Emotional Spin Cycle: Data Collection and Analysis, Psych 409b Spring 2002 Generation 16, Dr. Leon James, Instructor

What is the emotional spin cycle?

As discussed in the annotated bibliography, the emotional spin cycle involves the self and the efferent and afferent information process. Everyone receives informational cues and reacts accordingly to the cognitive scripts that they learn. Behavioral routines become ingrained and are then a part of a person's behavior in how they may react to a situation. Cognitive appraisal is the way the spin cycle incorporates the information that is learned with what is already learned. The spin cycle comes into play as new information is presented before the person. As the information is processed there are four possible options for the person to be in.

A person can be in option 1 which is negative about others (or negative red). This includes feelings of anger, rage, or any other feelings that are negative towards others. The second option can be achieved when one crosses the red bridge to being positive towards the world (their environment).

Option 2 is being understanding to what is happening involving circumstances that are beyond the control of the individual. This means that when someone behaves in a manner that could cause potential misunderstandings, then deciding to be in option 2 is to put into practice the fact that the situation has occurred and to not let the situation or the other person control your feelings. The way the perceiver reacts sets the stage for the events that are to follow. Being positive about others can be beneficial to the way you view your life. When you are able to not let things "boil your blood" (so to speak), you can think clearly and come up with a solution to the problem or find ways to handle the situation without things getting worse.

The next option (3) is negative blue. That is why you hear phrase like "feeling blue" meaning that the negative feelings are directed inward. Feelings of low self worth keep a person in option 3.

It is important to think positive about yourself because if you repeatedly tell yourself that you are stupid or that you never do anything wrong, you will not be able to cross the bridge to option 4. Option 4 is positive about self and being satisfied with who you are.

In understanding what we feel at any given time is important in how we are able to deal with those emotions and with the emotions that other people feel. We are always in situations that require us to deal with emotions. That is part of the socialization of our culture. According to Dennis O'Neil on socialization, there are two ways to socialize. These ways of socialization are formal and informal. Formal learning happens in school and is controlled learning. Whereas informal learning can occur anywhere. Our learning first occurs when we are babies. We learn language and the meaning of language (body and spoken). Different societies have different ways in which they raise their youth and teaching them the value systems of their culture. Our social practices are influenced by the behavior routines that are taught to the younger generations and the cognitive scripts that are passed down effect the cognitive appraisal that children use to deal with their emotions.

The emotional spin cycle in our society can be found in the media in and in everyday life. People are constantly flip flopping through their emotions. Many people are unable to deal with their emotions. As can be seen from the increased rate of divorce in America. People don't know how to deal with their emotions once in a marital relationship. They look for an easy way out and don't deal with the emotions they feel towards each other. These types of behavioral routines are taught to children. The children then subconsciously learn to not deal with their emotions and to find ways to get out of the situation without really addressing the problem.

People are becoming more aware of the concepts of emotional intelligence and are trying to integrate the ideas into society. As more research is done on the importance of understanding emotion then more people can become educated about it. Emotional intelligence is a part of the spin cycle because being emotionally intelligent is the ability to bridge and think beyond the situation to be able to solve the problem.

Steps that can be taken to help future generations (according to "Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life") is to educate the population, both young and old. Emotional intelligence can be integrated in formal education and informal education. The younger in age a person learns, the better off they are in becoming emotionally intelligent because it will become part of their cognitive scripts.

The Threefold Self:

The threefold self is a description of the three parts that a person is. The threefold self includes the affect, cognitive, and sensorimotor behavior. These three parts are combined and work together to process information. The threefold self is the means by which a person functions in dealing with their thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

The affect is the part of the threefold self that is the feeling part of the self. What we feel can be difficult to identify. Our feelings describe the types of emotions we are experiencing at a given time.

The cognitive behavior is the thinking that goes on when you experience an emotion. Thoughts get processed through your brain and that is what is refered to as your cognition. Your cognitive behavior can be changed to be able to switch options and bridge over to a positive state of mind.

Sensorimotor behavior includes the motor skills associated with behavior. After you think about what you are feeling, then you are able to act out on those feelings. This part of the self is the physical part of the threefold self.

When first learning about the threefold self it was all new to me. It was a different way to think about each person as having themselves divided as three sections working together. It is useful to think of behavior in the threefold self because it is easier to figure out which behavior to change when behavior needs adjusting. Instead of changing behavior that is good to get to the behavior that is harmful, working out the boundaries of the threefold self is beneficial. A person can then be in control of their emotions and adjust their affect or cognition to act out appropriately and in a positive manner. The threefold self does apply to what I know about myself and others. I am now aware of my behavior that is inward and physical. I am more conscious of what is going on inside my mind while I'm feeling emotions. I can then get myself to think positively to feel better or to do things in a way that is not negative.

