This is the day to …
get control of youremotions
The source for this material and for our 25-Day CT Challenge is…
25 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living:A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of YourLife, by Dr. Linda Elder & Dr. Richard Paul,Pearson, 2006; and the Center andFoundation for Critical Thinking, CA.
Check out your emotionstoday…
Look on the surface – emotions ofwhich you are aware
Look beneath the surface – emotionsyou want to deny you feel
Look closely at the role of emotions inyour life
(Drs. Elder and Paul, in 25 Days to Better Thinking…, Ibid.)
Check out emotions of others…
Notice how people often justify theirown negative emotions.
Notice how often they object to thenegative emotions of others.
Notice how we tend to invalidate theemotions of those we considerbeneath us.
Notice how we tend to negate theemotions of those whose views we donot share.
(Elder and Paul, Ibid.)
“Two sides of the same coin”
Drs. Elder and Paulsuggest that“People are oftenconfused about therole of emotions inlife.”(Ibid)
Placing people in twocategories…
Thinkers
Feelers
Is a conceptual mistake
All of us think
All of us experienceemotions
Throughout the day,every day
Thinking vs Feeling: consider theimplications…
or, consider this statement: “Theproblem in our relationship is that youare a thinker and I feel things; I aman emotional person.”
(Implication: and you have noemotions, and I don’t think…? )
thinking…feeling
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“If you find yourselffeeling negative emotion,stop and ask yourself‘Why?’ What thoughtsare you having thatcause this feeling?
“Resolve to attackunproductive thinkingwith productivethinking—leading toproductive feelings.”
(Ibid)
Positive emotions…
Feelings and emotions are animportant part of your life--and of herlife, of his life, of their lives.
Feelings can be positive or negative.They can be justified or unjustified.You can use your emotions effectivelyor ineffectively.
Take control of your emotions…
The purpose, then, of taking control ofyour emotions is to accent thepositive, the justified, the effectiveemotions…leading to a better, morepositive life.
“Feelings can usefully influenceand drive thought.” (Drs. Elder and Paul)
e.g., “…if you are angry aboutsomething you think is unjust, youranger can drive you to think aboutwhat you can do to eliminate theinjustice.”
(Ibid)
“If you don’t experience many negativeemotions,…it may be that you areliving a predominantly rational life,and therefore you experience thepositive emotions that come withreasonable, unselfish living.”
(Ibid)
Or…
…or
“It may be that you can get what youwant without regard for the rights andneeds of others. For example, thesuccessful dominator primarily feelspositive emotions, (see Day 15, ‘Don’tBe a Top Dog).”
(Ibid)
“It is up to you to determine thetruth about your emotional life.”
(Drs. Elder and Paul, in 25 Days to Better Thinking &…)
Strategies to get control of youremotions:(from Drs. Elder and Paul)
1.Begin to notice the emotions you regularlyexperience—is there a pattern? What thinking isleading to this emotion?
2.See if you can identify some irrational thinkingunderlying the emotion. If so, attack that thinkingwith better, more sensible thinking. Once you acton the new thinking, your emotion should beginto shift accordingly.
…more strategies from ourauthors
3.If you experience negative emotions frequently in your life,look closely at what is causing these emotions. Is it you?Is it irrational thinking? Is it a dysfunctional relationship?Is it your job?
4.Until you directly face the root of the negative emotions,and do something to change the situation—or to changeyour thinking, and thus your feelings about the situation [anew paradigm, if you will]—the negative emotions willkeep coming back.
5.Attack your mind with thinking that leads to productivebehavior and positive emotions.
…and most importantly,focus
6.Focus more concretely on your emotions; writeabout them; keep a daily journal that targets thenegative emotions you experience. Look forpatterns. (Ibid.)
Instead of the “Daily Reflection Notes” format,you may want to print the next slide (print“current slide” only) for today’s challenge…
(or print both)
TARGETING EMOTIONS
One negative emotion I feel is…
The reason I feel this negative emotion is…
The thinking (or situation) I need to change in order not to feel this negativeemotion is…
A more productive way to think is, “If I change the way I think, my feelingsshould change in the following ways…”
This is the day to get controlof your emotions
Daily Reflection Notes
Print the following slide, one copy foreach day of this week, (remember to use“print current slide”).
Reflecting and making some notes onyour thoughts and experiences of theday help to internalize this“challenge,” as you know.
DAILY REFLECTION NOTES
Today I was successful in using the following ideas/strategies:
The key insights that emerged for me today were:
One problem in my thinking that I now realize is:
I plan to continue working on this problem using the following strategy: