How To Manage Emotional Dysregulation

Children are very complex, unique and varied individuals whose genetics, connections and backgrounds all perform significant roles in their emotional development (Wilson, 2003). The genetic blueprint a child inherits from its parents may plot a course for development but the environment and the influences within can affect how the child is shaped, how they connect with and are perceived by others and how their emotions are or are not expressed. Wilson (2003) points out emotions as an experience that is linked to cognitive interpretation, context, subjective feeling, physical reaction and behavioural expression. Campos, Campos, and Barrett (1989) suggest emotions are processes of establishing, maintaining, or disrupting the relations between the person and the internal or external environment, when such relations are significant to the individual.

Emotion regulation involves intrinsic and extrinsic processing of monitoring and modifying emotional reactions in both positive or negative situations (Martins, 2012). In order for individuals to have the ability to regulate emotions, they must beware of their emotions. Although infants are unaware and lack the ability to regulate their emotions, it then becomes the role of a primary carer to nurture the infant, thus acting as a model for regulating emotions. Evidently, infants grow to reflect the ways in which their carers control and modify their emotions as well as social boundaries. Furthermore, emotion regulation is considered an important aspect of an individuals life as it 'can moderate emotions and keep them in a manageable range

Before starting the discussion of emotion-focused therapy, it is very important to have an understanding of what emotion is. Historically, emotions were seen as nonspecific and disruptive; however more recent analyses have emphasized the functions that emotions serve (Hebb, 1949). Although emotions address different adaptive problems, they generally facilitate decision making, prepare the individual for rapid motor responses and provide information regarding the ongoing match between organism and environment (Schwarz & Clore, 1983). In addition to this, emotion also serves as a social function for they inform us about others’ behavioral intentions, give us clues as to whether something is good or bad and control our social behavior (Greenberg & Safran, 1987). From an emotion-focused perspective, according to Greenberg (2004), emotion disorder is seen as a result of more failures in the dyadic regulation of affect, avoidance of affect, traumatic

Emotion regulation- This component focuses on how an individual should control or manage his or emotions during a specific situation.

Firstly, the meaning of emotional regulation and Erik Erikson's theory of eight stages of development are depicted, with special emphasis on early childhood. This is done for the purpose of underlining the importance of regular emotional development as opposed to one impaired by abuse.

Such toxic stress can have damaging effects on learning, behavior, and health across the lifespan. Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of healthy child development. The most effective prevention is to reduce exposure of young children to extremely stressful conditions. Research also indicates that supportive, responsive relationships with caring adults as early in life as possible can prevent or reverse the damaging effects of toxic stress response (Center on Developing Child, nd). By establishing clear lines of communication between adults and children, and home and school, parents and teachers can help to shape children’s perceptions in informed ways. During times of trouble, when emotions run high, parents and teachers can help children develop the skills necessary to manage their feelings, to confront unpleasant or adverse realities, and to acquire greater emotional stability. In order to support children in better understanding their world, adults may have to help them come to terms with circumstances that are frightening, confusing, overwhelming, or possibly unrelated to their past experience. By providing a safe and supportive environment and a healthy acceptance of all that is good in life, a calm and ready-to-listen adult can facilitate children’s well being, and help to alleviate the fear, dismay or confusion they may feel. In doing so, it is important to honor and nurture children’s sensitivity. Although parents and teachers cannot shelter children from all adversity, they are well positioned to help children learn about the imbalances in the world, to better comprehend their impact, and to find thoughtful ways to strike a comfortable and meaningful balance of their own (Foster & Matthews,

Our parents raise us hoping for us to develop certain character traits, but there comes to a point when we start to become our own person based on the experiences we go through, any situation, good or bad, can influence our personality mentally and emotionally. Emotion is what makes us human, it's how we cope and how we manage our crazy lives’. When our feelings get damaged or even nourished, it will change how we react

Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) focuses on uncovering the root of emotional suffering. Followers of this therapeutic approach argue against individuals having free will. Our early life experiences and biological drives determine the motivations of the unconscious, which control our actions, thoughts, and behaviors. During our first few years of life, emotions are the predominant form of communication. Having a secure attachment to his or her caretaker is essential to an infant’s survival. If a young child’s expression of emotion provokes a negative reaction from the caretaker, then survival is perceived to be in peril. In order to protect the attachment, young children create defenses to hide those emotions. Because they were formed in the early years, these defenses evolve into habitual adaptive mechanisms that come out when certain feelings are triggered in order to preserve the present relationship. Certain emotions, negative attachment issues, and other early life experiences might cause the adaptive mechanisms to become maladaptive. Even though these defenses may have solved a past problem, they may create greater problems in present relationships. Examining a client’s belief’s, emotions, early life experiences, and thoughts can give insight into recurring patterns (i.e., transference). Awareness of emotional trigger to these defensive unconscious reactions can help begin the process of changing the recurring

Healthy coping capability and self-acceptance is important for keeping us from either harming our self or others. Many adolescents are simply left with trial and error ways of learning coping skills. But we can learn to manage our anger and sadness responses to stress and avoid its harmful effects on our health and brain

Our emotions, whether it is momentary or long term such as fear for birds, can be controlled through “Emotion Regulation” (ER). ER has been defined in all sorts of ways, one definition that this text draws attention to is Calkins (2007), stating ER as the behaviours, skills and strategies regardless of it being automatic or effortful, that modulates affective arousal that facilitates adaptive functioning. ER is a dynamic system categorized into two main maladaptive styles, one recognised as over regulation which relates to internalised behaviours from regulation through self-control (Martins, Soares, C.Martins, Tereno and Osorio, 2012) and under regulation that involves uncontrollable negative emotion outbursts during engagement of goal-directed behaviours (Roberton, Daffern, & Bucks., 2012). What has been made evident through research, is that this dynamic process of self-regulation, begins early in infancy and continues on through the later years in life (Miller, McDonough, Rosenblum., 2002; Martins et al., 2012). The whole dynamic nature of emotions is derived from infancy and the interactions that are shared during those stages. The construction of ER within Martins et al, 2012 has been labelled in two processes, one being intrinsic and the other being extrinsic. This text studies the maladaptive styles of emotion regulating, in particular, the cause of over regulating in infants. Related to ER, this text also highlights the association between infant emotion

It is through the earliest interaction between an infant and the caregiver that an individual’s affect regulation begins to be generated. The mutual affect regulation displayed by the caregiver and the infant allows the infant to learn and internalize how to regulate intense emotions. An infant’s brain structure and function becomes implicitly embedded with the modes of early affect regulation through the neuronal structures that allows the individual to have appropriate modes of relating throughout life (Applegate & Shapiro, 2005). The goal of affect regulation is to increase the positive affects and decrease the negative affects.

In the next paragraphs I will consider some theories, factors and evidence on cognitive controlling of emotion in terms of

Everyone regulates their emotions and some better than others. A majority of the time we do not even realize we are doing so because of a very powerful unconscious. Emotion regulation is a relatively new section of psychology because it has yet to be extensively researched. Such unexplored areas tend to be even a little fuzzy to even the most understanding of researchers. James J. Gross of Stanford University is one of the comparatively few researchers in this field and has written many psychologically recognized papers on different aspects of emotion regulation. A significant article about the ideas of emotion regulation that also states many conducted experiments is titled

In the present I am currently the most “emotionally healthy” I have ever been. I am only able to verbalize the defense mechanisms I used throughout my childhood due the intense work I did in therapy. Cramer’s studies created a trend showing that once children learn what a specific defense mechanism is and can identify when they are using it they tend to use that defense less frequently.(Cramer 4) This idea resonates with me and the work I did in therapy. The first few months consisted of learning about coping strategies and defense mechanisms. I would often leave sessions feeling frustrated and like nothing was being accomplished; however, the more I studied these defense mechanisms the more I was able to identify which ones I frequently used in my personal life. From that point I learned to sit with this knowledge and seek out the

Maturation is especially important for individuals as it provides several competitive evolutionary advantages (Locke & Bogin, 2006). Through this process, individuals develop and acquire control over their emotions and behaviours. This ability to monitor and adapt our emotions, cognition and behaviours in accordance to the social and intellectual demands of particular contexts is often referred to as self-regulation (Demetriou, 2000; Zimmerman, 2000). Various complex cognitive skills are required for self-regulation. These skills encompass the constant observation of our thoughts and behaviours, knowledge of the demands of any situation, the capability to alter conditions of our current behaviour as required to achieve a goal or suit a situation and attention to how favourably the demands of a context are met (Evans & Rosenbaum, 2008).