Thinking of the self in the threefold way fits into Psychology. Psychology is about the mind and how it effects the body from the cognition to the motor skills involved.

Observations of myself were not easy to do at first. It is not an easy thing to monitor your thoughts and feelings. It is easier to keep track of what you do because it is an outward behavior that you can observe and so can others. But what goes on inside your mind is fleeting and can be easily overlooked.

The baseline-intervention is a way to change a given behavior at the beginning stages of the behavior so that it does not escalate to the undesired behavior. The idea behind this is to be able to incorporate the spin cycle into your life so that you can benefit from the concepts behind controlling your emotions. Like any problem, you want to be able to catch the cause of the situation so that negative feelings don't build up to a point where it is difficult to change.

The bridge technique derives it's meaning from the word bridge. A bridge is used to get from one point to another point that seems to be out of reach, but with a bridge can be attained. The same is so with the bridge in the emotional spin cycle. The point you may be at is being in the negative red or negative blue. The point you want to get to is to be in the positive red and positive blue. Without the use of the bridge there seems to be no way to get from option 1 to 2 and from option 3 to 4. This is because there is no way to go from self destructive thinking to emotionally intelligent thinking without the aid of the bridge to understand that the emotions you may feel towards someone are based on rage, anger, jealousy, or envy.

Therefore, with the bridge one is able to understand that they are feeling these emotions and are able to logically reason out why they feel the way they do and how they should really see the situation or the person. I have bridged before but I never knew that it was a term that was accepted with others until now. I usually think out my problems and I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I try to focus on the good things in life because I noticed that people who always saw the bad in people and in their own lives were dissatisfied with the outcomes of life.

The emotional spin cycle, as mentioned in the beginning, is important in understanding the threefold self. The emotional spin cycle is referring to the emotions that we go through each day. We have hundreds of thoughts that race through our mind. In each day we are constantly cycling from negative thoughts to positive thoughts back to negative thoughts and so on. The word spin is used because we keep going around and around. The word cycle is used because there is a consistency to our emotions in situations because of our cognitive scripts.

The cycle we go through is based on the habits that we form. We are used to certain events happening in our lives that the way we deal with situations is the same and we don't always think if it is the best possible way to handle the emotions that come from the situation. That is why it is vital to change the habits so that the way people deal with emotions is on a healthy level of understanding who you really are.

I think that hormones and bodily differences effect the way men and women deal with emotions. Also, I think societies sex roles play a part in how children are raised to deal with their emotions. Biologically we are already prone to be more or less emotional than the next person. Some people have more estrogen/testosterone or less than others. So then women are usually more sensitive to the feelings they have and the feelings other people have. Women tend to have more of a nurturing side to take care of the young. Men have a tendency to be the providers and protect the family from harm and hunger. So that means that men and women need to deal with their emotions differently to be able to fulfill these roles that are laid down before them.

Society influences the way girls and boys deal with hurt, anger, and disappointment. Society tells girls that it is ok to publicly show their emotions and to be sensitive. Whereas boys are encouraged to be tough and "suck it up" so as not to be seen as weak.

These influences all attribute to the differences between boys and girls who grow up to be men and women. As men and women, though, we are expected to readily be able to deal with emotions in the workplace, between friends, and at home.

1) What was my overall stress point today: (1=very weak; 10=extreme)

2)What was my overall level of satisfaction with myself today: (1=very weak; 10=extreme)

3) What was my overall level of dissatisfaction with others today: (1=very weak; 10=extreme)

4) What was my overall level of coping successfully with my feelings today:(1=very ineffectual; 10=extremely effective)

5) What is my current level of hope for the future: (1=little hope or brightness; 10=extremely hopeful and bright)

6) What was the worst level of negativity or selfishness of some other people around you (1=almost no negativity or selfishness observed; 10=extremely strong negative or selfish behavior observed)

These ratings were used to assess the various feelings and emotions that were felt during the experiment period. Having a rating scale is always important for taking data because there needs to be a measure of what the abstract concept is, so that the people reading the findings can conceptualize the degree of difficulty or emotion that was felt. Emotions and thoughts are so hard to measure that is there is a scale used amongst experimenters then the data taken is at the same level of understanding and depth.

Another scale that could have been used is finding when the stress/dissatisfied points were in the day (early,midday, or late). Also, was the stress caused by self or by others. Depending on what information one is looking for does the scale fit to find out that type of information.

