0.8 The psychology of emotions, feelings and thoughts  (Page 21/89)

Multiple dimentions of emotional control strategy have been found in other studies. For example Mayer et al. (1991) Mayer, J. D Salovey, P., Gomberg-Kaufman, S., + Blainey, K (1991). A broader conception of mood experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 100-111. identified three dimenisons of emotion management distinct from dimensions of mood, labelled"suppression" (including distraction), "thoughts of actions" and "denial".

We can to some extent distinguish worry, intrusive thoughts and negative automatic thoughts on criteria such as intensity,unpleasantness, realism, intrusivenss and controllability, but those things are hard to define. How does someone know when the thought theyhave is 'intense' or when they thought they have is clear and realistic? If the thought is realistic is it going to be clear? Iwould think that the more realistic the thought is - tied in with reality - the more clear it would be because it is linked to realinformation. If you are fantasizing your thoughts are more like in a cloud (for example a dream state). It is also hard to tell if athought is unpleasant, how is someone supposed to know how positive emotionally one single thought is? That seems too hard to measure.Someone might know how easy it is to control their thoughts or how pleasant their thoughts are for a certain period of time, but notevery single thought they experience, or even a single reoccurring thought.

Two categories of appraisal are important in determining emotional experience and influencing subsequent coping efforts: primary andsecondary appraisal. Primary appraisal is the process of evaluating the personal meaning and significance for well-being of events, whichmay be irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful. Stress appraisals may be further subdivided into harm/loss, where the person hassustained physical or psychological damage; threat, where harm/loss is anticipated; and challenge, where successful coping may lead to gains.Secondary appraisal is concerned with what can be done to deal with a situation, and includes reviewing the range of coping optionsavailable and their likely success in the situation at hand. A third form of appraisal delineated by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) Lazarus, R.s>, + Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer. is reappraisal, which refers to the changes in appraisal which follow as the event unfolds and new information isacquired, including feedback on the success of attempts to cope.

There are a few more things to consider related to appraisals. How does considering the personal meaning of an event change the feelinginvolved? How does it change your thinking, and subsequently, what you are paying attention to? How does your history or beliefs change howyou make that appraisal? Do you make it with a bias or a unique significance to yourself? Whenever someone makes an assessment, thatassessment is unique to themself. When someone makes a secondary appraisal, how does that impact their attention different from theirprimary appraisal? You first assess a situation (primary appraisal), and then you assess what can be done about it (secondary appraisal),however how do those two actions influence your attention and your thinking? Are the primary appraisal and the secondary appraisalsseparated out by time or by other thoughts (intrusive or voluntary)?