By: Kristin Ching
Dr. Leon James, Instructor

Instructions for this Report

Introduction

 

Summary and Highlights of My Annotated Bibliography

We were then given four query statements:  cognitive scripts, behavioral routines, cognitive appraisal and emotional intelligence for which we researched on the internet.  Each of the four query statements were required to have five different resources that we read in order to better understand how they relate to the Spin Cycle.  We then defined these terms in our own words and related them to the spin cycle with an example from our everyday lives.

The annotated bibliography section of report one lists the hits we reviewed for each of the four query statements.  It gives a brief overview of the site and how it relates to the spin cycles as we see it.

The last section of report on is simply a bibliography which links back to the actual article we researched.  This is helpful for anyone who may want to read the article in full as well as give credit where credit is due.
 
 

Everyday we see how people go about their daily lives and interact with one another.  In turn , we see what works and what doesn't .  A lot of what we learn has to do with observing what pays off and the habits that we form.  Many people respond to certain situation in inappropriate ways because they know what response or action will result in reward.  We have become victims of the social norms of  our society whether we choose to see it or not. 

Many of the articles I found on the web discuss the idea that we respond to certain situations with aggression because it is how we have learned to deal with things.  We are repeatedly exposed to people who deal with situations using aggression and we see that being aggressive gets the job done.  We, in turn, react to our own situations with aggression be cause we want the same results.  Thus, the cycle continues. 

Another aspect we must take in to consideration is that we are being brought up in a time where we are taught to strive and succeed.  In order to do this we must not let people take advantage of us and we must stand up for ourselves.  In many cases this comes across at aggression. 

So you see, we have been socialized to behave in this manner.  The problem is that it has gotten out of hand.  For this reason we now have anger management classes, self  help books, psychologists and psychiatrists to help keep our aggression under control.  We need to end the cycle of aggression  and become a society socialized to be less aggressive.
 
 

Most of the web sights I researched dealt with increasing employee moral as  well as profit with effective interpersonal relations.  These sites discussed training for those from the very top of the ladder to the very bottom.  CEO's need to learn effective communication as to avoid relaying the message of cold and uncaring.  Managers also need to learn how to effectively communicate with their staff and the staff need to learn how to communicate with each other.  These personal relationships are an integral part of any company.

The web sites also implied that our interpersonal relationships are important during our earlier ages.  One of the sites discusses bullying.  Children  who are considered bullies usually come from homes where aggression is prevalent.  Thus, the interpersonal skills of the bully child become limited to aggressive acts.  This needs to be resolved for both the bullier and the victim in order to prevent damage in the long run.
 
 

The web sites discuss the pressures placed on people in the work place, children, parents as well as your everyday person.  Again , the sites imply that we have an enormous amount of stressor and we lack the necessary tools to effectively deal with stress.

Many believe that stress is inevitable, but fact of the matter is that stress can be reduced if we become better educated on the proper ways to do so.  We are education in many things but stress reduction is often neglected.  It seems like such a small factor but stress can lead to physical as well as mental illness.
 
 

Conflict is everywhere.  It is the reason relationships don't last, countries go to war and people get hurt.  Finding ways to avoid conflict is something that has not been stressed but needs to be.  Not only do we have conflict with others but with ourselves as well.  We have trouble deciding what is right and what is wrong.  When the stress of these kinds of decisions becomes to much to handle we turn to other means: drugs, aggression etc.
 
 

People don't make a conscious effort to control their emotions but need to take the first step by identifying the problem. In many cases people in our society choose not to be positive in certain situations because the outcome is not as gratifying as it would be if they were negative.  Sometimes yelling at a person to get them to stop treating you badly gives us instant gratification.  So instead of trying to be positive we choose to be negative because its fast and easy.  This is perhaps the problem with society today.  We are son concerned with what works that we, in many cases, fail to see what works best.

We as a society need to become better informed about emotional intelligence. Not only will it make life easier and less stressful but it will also keep us physically healthier.  We learn a lot of things in school theses days, but the spin cycle is not one of those things.  Perhaps it should be.  If we begin educating  children at an early age perhaps negative emotions and violence can be significantly reduced. 

