1:26p.m.
place: Mom’s house
affective (feeling): Bored and indecisive
cognitive (thinking): I’m thinking of everything that I need to
get done –papers to write
- 3 more
loads of laundry
-study for
Psy. 212 exam
sensori-motor (doing): folding
one for four loads of laundry.
Night-
time: 9:55p.m
place: home
affective (feeling): Restless, I can’t sleep
cognitive (thinking): I want to
go out to forget about school!
sensori-motor (doing): Lying in
bed, tossing and turning.
*Global Ratings:
1-
6
2-
3
3-
3
4-
2
5-
4
6-
4
Monday:
Morning-
time: 8:19a.m
place: home
affective (feeling): Very irritated
cognitive (thinking): I really
should begin studing for my test, but I really don’t want to.
sensori-motor (doing): Sitting
in bed looking at my school bag.
Afternoon-
time: 12:14 p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Overwhelmed
cognitive (thinking): There are
too many topics that I need to focus on “I going to flunk this test!”
sensori-motor (doing): Looking
at my notes, important questions and my previous test.
Night-
time: 11:03p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Mentally drained and overstimulated
cognitive (thinking): My brain
won’t sleep but my body is really tired.
sensori-motor (doing): I am tossing and turning in bed, “I just can’t
relax.”
*Global Ratings:
1-
8
2-
4
3-
3
4-
4
5-
4
6-
4
Tuesday:
Morning-
time: 7:35a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Anxious
cognitive (thinking): I just want to get this test over with!
sensori-motor (doing): I am looking over my notes for the test for
the last time, my leg won’t stop shaking!
Afternoon-
time: 1:27 p.m.
place: Psy.409 class
affective (feeling): Bored
cognitive (thinking): I would rather be at home on my computer
getting my next assignments started.
sensori-motor (doing): Hearing what the presenter is saying, but
not listening.
Night-
time: 10:03 p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Extremely tired
cognitive (thinking): I wonder why my boyfriend is because he was
supposed to be finished with work 45 min. ago?!
sensori-motor (doing): Calling his cellular phone for the third
time in the past twenty minutes.
*Global Ratings:
1-
5
2-
3
3-
4
4-
4
5-
5
6-
4
Wednesday:
Morning-
time: 8:40a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Well rested and relaxed
cognitive (thinking): Today will be a good day! I can relax in my first class because we
have group presentations.
sensori-motor (doing): Getting ready for school, putting on my
make-up.
Afternoon-
time: 2:57p.m.
place: work
affective (feeling): Happy and giddy
cognitive (thinking): Children are so innocent, they make me
laugh!
sensori-motor (doing): Watching my Kindergartener’s play with the
indoor games.
Night-
time: 8:25p.m.
place: night class
affective (feeling): Bored and restless
cognitive (thinking): Why are we reviewing the same things for the
fourth time?
sensori-motor (doing): Ignoring my teacher and playing with my
pencil case.
*Global Ratings:
1-
3
2-
5
3-
4
4-
4
5-
5
6-
3
Thursday:
Morning-
time: 9:43a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Lazy
cognitive (thinking): Opps!
I missed class.
sensori-motor (doing): Lying in bed and watching T.V.
Afternoon-
time: 3:47p.m.
place: work
affective (feeling): Energetic and well-rested
cognitive (thinking): Life was so easy when we were young!
sensori-motor (doing): Cut and paste project with my Kindergartener’s.
Night-
time: 6:11p.m.
place: Jamie’s house
affective (feeling): Unmotivated
cognitive (thinking): I really don’t want to go to my night class!
sensori-motor (doing): Sitting in Jamie’s room debating whether or
not I should go to class.
*Global Ratings:
1-
8
2-
3
3-
2
4-
2
5-
4
6-
5
Friday:
Morning-
time: 9:08a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Unmotivated
cognitive (thinking): I don’t want to go to school!!!!
sensori-motor (doing): Very slowly getting ready for school.
Afternoon-
time: 4:47p.m.
place: work
affective (feeling): Tired and grouchy
cognitive (thinking): I can’t deal with these kids today, “they
are out of control!”
sensori-motor (doing): yelling at the kids to be quiet!
Night-
time: 12:30a.m.
place: Blue Tropics
affective (feeling): Slightly intoxicated and extremely relaxed
and happy!
cognitive (thinking): I love spending time with my girls.
sensori-motor (doing): Dancing with my friends.
*Global ratings:
1-
2
2-
5
3-
6
4-
6
5-
7
6-
4
Saturday:
Morning- ------------------
time: --------------------
place: --------------------
affective (feeling): --------------------
cognitive (thinking): --------------------
sensori-motor (doing): Sleeping!
Afternoon-
time: 1:56p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Drained and tired
cognitive (thinking): I should have come home earlier last night, “now
my whole day is wasted!”
sensori-motor (doing): Laying in bed falling in and out of sleep.
