Customizing My Emotional Spin Cycle:

Data Collection and Analysis

April 24, 2002

by Kapenalani

Dr. Leon James, Instructor

  Instructions for this Report

Introduction

This report is part two of my project about the Emotional Spin Cycle.  The first report discussed cognitive schemas, scripts, and how they impact an individualâs emotional intelligence, which affects their behavior, which alters their Emotional Spin Cycle.

Report 1 explained in detail how an individual develops their ideas and reality, which directly affects the way they behave.  When an individual is faced with a new experience, they will assess the situation, which is called cognitive appraisal.  After evaluating the situation, the information will then be relayed to a similar experience that occurred in the past, and this is the cognitive schema.  The schema has now been altered to include a better-developed schema of similar situations, which will enhance a personâs cognitive scripts.  Cognitive scripts impact the way a person will react when confronted with the situation in the future.  As our cognitive scripts become more advanced, it will create a higher level of emotional intelligence.  Emotional intelligence is an individualâs ability to relate with others.  This is a process that begins from birth until death, however the level of emotional intelligence depends solely upon each individual, and how they progress through each stage.

Cognitive scripts are learned traits.  Our behavior is tailored to the scripts that we have accumulated over since childhood.  In order for a person to alter their cognitive script, they must be willing to change their perception of situations.  There are many negative behaviors that are acquired through our cognitive scripts, such as aggression, depression, and anxiety, which are learned from past experience and vicarious observation. 

Negative behavior has direct impact on emotions.  Negative behaviors that are directed at oneâs self, can also affect others through negative actions that they may portray, this may also occur in the opposite direction.  This negative emotion is what creates such poor behavior like aggression, depression, and anxiety.  The emotional spin cycle is overwhelmed with negative attitudes, thoughts, and behavior, which affect every aspect of a personâs daily life.  High levels of negativity only add to the deficient behaviors of aggression, depression, and anxiety, making it harder to disable such behaviors.

Aggression, Depression, and Anxiety are very common unpleasant behaviors that people suffer in their everyday life.  However, there is a conscious choice that each individual has to make this kind of behavior dissipate.  If people are unaware of this choice, we as a society are left to suffer the wrath that we all create in our everyday lives of misery and hopelessness.  The world will be filled of anger, sadness, and stress, which know are all the wrong kind of ingredients to help sustain a healthy and productive lifestyle.  Children learn through vicarious observation, so the adults need to make a decision as to what is important, having children grow up in a healthy environment filled with positive reinforcements and have impeccable coping skills, or grow up in a negative environment with irrational thoughts about reality.

Self-evaluation is the first step to changing your emotional spin cycle.  An individual needs to make a conscious decision that they want to make their irrational beliefs disappear, and create rational ones that will aid them to a higher level of emotional intelligence.  Having a higher level of emotional intelligence will make life so much more pleasant because an individual is not over dramatic, but rational in thinking and acting.  So, the next time they confronted with an unappealing stimuli, they wonât rage and make themselves uncomfortable, but rather observe and make a decision that will make them unhappy in the future.

Dr. James has created a tool called the, Bridge Technique, to help individuals go from the negative option to the positive option.  This technique is used to help alter a personâs cognitive schemas and scripts, by changing their cognitive appraisal methods.  In this report I will analyze a behavior of mine that is correlated with negative emotions, and hopefully transform it into more positive emotions.

Data Collection and Analysis

  The Three-Fold Self:

The Three-Fold Self consists of feeling, thinking, and acting out.  It starts with a feeling, which an individual thinks about, and then how they will respond, or react about the feeling.  These feelings could be about oneâs self, or others, it is an important part of the four options diagram, for these are the antecedents that will ultimately decide what option an individual will take.