In the long run, I think we as a society will be come better education on emotional intelligence but like anything else it will take time.  Eventually, emotional intelligence will be taught as often as math and our children will be better for it.
 
 

For now, all we can do is work with what we have and build upon the foundation that already exists.  Classes such as this, books, papers and articles that have been written and continued studies are the hope of emotional intelligence.
 
 

Data Collection and Analysis

My Threefold Self

With in the threefold self are two arenas that we function in daily.  The first area is the arena of others and the world and the second is the self .  When functioning in either arena we can be either negative or positive zone.  Below are some examples of the positive and negative spin cycle to better your understanding or you can find more information in Dr.  James' general instructions.

In the two arenas, others/world and self contain four life arenas  of daily life called the four options.  We call them options because we have the ability to choose which life arena to function in at any particular time in any given situation.  The nature/nurture controversy comes in to play at this point because in most cases people react to certain situations automatically and the reactions are usually negative.  Fact of the matter is that we have the ability to choose to function in the positive.  An example of this control would be to calmly explain a situation to a person who has just yelled at you instead of automatically yelling back at them.

Many people, myself included, are aware of the concept of self control, we simply choose not to use it.  Now, Dr. James' description of the threefold self has put a name to those behaviors that seem so difficult to control.  Instead of categorizing these kinds of "automatic" behaviors as self controlling issues there is a more detailed way to describe the process of our reactions to situations. 

It is surprising that more psychology text books don't discuss emotional intelligence issues.  It seems like a very relevant issue for psychology majors as well as other areas of study.  If more students were educated on emotional intelligence issues and the spin cycle then perhaps there would be campuses full of stress free positive students.
 
 

While I am on the phone with a user I am very calm and composed, but as soon as I hang up the phone all the anger that has built up inside over the course of the phone conversation comes pouring out.  In many cases I find myself slamming the phone back on the receiver and in extreme situations I begin to vent to one of my co-workers.  This seems to happen very often (at least once or twice a day) and I would like to alter my choice from negative options to positive ones.

The design of this project begins with six days of baseline oberservations (the baseline obervations are described in the next section).  The first three days consist of obervations of the negative red and the last three days consist of observation form the negative blue.  Then, for another six days we were reuired to perform intervention or the bridge technique the first three days for the negative red and the next three for the negative blue.  Each day we kept a record of what we were feeling, thinking and doing at the time the situation occured.

The red bridge, for example, works in this way:  If we are angry at someone, in most cases we would yell at that  person or talk behind their back.  This is considered emotionally impared thinking.  In order to use the brigde technique, in the is case red because it involves others and the world, we would have to observe the situation and decide on a more appropriate action.  By doing this we are useing the bridge and crossing over from angry to compassionate and thus, our behavior becomes more constructive. The blue bridge technique is like the red except that it deal with ourself instead of other. Below are diadtams of  the red and blue bridge for a better undersanding.

Many of us, myself included, may think that this technique seems familir.  I don't know that we've heard it defined in these terms but we sure have thought about it's techniques.  I know there are times when I react in a way that is emotionally impaired and I try not to let myself repeat that behavior.  In some cases I can successfully bridge but in others I am unable.  Like anything this tool can be effective only if we study, practice and apply it.
 
 

It is improtant to know that the "spinning" and the "cycling" are related to our personality.  If  we are flip flopping between positive and negative emotions and these emotions are towards other or the world then this is how others and the world will percieve who we are.  In many cases this  becomes our personality.  Similarly, if we react to certain situation in the same way all the time we tend to repeat those same behaviors over and over (cycling) and they eventually become automatic, like a habit.  This to helps to form our personality because we many tend to think that it is just how we are.  This kind of thinking leads us to emotionally imparted thinking more that need be.

It seems to me that there is a gender difference when i comes the the sping cycle.  Men seem to be more positve about both themselves as well as others and the world.  Women on teh other hand seem to be very negative about themselves and more positvie about others and the world (although the difference my not be significant).  As a woman, I think we tend to be more hard on ourselves than men.  We then to run high on emotion , most of the time.  Perhaps, if we use the bridge technique then we can better deal with situations as well as ourselves in a more positive manner.