Night-
time: 7:43p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Bored and tired
cognitive (thinking): Where is my boyfriend he called twenty
minutes ago saying he was on his way home?
sensori-motor (doing): Cleaning our room.
*Global Ratings:
1-
7
2-
4
3-
3
4-
2
5-
4
6-
4
Analysis of week one:
After looking at my
data analysis sheet that I made for myself I became aware that I was usually in
the positive zones of self and other’s during the morning hours, while toward
the middle and end of the day I slowly began to move into the negative zone and
kind of stayed there for the remainder of the day. I noticed that when I was tired my emotional spin cycle headed
toward the negative zones and I became more irritable and bored. After each day
I did a global rating and I noticed that although my highest point of stress
was usually not rated very high, I am usually more productive during the
mornings and am more successful in coping with my feelings at this point. I get into the negative zones and feel more
negativity or selfish of some other people toward the latter part of the
day.
I noticed that throughout
my week I had a few recurrent social settings as well as recurrent emotional
spin cycle emotions. Some of my
recurrent social settings were, school and work which were usually around the
time when my spin cycle would change toward the negative zones. Some of my recurrent emotions were usually
negative, I rarely had any positive emotions in my weekly spin cycle, and they
usually were boredom, laziness and tired.
With these recurrent cycles that I have become aware of I chose to try
in week two to change and modify my affective, cognitive and sensorimotor
aspects of my emotional spin cycle during the afternoons at work and at
school. I will try to focus to change
being lazy and bored first of all and if the is successful then I was going to
try to change other aspects of my weekly spin cycle. I used the bridge technique to move from the negative to the
positive. I can either use the red
bridge technique, which is going from emotionally impaired thoughts to
emotionally intelligent thoughts, which is good. I can also use the blue bridge, which involves going from
pessimistic and cynical thoughts to optimistic and realistic thoughts. By using either one of these two techniques
I will try to change my negative emotional spin cycle to a more positive
emotional spin cycle.
Week 2: Modifying and Re-sampling
Data Analysis II
Psychology 409b
11/18-11/24
Sunday:
Morning-
time: 10:14a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Lazy, but motivated to do something,
anything.
cognitive (thinking): I need to get up and start cleaning our room
better and our bathroom.
sensori-motor (doing): Inching my way slowly out of bed.
Afternoon-
time: 2:33p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Alright
cognitive (thinking): Don’t forget, I need to go to my Mom’s house
for family dinner.
sensori-motor (doing): Throwing laundry from the floor into the
hamper.
Night-
time: 6:44p.m.
place: Mom’s house
affective (feeling): Appreciated
cognitive (thinking): It’s nice to finally realize that my family
likes spending time with me.
sensori-motor (doing): Enjoying dinner with my family.
*Global Ratings:
1-
4
2-
7
3-
3
4-
4
5-
6
6-
5
Monday:
Morning-
time: 10:31a.m.
place: Psy. 220 class
affective (feeling): Aha…I get it!
cognitive (thinking): I’m glad that she changed her style of
lecturing, now I understand, “finally!”
sensori-motor (doing): Actually taking notes.
Afternoon-
time: 3:22p.m.
place: work
affective (feeling): Fortunate
cognitive (thinking): I’m so lucky to ba able to make a difference
in these children’s lives!
sensori-motor (doing): Watching and helping them do their homework.
Night-
time: 11:02p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Tired
cognitive (thinking): Need to sleep, so I can wake up feeling good
tomorrow.
sensori-motor (doing): Lying in bed.
*Global Ratings:
1-
3
2-
5
3-
6
4-
5
5-
5
6-
2
Tuesday:
Morning-
time: 8:34a.m.
place: school
affective (feeling): Elated!!!
cognitive (thinking):Studying really
does help!
sensori-motor (doing): Walking to my next class after checking my
grade for the exam I took in week before…I got a “B.”
Afternoon-
time: 2:16p.m.
place: Psy. 409 class
affective (feeling): Enlightened
cognitive (thinking): I need to realize that I have done so many
great things in my life, so far!
sensori-motor (doing): Engaging in class discussion.
Night-
time: 7:57p.m.
place:Mom’s house
affective (feeling): Less fustrated
cognitive (thinking): I’m glad that I have the chance to vent in
my forum discussions.
sensori-motor (doing): Typing my forum #3.
*Global Ratings:
1-
2
2-
8
3-
8
4-
7
5-
6
6-
2
Wednesday:
Morning-
time: 10:52a.m.
place: Psy. 220 class
affective (feeling): Excited
cognitive (thinking): 4-day weekend, no school on Thursday and Friday!
sensori-motor (doing): Sitting in class.
Afternoon-
time: 4:17p.m.
place: work
affective (feeling): Happy
cognitive (thinking): My Kindergartener’s are so funny!
sensori-motor (doing): Walking around campus on a “Turkey Parade.”
Night-
time: 9:08p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Excited
cognitive (thinking): No school tomorrow, I can go out tonight!
sensori-motor (doing): Cleaning our room.
