Introduction - Weeks 4-6 - Emotion Regulation - Flashcard set (Version 1)
What is the definition of emotion regulation?
The ability to control or influence which emotions you have when you have them, and how you experience and express them
What is the primary purpose of emotions?
To motivate action
What are some factors that make regulating emotions difficult?
Biology, lack of emotion regulation skills, reinforcing consequences of emotional behaviors, moodiness, emotional overload, and emotion myths
What are the three critical components of an emotion?
The subjective component, the physiological component, and the expressive component
What is one way in which anger can be beneficial?
Energizing people to attack back and protect themselves
What is the main purpose of fear?
Organizing our responses to threats to our life, health, or well-being
What is the difference between jealousy and envy?
Jealousy is focused on protecting what we have, while envy is focused on obtaining what others have
What is the difference between love and happiness?
Love is a response to reproduction and survival while happiness is a response to optimal functioning
What is the saying that refers to emotions as signals?
Listen to your gut
What are the consequences of treating emotions as facts?
People may have difficulty trusting their emotions if they treat them as facts
What can you do when you are feeling emotional overload?
Try to get into a wise mind in order to figure out what to do
What are some skills that you need in order to effectively lower the intensity of your emotions?
The ability to change or regulate your emotions, and the ability to get yourself regulated enough to even want to lower the intensity of your emotions
How does the back-and-forth exchange of emotions between mother and baby contribute to emotion regulation training?
It helps children learn how to regulate their emotions
How do some parents struggle with teaching their children emotion regulation?
They cannot regulate their own emotions
What does the author use the surfboard analogy to explain?
That emotions can come and go like waves
What is the difference between a right way and a wrong way to feel in a given situation?
There is no right or wrong way to feel in a given situation
What is the difference between “unwanted” and “negative” emotions?
Unwanted emotions are those that you would like to change or stop, while negative emotions are those that are harmful or unpleasant
What are some reasons why emotions may not be effective?
When they are not in your self-interest, when expressing them will not get you closer to your goals, when expressing them will not influence others in ways that will help you, or when your emotion is not sending you a message you need to listen to
What is the goal of emotion regulation?
To help you balance your emotional mind with a reasonable mind to get to a wise mind
What are some of the factors that can make regulating emotions difficult?
Biology, lack of emotion regulation skills, reinforcing consequences of emotional behaviors, moodiness, emotional overload, and emotion myths
What are the three critical components of an emotion?
The subjective component, the physiological component, and the expressive component
What is the main similarity between anger and test anxiety?
That they can both energize people
What does the author mean by “hard-wired” in relation to emotions?
That emotions are to some extent biologically predetermined responses to important events
What is the main function of fear?
Organizing our responses to threats to our life, health, or well-being
What is the difference between jealousy and envy?
Jealousy is focused on protecting what we have, while envy is focused on obtaining what others have
What is the difference between love and happiness?
Love is a response to reproduction and survival, while happiness is a response to optimal functioning
What is the automatic reaction an infant has to an adult’s smile?
A smile
What are the benefits of having both verbal and nonverbal forms of emotional expression?
Having two ways of communication for important situations
What is the saying “Listen to your gut” referring to?
Emotions as signals
What are some of the biological factors that can make emotion regulation more difficult?
Things like hormones and neurotransmitters
What are some skills that can help with effectively managing emotions?
Knowing how to change or regulate emotions, knowing how to get oneself regulated, and having motivation
How does the back-and-forth exchange of emotions between mother and baby help teach children how to regulate their emotions?
By providing them with a model to follow
How do psychoactive drugs work to control emotions?
By changing brain chemistry
What is the most important function of emotions?
To communicate
What is the purpose of emotional expressions?
To communicate how and what we are feeling
What are some examples of facial expressions that may be interpreted differently depending on culture?
Smiling, frowning, and eye contact
Can you provide an example of how one behavior can mean many things?
A person might smile because they are happy, but they might also smile because they are nervous or trying to be polite
What is the main reason why some individuals hide their emotions?
That they have learned to do so in order to cope with an emotionally invalidating environment
Can we change our emotions by changing our facial expressions?
Yes
Can we change our emotions by changing our posture?
Yes
What is the difference between suppressing and changing an emotion?
Suppressing means trying to hold back a natural expression, while changing an emotion means replacing one expression with another
What are some examples of events that may trigger anger?
Feeling disrespected, feeling threatened, or feeling like someone has violated your personal space
What are some of the physical symptoms associated with anger?
Feeling your face flush or get hot, feeling like you are going to explode, being unable to stop tears, wanting to hit someone, bang the wall, throw something, or blow up
What is the main benefit of observing and describing emotions?
That it can help reduce anxiety
What are some examples of feeling powerless?
Having an important goal blocked, losing power, status, or respect, or not having things turn out as expected
What does clenching your fists indicate?
That you are feeling angry or frustrated
What does a red or flushed face indicate?
That a person is embarrassed or ashamed
What are some interpretations of events that prompt emotion?
Believing that you have been treated unfairly, feeling like you are not good enough, or feeling like you are not loved
What are some after effects of emotion?
Narrowing of attention, attending only to the situation that’s making you angry, ruminating about the situation making you angry or about situations in the past, and imagining future situations that will make you angry