Keeping track of my spin cycle and emotions was not easy, but it was possible.

**Start Here**

My grandma just doesn't want to listen! I am finally home for dinner and I end up cooking for the family. My grandma is being stubborn and doesn't want to eat all her dinner. She really needs to eat because she isn't getting enough nutrients, but she doesn't want to listen to either me or my parents. Since I'm intervening in my behavior I calm myself down and remind myself that my grandma is like a little child. Her mentality is not where it use to be and she is extremely forgetful. I also remind myself to be grateful that she is a healthy as she is now and not needing too much assistance to do the simple tasks of the day (like using the restroom).

**Stop Here**

As discussed earlier with the emotional spin cycle, the bridge technique is used to go from option 1 to 2 and 3 to 4. It is an important part of the spin cycle because it allows a person to chose which option they want to be in. It also allows them to take control of the situation and not let negative emotions rule their thoughts.

I used the bridge technique during my observations in my red zones and blue zones (zones meaning positive and negative). During my red zones my bridge was used more to calm myself down and to put aside my selfish intentions and to be more open to listen to what other people were saying. Especially to bridge to hear why they were talking to me.

The bridge technique can only work if the participant is willing to cross over to the desired option. If the person wants to steep in their anger or self hatred, there is no outsider who can really change that person's mind. So in using the bridge technique one has to keep an open mind and get to the point of wanting to change their negative behavior.

I did want to change my behavior because it would be beneficial to all involved. So the bridging was effective (mostly visible with my red bridge). It was hard to really see the effects of the bridge from going from option 3 to 4 because it was so early in the morning for me that I was not totally functioning yet. The evidence of the bridge in action though for the blue bridge was when I got to school at the desired time and got a good parking space because of it. Being early then allowed me to be in the positive blue because I would be able to get studying done in the morning and have a healthy breakfast. Not feeling rushed then made my day go a lot smoother and I felt more in control of the events in my schedule.

I was not always willing to apply the bridge because of my short temper or from being rushed to get things done.

The origins of my weaknesses and resistances are from my sinful nature. I, like every human, am resistant to change and easily give into what my lazy flesh wants to do. I am strengthed by my faith in God to overcome my flesh and temptation to be mean or any other sin.

I would try to help my friends and family understand the emotions that they are feeling when they are upset and ready to explode, by focusing on the real reason they feel this way and not at the situational emotions. At times, people let their emotions build up and take out their feelings on innocents because they did not deal with the negative emotions right away or with the person the emotions need to be dealt with.

I think people are open to learning more about what is going on inside their minds because they want to be satisfied with their lives and to enjoy being in the company of others. People want acceptance and to be a part of a group (whether it is co-workers, friends, family, or a significant other).

So in order to help people learn this technique, you have to be able to reach them on the level of emotional understanding that they are at. People who are willing to change can benefit from the bridge technique. Yet there are those who refuse to accept that their lifestyle needs adjustment and push away help to being a happier, pleasant person.

The limitations that the bridge technique has is that the participant has to fully want to bridge. Also, there are some people who are able to keep themselves in the positive zones and so they are not as perceptual to their emotions because they may repress negative thoughts that do need to be dealt with (like the loss of a loved one). It is hard to always know your weaknesses that need working on because we think highly of ourselves and overlook our weak points.

Understanding myself with the four options:

I was able to look at the situations with my grandma in a way that made me realize that she is getting older and is not the way she was when she first came to live with my parents. I know that it is a choice to stay in a negative zone, just as much as it is a choice to be in the positive zones. It is not always easy to chose because we have temporary satisfaction in thinking negatively. In the end, if we stay in the negative zones we end up harming ourselves more than the other party involved because they don't know that you feel that way. That is something I remember my parents always telling me - that what good does it do to be upset about something if you aren't gonna say or do anything to solve the problem because the other person is unaware of what you are feeling unless you tell them. So it really doesn't do you anygood to let the issue linger in your mind.

My strengths and weaknesses:

What I learned about myself was that I was able to bridge when it came to doing it to get along with others. It was a lot more difficult to bridge for myself in crossing the blue bridge because the way I saw it was that I was only harming myself. My boyfriend helped me to realize that since I am important in his life that what I did to myself also effected him. So now it is easier for me to bridge from option 3 to 4 because I am also causing hurt to someone else by not taking care of myself or thinking bad thoughts towards myself.

My strengths are that I tend to sacrifice for others. I guess this could be a weakness too, but I have come to the point to where I know I need to say NO sometimes. That I cannot be all things to all people,but that what I can do for people then it will be my best efforts. I get my strength from God and that is why I am able to know my limits.