*Global Ratings:
1-
2
2-
6
3-
6
4-
7
5-
7
6-
2
Thursday:
Morning-
time: 9:36a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Happy
cognitive (thinking): Remember we have to pick up the turkey at
10:30!
sensori-motor (doing): Getting ready to leave the house.
Afternoon-
time: 1:26p.m.
place: Mom’s house
affective (feeling): Helpful and thankful!
cognitive (thinking): I’ll help my mom because she’s been working
so hard cooking all day.
sensori-motor (doing): Stirring the gravy on the stove.
Night-
time: 6:27p.m.
place: Dad’s house
affective (feeling): Very appreciative for my family!
cognitive (thinking): I really enjoy seeing my whole family
together like this.
sensori-motor (doing): Playing a game with my cousin’s.
*Global Ratings:
1-
1
2-
8
3-
7
4-
7
5-
8
6-
2
Friday:
Morning-
time: 11a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Tired
cognitive (thinking): I shouldn’t have eaten so much yesturday, “but
it was for a special occasion.”
sensori-motor (doing): Lying in bed.
Afternoon-
time: 2:47p.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): I’m so lazy
cognitive (thinking): I have to get up and do something.
sensori-motor (doing): Enjoying spending the day at home with my
boyfriend.
Night-
time: 12:08a.m.
place: airport
affective (feeling): Safe
cognitive (thinking): I really don’t like all the security , but
it makes me feel safe.
sensori-motor (doing): Circling the airport for the third time,
waiting for my boyfriends parent’s to come out of the terminal.
*Global ratings:
1-
3
2-
5
3-
3
4-
5
5-
6
6-
3
Saturday:
Morning-
time: 8:39a.m.
place: home
affective (feeling): Okay!
cognitive (thinking): I need to get out of the house!
sensori-motor (doing): Getting my laundry together to take to my
Mom’s.
Afternoon-
time: 3:58p.m.
place: Jamie’s house
affective (feeling): Happy
cognitive (thinking): I really enjoy spending time with my
friends.
sensori-motor (doing): Talking with Jamie about her new love
interest.
Night-
time: 10:27p.m.
place: Ryan’s Bar and Grill
affective (feeling): Giddy
cognitive (thinking): I’m glad that I’m actually out of the house
and really going out, out tonight.
sensori-motor (doing): Sipping my glass of Reisling.
*Global Ratings:
1-
3
2-
5
3-
6
4-
6
5-
7
6-
2
Analysis of week two:
In the analysis of
week two I tried to use the bridge technique to modify and change my negative
emotional aspects of my emotional spin cycle.
As I have mentioned above I tried to change my afternoon and night, at
school and at work emotions because those were when I was usually in the
negative zones. If you notice from the
above data analysis collection sheet I seemed to be a little more positive
emotionally in the afternoon and the night.
It was hard trying to do something that I was not used to because I am
usually used to going with my negative emotions and running with it. I feel that the bridge technique was a good
one to help guide me to move from the negative to the positive. Overall I feel that as a conscious
modification I was quite successful, but I don‘t think that I will probably
employ this technique to my everyday life because it takes too much of a
conscious effort, but I‘m sure that once I get used to changing and modifying
my emotions from negative to positive this techniques would be quite effective.
Discussion
I think that the most
effective part of this customizing my emotional spin cycle project was the use
of self-observation as a form of really being able to recognize how I actually
went throughout my day affectively, cognitively and in my sensorimotor settings
of my emotional spin cycle. I found
that it was actually quite sad that I spent more of my day in the negative zone
of the emotional spin cycle. It was
great to learn of the bridge technique to help aid me to move from the negative
zones to the positive zones because it really did work. Although the bridge technique is effective,
I thought that for me it took a little too much effort consciously to actually
change my threefold self. Don’t get me
wrong this project of data analysis is very useful and quite effective, I am
glad that I had the opportunity to realize and become aware of exactly how my
own personal spin cycle works and changes on a moment to moment basis, it’s
amazing! I highly recommend this
project to anyone who really wants to understand their own emotional spin cycle,
as long as you are willing to admit that there are aspects about your threefold
self that you need to change, the project can only help you for the
better.
Conclusion
I noticed that
although I was trying to make a conscious effort to change my negative zone
emotions into positive zone emotions I couldn’t help but think that the only
reason I was changing my emotions from negative to positive was because of this
project, not really because I thought they were initially bad. I am sure that this bridge technique is
quite effective when it is used with people who really are dedicated to change
their negative emotions, but as for me other than a school project I had no
real desire to change my negative emotions toward a more positive emotion. The overall technique was effective but I
feel that it took too much of a conscious effort for my to be able to employ it
into my everyday life. This technique
would definitely work as a great behavior modification treatment as well as an
overall self-assessment technique because people who seek help are willing to
change and will stick to this type of technique. If you have any questions or comments about this project or
website please feel free to e-mail me at the link below.
References
2-General
Instructions for Reports
3-Report #1: Annotated Bibliography
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