Understanding this process creates a very clear picture of how and why a person reacts the way they do, however the process occurs so quickly and almost automatically that it may not be such a simple task to break down.  I have noticed that a lot of times I am not aware of these actions being separate because it occurs so quickly.  Being able to know that there is a process, and an order in which these events happen, makes understanding behavior much more easy, in that I know what I felt upset, and why I had irrational thoughts, and why I reacted in such a distasteful manner.

By using the Bridge Technique, to alter my three-fold self, I will be able to change behaviors that keep me choosing the negative option.  It seems easier to make the choice of remaining the same and being constantly in the negative zone, but that may be an irrational thought because I am not allowing myself to take the positive option due to convenience. 

The Emotional Spin Cycle:

This diagram offers a simplistic way to observe a personâs behavior.

There are four options that an individual may take when reacting to a situation.

•        Negative about others and the world, which means acting out towards another individual because you are creating irrational beliefs and being open minded.

•       Positive about others and the world, which means that you have rational beliefs about the situation, and you choose to find some kind of resolution between yourself and someone else.

•       Negative about self, which is destructive behavior that is impeding oneâs self.  This option may lead to an unhealthy life style that creates an atmosphere for abnormal behaviors.

•       Positive about self, which allows an individual to accept him or herself no matter what kind of situation may occur.

If a person is stuck in one cycle, be it either positive or negative, it most likely to assume that most behaviors in their life filter through the same option.  So, if a person is regularly opting for the negative option, they will continue to revolve in this manner because the negative emotions are all connected, and the cycle occurs to quickly to think about it.

Experimental Design:

The design that I used to collect the data was the Baseline-Intervention approach, or commonly known as the AB Design.  I kept a journal of my feelings and thoughts, about a particular behavior that seemed to be in the negative blue zone for a period of three days, and then I did the same activity for my behavior that seemed to be in the negative red zone for a period of three days.  Then, I kept a record of the same sample activities for three more days each, however at this point; I began to intervene when I began to feel negative vibes toward others, or myself by reversing the negative thoughts into positive thoughts. 

The Data:

There were two types of self-report measures that were supplied for this experiment, in order to see results of the bridge technique.  The first self-report measure is a limited choice rating scale, called the Global Ratings, which was taken at the end of each day.  This measured the perception of satisfaction that I had felt about the day, which was very interesting because at the end of the day I wasnât feeling nearly as intense about the situation.  By the end of the day it doesnât seem to really matter.

Global Ratings:

(1=very weak; 10=extreme)

1.                  What was my overall stress point today?

2.                  What was my overall level of satisfaction with myself today?

3.                  What was my overall level of dissatisfaction with others today?

4.                  What was my overall level of effectiveness or productivity today?

5.                  What was my overall level of coping successfully with my feelings today?

6.                  What is my current level of hope for the future?

7.                  What was the worst level of negativity or selfishness of some other people around you?

Baseline Observation Period

 Intervention Period

  Intervention Period

The second type of measure consisted of data that I collected at three different points in time during my day.  It consisted of writing my thoughts and feelings at that particular moment in time.  Below is a sample of one of my entries from my Baseline Observation period:

3/21

5 PM

Bridge Technique:

The two activities that I chose were the ones that brought the most frustration to me.  The first activity was exercising, for that created issues leading toward negative thoughts toward self.  The second activity I chose was playing soccer because this normally keeps me choosing the positive option about self. 

I implemented the bridge technique, by altering my negative feelings and thoughts with realistic ones.  Instead of musturbating, catastrophizing, and complaining, I made myself create answers as to why I felt that way or thought that way.  This usually helped me to find a resolution to help ease my negative unwanted thoughts.  For example, there were some days where I was feeling very depressed and irritated because I didnât run or exercise at all that day, which made me feel like a total loser, for my goal is to lose weight in six months, so that I can look good on my wedding day.  Instead of letting myself think disastrous thoughts, I would ask myself why it was so important, and was it really necessary that I lose the weight?  Of course, when I really thought about it, my fiancŽe is marrying me because he loves me for who I am, and not anything else.  However, I did come to a conclusion about losing the weight, and that I am doing it for myself and no one else, and even I donât lose it, itâll be alright.