_____   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)

_____   3) What was my overall level of effectiveness or productivity 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)
 
 

Having to keep track of how I reacted to certain situations was very beneficial.  I was able to really see how I react in certain situations.  There were very few problems except that I had some difficulty remembering what I was doing while going through the situation.  I tried to record what I remembered but I'm sure if someone had witnessed the situation they would have seen some things that I hadn't noticed. 
 
 

If I were to try and teach a friend how to use the bridge technique I would first start by telling them to take a few days to observe their behavior when faced with a particularly negative situation.  I would then ask them to later try and to identify why they had reacted the way they did and reverse that negative reaction the next time.  They could do this by taking deep breaths and reminding themselves that those negative thoughts, feelings and actions would serve no practical purpose in the situation.  I would make all parties feel more anger and frustration and cause an added amount of unnecessary stress.  I would then tell them that stress can cause more damage then they really think.  I can cause not only mental harm but physical as well.  Anger always leave someone feeling bad and that isnât a good way to leave any situation.

In order for the bridge technique to work effectively it needs to be used by a person willing to practice and by one who has an open mind.  Perfecting something like the bridge technique takes time and patients.  A person who wants quick results will almost certainly be disappointed.  People who learn to use the bridge technique will need to be creative in that they must find other ways to deal with their negative thoughts, feelings and actions.  Those who use this technique must also know and understand one important thing, that although aggression pays off, the pay off isnât always positive.  In many cases it can leave one of the parties hurt.  We need to learn that the pay off doesnât always turn out exactly as we expect.

The bridge technique isnât a perfect tool but it has many benefits.  There may be those who have such an enormous amount of anger that the bridge technique may not be effective.  In cases like this the individual should seek some professional help as well as applying the bridge technique.  As I said this tool isnât full proof but itâs a positive step in the right direction.
 
 

Discussion

This project has taught me more about myself than I realized.  When I first began observing myself I didnât think that I had so many negative feelings inside.  After just one day of observation I realized I was wrong.  The amount of anger in me was shocking.  I wondered how I had gotten this far with out blowing a blood vessel.  I have learned that I function and react a lot on emotion and I let my emotions take over instead of logically thinking the problem through.  The diagrams seemed to be made especially for me to read.  I was your typical negative person or so it seems.  I have come to realize that emotions are a great attribute only if it is controlled.  I and we can not function purely on emotion, it just isnât emotionally intelligent.  Emotion is like an herb or a spice we use when cooking.  We need it in order to make the dish come together but add to much and the dish is ruined, add to little and the same happens.  We need to add just the right amount to each dish in order to let all the ingredient come together.  In any situation we need to know when to add our emotion, when to add logic and when to just shut our mouths and listen.  This is what the project has taught me.

I will definitely practice using the bridge technique and teach it to whomever wants to learn.  It can be an effective tool in most anything we do.  Everyday we deal with people and communicate with them in some way, shape or form.  Effective and emotionally intelligent communication is the only way to go.  It is a tool that can be taught easily in a manner that many can comprehend.  It doesnât use scientific words that can sometimes confuse or even intimidate people.  The logic behind this technique is basic and should be used and taught more often.  If more people were emotionally intelligent instead of emotionally impaired then the amount of violence, death, illness and negativity would decrease dramatically.  It funny on something as basic as emotional intelligence is something that most of us lack.  Itâs as if people over look it...why...because that would mean that they would have to change and change seems to be something people try to avoid, at least when it comes to themselves.  Sad to say that if we could just swallow our pride and admit that there is a problem then perhaps we would all be just a little happier.
 
 

References

1.  Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life.  Joseph Ciarrochi, Joseph P. Forgas, and John D. Mayer

2.  general instructions

3.  Hiddeng Anger

4.  Report 1

5.  Seeing Red, Feeling Blue

6.  Understanding Anger: Theories and Facts