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Marcus Huggins Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1102 December 4, 2013

Emotions: How much control do we actually have over them?

Splat. The boy watched as his strawberry ice creamhis favoriteslowly fell to the ground after being bumped by a passing stranger. A strong feeling of displeasure, also known as anger, builds within the boy. This feeling of anger is one of the many emotions that people can experience. However, what if another person was in the same situation but did not have a strong taste for strawberry ice cream? Would it have the same effect on them? With this in mind, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines emotion as a mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effortoften accompanied by physiological changes (Emotion). In other words, emotions are specific reactions to a particular event that are usually of fairly short duration. Looking at the two instances described above, emotions are dependent to the specific individual. With that being said, can we not choose how to react to that certain situation? What if, instead of moping around all day and feeling anger about the ice cream, the boy decides to go play his favorite sport and feel enjoyment? This leads me to ask myself Do we have control over our emotions? If so, how much control do we actually have over our emotions? The human mind is one of the most complex phenomena in existence. It never ceases to amaze me how unpredictable and unique the mind is. One aspect in particular that interests me is human emotion. How we experience emotion can be broken into two parts: what happens

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physically and what happens psychologically within the brain. From a physical standpoint, according to the article The Neuro Link Neurotransmitters, between each of the ten billion neurons in the cortex of the brain, there are neurotransmitterschemical messengersthat transmit thought from one cell to the next (The Neuro Link). This communication of brain cells is how people experience emotion and feelings (The Neuro Link). After any event, the brain processes this event and decides what emotion to generate in response to that event using neurotransmitters in the brain (The Neuro Link). How people feel and experience emotion is dictated by the amount of specific neurotransmitters that are in the brain at that moment (The Neuro Link). From a psychological standpoint, Dr. James W. Kalat defines emotion as a combination of cognitions, feelings, and actions (344). Moreover, this asserts that emotions are not strictly based on our feelings, but also how we interpret and react to those feelings. Therefore, if our emotions are based also on how we interpret and react to those feelings, does that mean we have some sense of control over our emotions? In Dr. Jeremy Shermans article Total Control vs. No Control Theory of Emotions: Can You Control Your Emotions or Not, he explores two major theories on controlling emotion: Total Control Theory and No Control Theory (Sherman). He starts his article with a story about a person being insulted and becoming angry, but instead of acting rashly, the person bites his tongue and acts level-minded. Sherman uses this scenario to point out that emotions arent fixed facts; theyre flexible (Sherman). He goes on to say that It's all in how you interpret your situation. Tell a different story and you'll automatically generate a different emotional response (Sherman). Does this mean that we can control our emotions? With this in mind, Sherman examines both theories of total control versus no control over our emotions. Total Control Theory of emotions is based on the position that people have the power to control their emotions,

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that they can stop feeling this way and start feeling this way (Sherman). This basically implies that negative emotions can be replaced with positive emotions, such as replacing an emotion of anger with one of happiness. In comparison, No Control Theory is a more direct and stubborn approach and is based on the position that You feel what you feel and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it (Sherman). Sherman compares this theory with a thermometer; that emotions are like thermometer readings. There's one emotion per instant. You can read it out loud or not, but it is what it is (Sherman). Well, which theory is the right? Can we or cant we control our emotions? Sherman concludes his article with the point that we are neither emotionally omnipotent nor impotent, and that there must be an alternative theory that satisfies all aspects of emotion. He states that we have some power over our emotions and that In any situation, some emotions are harder to access no matter how much you change your story or behavior (Sherman). One increasingly popular topic in the control of emotion is Emotional Intelligence (EI). When it comes to happiness and success in life, emotional intelligence (EQ) matters just as much as intellectual ability (IQ), states Dr. Jeanne Segal and Dr. Melinda Smith in their article Emotional Intelligence. They define emotional intelligence as the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Author, Psychologist, and science journalist Daniel Goleman states that there are five components of maintaining emotional intelligence (Goleman). These five components are: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skill, empathy, and motivation. Self-awareness is the ability to know ones emotions and recognize their impacts on others, self-regulation involves controlling ones disruptive emotions and impulses, social skill is the ability to proficiently manage relationships with others, empathy is

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the ability to understand the emotional makeup of others, and motivation is being motivated and willing to change. With these five aspectsbeing aware of your own emotions and how they make you and others feelemotional intelligence suggests that a person can control, or regulate, how to feel or react to a certain situation. Using the concepts of emotional intelligence, author, clinical psychologist, and relationship expert Dr. Carmen Harra explains six steps in controlling ones emotions in her article 6 Steps to Controlling Your Emotions (Harra). The six steps she describes are: dont react right away, ask for divine guidance, find a healthy outlet, see the bigger picture, replace your thoughts, and forgive your emotional triggers. With the first step, Harra suggest that reacting immediately to emotional triggers can be an immense mistake and that It is guaranteed that you'll say or do something you'll later regret (Harra). Instead, she suggests taking a deep breath and stabilizing the overwhelming impulse to react. After reaching a calm state of mind, she says to ask for divine guidance, and that Faith is our saving grace in our darkest moments (Harra). When burdened with emotion she encourages one to close your eyes, envision a positive solution to your problem, and ask the universe to illuminate the best path forward (Harra). The next step in controlling emotion is to release your emotions in a healthy way, claiming Emotions should never be bottled up (Harra). Next is to see the bigger picture. This basically means changing ones outlook on the situation, and that whether the situation is good or bad, everything happens for a reason. After changing your outlook on the situation, you should then replace your thoughts. She explains that negative emotions bind us to recurring negative thoughts, creating cycles of negative patterns. Therefore, she suggest to Imagine the ideal resolution to your problem playing out, think about someone who makes you happy or remember an event that makes you smile (Harra). The final step in controlling your emotions is to forgive

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your emotional triggers. She indicates that as you forgive, you will find yourself disassociating from the harsh feelings attached to your being. Interpreting the 6 steps from Dr. Carmen Harras, basically, to counteract your emotions, or gain control, a person must first understand how they typically would respond to a certain situation. Understanding your emotions will allow you to understand what thoughts or actions that could be used in order to nullify or control the certain emotion. After a certain situation, remain calm and begin by ask yourself why am I feeling this way and accept that youre feeling this way. Then, with an understanding of your emotions, change your outlook on the situation and think about it in a positive aspect, or do something that would ultimately counteract this emotion. And by forgiving the initial cause of the emotion, the person can then accept it and detach from the emotion. For example, say that I failed a test and was extremely angry afterwards. To begin counteracting this emotion, I first begin by calming down, and realizing that Im mad. Then, I continue by asking myself Why do I feel so angry? After understanding it is because I did not study for the test I can then counteract, or regulate this emotion of anger by thinking or doing something that would create an emotion of happiness or enjoyment. Then, I envision myself getting an A on the next test, accept that I failed this test but vow to study hard for the next test. This ultimately changes my initial emotion of anger into enjoyment. Understanding what caused my emotion, remaining calm, taking a positive outlook and coming up with a counter-thought, and accepting the initial emotion lead to altering, or in some sense, controlling how I was feeling. With this in mind, do I actually have full control over my emotions? Furthermore, there are some other factors that can influence a persons emotions. According to the article The Neuro Link Neurotransmitters, mentioned earlier, from the

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physical standpoint of how emotions are generated, the types of transmitters change regularly between cells in your brain to meet the needs of your current circumstance; however, factors such as stress, insufficient diet, and certain genetic disorders can cause neurotransmitter depletion (The Neuro Link). This depletion can lead to negative emotions such as depression, irritability, anxiety, etc. Genetics can have an effect on the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain if a persons genetic makeup is responsible for low, high, or balanced levels of transmitters from birth . Stress also plays a big part in neurotransmitter depletion by depleting positive emotion neurotransmitters. Diet is also an important aspect of depletion in which neurotransmitters are created by certain amino acids. If these certain amino acids arent sufficient, it becomes difficult, or nearly impossible for the brain to restore neurotransmitter amounts to the proper level (The Neuro Link). Will these factors have any affect on the previously mentioned method of emotional intelligence? If so, how will it affect controlling, or regulating, ones emotions? Aside from neurotransmitter depletion, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) can also have an effect on a persons emotions. The American Heritage Medical Dictionary simply defines an emotional disorder as an emotional illness, but it can further be defined as any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant (Emotional Disorder). Between the age of 3 and 21, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act classifies a person as have an emotional disorder or emotional disturbance if they meet one or more of the following guidelines: an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or