I found that you are not always able to combat negative thoughts with positive thoughts, but rather combating them with rational thoughts makes it much more believable.  So, due to this finding an individual must be able to understand the difference between feelings, thoughts, and actions, so that they are able to find solutions or answers to those negative feelings, thoughts, and actions.  Emotional intelligence is a very important factor in all of this because it helps to decipher these types of emotions, so if a person does not have a high level of emotional intelligence, it may be a little more difficult to apply the bridge technique.

Overall, the bridge technique will not work if an individual is unwilling to put in effort and time.  Also, if an individual doesnât have a clear understanding of the difference between positive and negative, and between feelings, thoughts, and actions, then they will not understand what it is that they need to modify.  However, it is not say that it not learnable, I feel that if your open to it, it is possible.

Discussion

Before I began this experiment, I believed that my emotional spin cycle was very chaotic.  However, I have found that it is very constant.  My negative emotions are hidden under what I believe to be positive emotions.  Through this experiment I found that I need to evaluate my observations and perceptions more, for I sometimes donât even notice the negativity that I am emitting and in taking. 

I found that I am much more tolerant of others than I am of myself, which Iâve known but didnât really want to admit to.  I feel that I am this way because it matters what others think about me, and that creates a stressor for myself due to all of the negative feelings and thoughts that occur.   I could make a lot of excuses for why I couldnât change, but then it goes back to the three-fold self and how we perceive others and ourselves.  This technique is very useful in evaluating your goals because it gives a better perspective as to why you want something in the first place, which will help to ease the negative thoughts in the long run.  There will be no need for negative thoughts because you will know what the answers are ahead of time. 

The bridge technique is very useful, it is not simple, but with the right attitude and emotional intelligence, it is possible to change old habits.  I find this technique kind of like trying to rid you of a disgusting habit like smoking or alcohol abuse.  First you have to be willing to change the behavior, secondly there needs to be a rational decision as to why you want to change the behavior, and lastly to create a tool that will help aid in the change.  Some people may feel that the bridge technique should only be applied to teenagers and adults, but I believe that if there was a way to break it down in more lay manâs terms; children would be able to use it.  I think we as a society underestimate childrenâs cognitive abilities.  Although they may not be very intellectual, they have the same basic feelings and emotions as adults do, this technique will help to develop more stable adults. 

There is an online forum that I have been participating in since the beginning of the semester.  In this forum you will find postings and discussion about situations that seem to be stressors in peopleâs lives.  Honestly, I donât enjoy posting messages because it can become very defeating.  I feel the negative energy, and I donât want it to emit onto me.  I find that a lot of times the discussion is complaints and unresolved situations, which I find very disheartening.  When I post messages, it usually consists of a situation were I may have been upset, sad, or stressed, but I also practice the bridge technique, so I finish my posting with a solution or rational thought about why I felt that way.  The major factor that I see in the postings is a group of ãgrumblersä, who feed off of each other, rather than coming to a solution intrinsically.  I feel that the bridge technique works really well if the individual finds the intrinsic value in everything that they are doing.  The G15 students, who participated in this forum last semester seemed to gravitate toward the negative like my generation.  I believe that it is always easier to complain and procrastinate, then come with a better solution.  Like that saying, "Misery loves company!"

References

Book Review:  Albert Ellis, Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better:  Profound Self Help Therapy. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459s2002/kapenalani/bookreview.html

James, Leon Dr., ãGeneral Instructions for Emotional Spin Cycle Project ö Dr. Leon James,ä [online] http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy16/g16reports-instructions.html

James, Leon Dr., Seeing Red, Feeling Blue.  http://www.aloha.net/~dyc/articles/red-blue.htm

Emotions and Emotional Intelligence.  http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/gallery/young/emotion.htm

Whole Child/Adolescent Center.  http://wholechild.net/ei.htm

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