“When you feel the rise of unpleasant emotions, take a moment and make an effort to identify their source. The answers are far more available than you may have previously believed. Accept such feelings as your own in the moment. Do not shove them underneath, ignore them or try to substitute what you think of as good thoughts.”— Jane Roberts, Seth, “The Nature of Personal Reality”
I never took the time to stop and think about how my emotions have affected some of the decisions that I have made in my life. I can look back and honestly say that Integral immediate emotions which “are emotions that are associated with the act of making a decision” (Goldstein, 377) have affected some of my decision making. For example, when I had to make a big decision about putting my grandmother on hospice care I had experienced immediate emotions such as anxiety, trepidation and helplessness. These emotions were Integral emotions associated with having to make that tough decision. On a lighter note, having to make a decision about which outfit I was going to wear to my graduation from CCP brought on Integral immediate emotions of happiness, joy and excitement.
Usually I don’t notice the Integral immediate emotions that I may be experiencing while having to make a decision unless the decision is very important. Most of the time I’m usually trying not to think about my emotions and how I feel about a particular outcome. Often times when it comes to expected emotions (“emotions that people predict they will feel for a particular outcome” (Goldstein, 377) I have found that “a positive emotion will likely be a good outcome and one that results in a negative emotion will likely be a poor outcome” (Lowenstein et al., 2003; Wilson & Gilbert, 2003). For example, this July I had to take my PA Cosmetologist State Board theory exam. I had prepared for this exam throughout my whole time in Cosmetology School so I was already thinking about how happy and proud I would feel if I actually passed the exam. This positive emotion was followed by a good outcome because I passed the exam. In another instance, one day while driving to work in traffic I was thinking about how mad I would feel if I was late for work. Unfortunately, the outcome was that I was late for work and absolutely correct on my predicted emotion.
Looking back I have always assumed that my emotions have little association with my outcomes and decision making. Therefore, learning about the different kinds of emotions and the affects they can have on decision making and outcomes has made me realize that I should pay more attention to my emotions especially the negative and less positive emotions.
Works Cited
Goldstein, Bruce. “Introduction to Cognitive Psychology.” Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience. Third Edition ed. Belmont, CA 94002-3098: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Page 377. Print.
Quote taken from http://www.tumblr.com/search/psychology%20of%20emotion
Hi Courtney,
I really enjoyed your post. In your post you talk about the different types of emotions and what they are associated with. I found this rather interesting because it made me think about the emotions that I experience on a day-to-day basis, and how they effect the decisions that I make. After thinking back on situations that I have experienced, I was able to learn something new about myself. I learned that in most situations I tend to act off of my emotions, but once I am calm and able to reevaluate the situation, my actions would of most likely been something different. For me this is a bad/ negative thing because how I feel at that moment, which causes me to act off of my emotions, is not how I would feel once I have given the situation thought. Overall, I have learned that my emotions in situations are something that I need to have control over and know when to follow how I am feeling. I also learned having control over my emotions will help to lead to positive outcomes. Lastly, this post can help anyone to understand how emotions can take control over a situation and cause negative outcomes.
Thank you for your insightful post,
Johnnae Sanderson
Hi Courtney!
Your post caught my eye because I often think about my emotions and how they play a factor in the decisions that I make. I would agree with you that I don’t notice the integral immediate emotions unless the decision has a large affect on my life in an immediate manner. I typically try to avoid letting my emotions get the best of me, as I’m sure we all do. However, sometimes it is hard to do so because our emotions are so consuming in certain situations. I am curious as to which emotions are more dictating in regards to decision making. That is, is anger more pertinent than happiness? Would a decision made around anger arise more quickly and harshly than a decision made around happiness? I would think that this is true because anger results in more rash decisions. When we’re happy, it’s easier to take a step back and think about things, whereas when we’re angry we want immediate action.
Thanks for your post, it was very insightful!
Amanda
I really like the way you opened up your discussion with a quote! That is something I don’t think I saw other people do (at least from what I have read so far). I do think that emotions do get in the way with our decision making I can even relate to this! For example, when I had been under a lot of pressure this semester with keeping my grades up and having my one year old and also finding out I am having another baby soon, I was a mess! And with this, it was hard for me to make the proper decisions on what needed to come first in my life and figure everything out on my own at that. Emotions are a difficult thing to overcome and they are not something that just go away, they are something that we have our entire lives. Some people are just better at hiding them than others! It’s good that you passed your exam! And to stay positive usually does mean positive outcomes. I need to find a way to be more positive to have the proper decision making processes as well! This was great and an eye opener when it comes to my emotions as well.