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depression, or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems ("Individuals with Disabilities). Deborah Deutsch Smith, in her book Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference, explains how true of most disabilities, the specific causes of emotional or behavioral disorders remain elusive (248). However, at least three general areas can contribute to emotional or behavioral disorders: biology, home and community, and school. A common mental disorder, or emotional and behavioral disorder associated with a persons emotions is Bipolar Disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population age 18 and older every year (What Is Bipolar Disorder?). The National Institute of Mental Health goes on to define bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, as a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks (What Is Bipolar Disorder?). It explains People with bipolar disorder experience unusually intense emotional states that occur in distinct periods called mood episodes. Each mood episode represents a drastic change from a persons usual mood and behavior (What Is Bipolar Disorder?). So if a persons emotions are drastically changing, does it even allow time to regulate, or control ones emotions? It goes on to say that An overly joyful or overexcited state is called a manic episode, and an extremely sad or hopeless state is called a depressive episode and that Sometimes, a mood episode includes symptoms of both mania and depression. This is called a mixed state (What Is Bipolar Disorder?). Since a maniac episode includes positive emotions and a hopeless state includes negative emotions, is it even possible to counteract a negative emotion with a positive emotion if the person is already feeling both positive and negative emotions?

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Looking at all of the additional factors that can influence emotions, although neurotransmitter depletion and emotional and behavioral disorders can lead to a change in emotions, they do negate emotional intelligence and Dr. Carmen Harras six steps in controlling emotions. However, it may be more difficult for people suffering from these conditions to control their emotions. Since the methods of emotional intelligence and the six steps in controlling emotion all deal with mental processes, neurotransmitter depletion does not play much of a factor affecting the controlling emotions, though it may be harder to induce positive emotions. In addition, emotional and behavioral disorders do not affect these methods because surprisingly, treatment for these disorders or cognitive-behavioral therapy is very similar to the methods used in both emotional intelligence and the Dr. Carmen Harras six steps in controlling emotions. In the American Academy of Pediatrics article How Emotional and Behavioral Disorders are Treated, they describe that cognitive therapy seeks to free patients from the negative thought patterns that often weigh them down when theyre feeling low, like the tendency to overgeneralize (How Emotional and Behavioral). This method of therapy relates directly to the fifth step of Dr. Carmen Harras six steps in controlling emotions in the aspect of releasing people from negative thought patterns. On the other hand, behavioral therapy seeks to unlearn self-defeating attitudes and behavior, which is the same concept of emotional intelligence (How Emotional and Behavioral). Therefore, grouping cognitive and behavioral therapy together, cognitive-behavioral therapy is nearly identical to both emotional intelligence and the Dr. Carmen Harras six steps in controlling emotions. So, do we have control our emotions? Unfortunately the answer is no, we do not have full control over our emotions because we cant control what happens to us. However, in some respects, we can control or regulate our emotions. Although we cannot control our initial

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emotion, by understanding that initial emotion, remaining calm, taking a positive outlook and coming up with a counter-thought, and accepting the initial emotion, we can replace our initial emotion with lead to altering, or in some sense, controlling how I was feeling. By having a good sense of your own personal emotional intelligence, completing Dr. Carmen Harras six steps in controlling emotions, and maintaining a substantial diet, it is possible to regulate, or maintain positive emotions.

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Works Cited Daniel, Goleman. "What Makes A Leader." Harvard Business Review. 01 2004: n. page. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. "Emotion." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009. TheFreeDictionary.com. n. page. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. "Emotional Disorder." The American Heritage Medical Dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. TheFreeDictionary.com. n. page. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Harra, Carmen. 6 Steps to Controlling Your Emotions. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com Inc., 30 July 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. How Emotional and Behavioral Disorders are Treated. healthchildern.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 11 May 2013. n. page. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (PL 108-446, 19 Mar. 2003). United States Statutes at Large 118 (2004): 1400-1482. Print. Kalat, James W. Biological Psychology. 10th ed. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2008. 344-346. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. The Neuro Link Neurotransmitters. NeuroGenesis Inc. Advanced Marketing, 2013. n. page. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Segal, Jeanne, and Melinda Smith. "Emotional Intelligence (EQ)." HelpGuide.org. 03 2013 n. page. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. Smith, Deborah Deutsch. Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference. Columbus: Pearson, 2007. Print. What Is Bipolar Disorder? National Institute of Mental Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. n. page. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.