It is a vital part of our bodily system that develops independently of our control on the basis of emotions and helps us to stay harmoniously safe in life throughout life. However, no matter how independent they are from us, every emotion can evolve in a way that can emerge under the control of the person by blending with the traditional returns of the geography we were born into, family culture, parental attitudes, social environment, innate temperament features, the development of the super ego that constitutes our personality dynamics, and all kinds of positive and negative life experiences. There is an important distinction in this evolution process. This distinction is the difference between the emotion felt in our inner world and the level of emotion we show to the outside world. It is possible to control the situation. This is called emotion regulation or emotion regulation. However, emotion regulation is not such a simple mental process as to be explained here in a few sentences. For this reason, in this article, we would like to discuss the world of emotion comprehensively and tell you from the very beginning of this process, that is, what emotion is.
What is Emotion?
Emotion; It can be defined as a state of mind that affects thought and behavior, but is also affected by thought and behavior and causes various physical changes by being felt in the body and mind. In the infrastructure of emotions; There is a perceiving mind, bodily stimuli, and various behaviors that come from the conscious or subconscious level.
Emotions are a tool of the bodily system working for survival. Emotions are a system that gives various warnings in order to realize the needs for survival and to develop behavior in line with the needs. In short, emotions have certain purposes, and these purposes are to keep people alive and safe.
What are the Characteristics of Emotions?
Emotions are universal, but The way individuals experience emotions is quite different from each other. Although the emotions experienced are the same, the intensity, shape, duration, and physical symptoms of the emotion experienced by each individual vary. hemp. In short, each individual's experience of experiencing emotions is unique.
Emotions are messengers developed to survive and be safe. Therefore, they do not disappear when they are ignored, suppressed, and acted upon in inappropriate ways. They continue to send various bodily and mental signals until they convey the real message they want to give to the individual. For example, these signals can be heart palpitations, blushing, trembling hands, nervousness, feeling energetic.
Is it Right to Act with Emotions?
Emotions are purposeful and useful, but it cannot be said that emotions always lead a person to the right behaviors. The mental messages given by the emotions are mostly aimed at protecting the individual against the dangers they are experiencing at that moment. However, emotions that can provide instant benefits, especially when emotions are intense, can harm individuals in the long run. Sometimes this emotional arousal system can be over-activated. When emotions are often experienced too intensely, it can become difficult to cope with.
To be able to experience emotions with their beneficial and harmless side, and to exhibit the right behaviors as a result of the emotions experienced, they develop the skills to regulate emotions, which we call emotion regulation. It is very important to apply it.
What is Emotion Regulation (Emotion Regulation)?
Emotion regulation; It is all the healthy methods that the individual uses to manage his emotions. In the infrastructure of emotion regulation methods, there are skills that enable individuals to accept their emotions, express them, control them in the long term and reflect them to their environment in appropriate ways. The need for emotion regulation applies not only to the emotions that disturb the person, but also to the emotions that give pleasure to the person. The goal in emotion regulation is to prevent the emotions experienced from negatively affecting the decisions and relationships of the individual, in short, his life. is not. First of all, the emotions felt by the individual can be detected and named. it should be. Then these feelings should be accepted as they are. However, emotion regulation skills also require the selection of appropriate behaviors as a result of all these emotions. can reveal behavioral reactions after making healthy evaluations on behalf of emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
What are the Benefits of Emotion Regulation Skills?
Emotion The ability to organize includes the process of deciding on appropriate behaviors and implementing these behavioral decisions, together with the individual's understanding of what the experienced emotions mean and what message they carry. In this way, individuals cannot ignore their feelings. Thus, they become able to make healthy behavioral decisions in order to protect themselves and keep them safe. In this way, being able to make sense of emotions and give appropriate behavioral responses reduces the intensity of these emotions experienced by individuals after a while. In short, using emotion regulation skills has many short-term benefits as well as many long-term benefits. These are:
• Reducing the intensity of intense emotions that go to extremes,
• Increasing life satisfaction,
• Better social relations,
• Less feelings of regret,
• More sense of pride and self-confidence,
• Developing appropriate behaviors against events,
• Being more successful in business life,
• Increasing psychological resilience and resilience,
• Strengthening adaptation skills,
• Developing problem solving and decision making skills.
What are the Fundamentals of Emotion Regulation?
Not every individual can use emotion regulation skills at the same rate and level. While some individuals can easily regulate their emotions from a young age, others may have difficulty in regulating their emotions. Search individuals In order to understand the reasons for these emotional regulation differences, it is necessary to examine the basics of emotion regulation.
How Do Emotion Regulation Skills Develop?
Emotion The foundations of regulation go back to early childhood. Relationships with parents or caregivers during infancy and early childhood are critical. In infancy or early childhood, individuals have basic emotions such as fear, happiness, surprise, but they do not have the ability to regulate emotions yet. Emotion regulation is a skill learned over time. The foundations of emotion regulation skills develop throughout life based on the contacts and interactions the individual establishes with primary caregivers. Because the foundation of the first experiences in life is the relationships established with caregivers.
It is extremely important that the physical needs of the individual in infancy and early childhood are met by their caregivers. In these periods, there are some impulses regarding the needs and the desire to meet these needs. When these needs are met by caregivers, these impulses disappear until the child's needs are re-established. In other words, there are basic needs such as nutrition, shelter and protection during infancy and early childhood, and basic emotions such as sadness, happiness and fear developed for these needs. Emotions about basic needs are intense and continue with various behavioral symptoms such as crying and fluttering until basic needs are met by caregivers. Emotions are regulated after the need is met by the caregiver. Emotions remain constant until these needs and impulses are re-established.
For example, when a baby feels the need for hunger, the feeling of sadness brought by this impulse increases and the baby begins to cry. Until this need is met, the baby usually gives the message of hunger by crying. Unless the baby's needs are met, the baby may increase his crying to show this need more. This urge and the accompanying cry reflex continue until the physical contact the baby needs is provided by the caregivers. When the nutritional needs are met, the baby's emotions are also regulated. baby The baby remains calm until the need for nourishment arises again. The needs of the baby continue cyclically in this way. Thus, the needs are met by the caregivers, but the same needs reoccur cyclically after a while. lays the foundations. But needs in infancy or early childhood are not always physical needs. During these periods, individuals also need sensory and emotional stimuli that will make them feel loved, such as gentle caresses, close eye contact, and a soft tone of voice. Especially touch, eye contact and sound are the most primitive emotion regulation and calming tools. can learn to regulate and calm down by regulating their own emotions. However, until that time, the responsibility of regulating the baby's or child's emotion rests with the caregivers. Individuals who cannot feel these emotions consistently and regularly in their relationships with their caregivers in infancy and early childhood may have difficulty in regulating their emotions in adulthood. Emotions that are difficult to regulate may be rejected, suppressed or uncontrollable by the individual. In addition, in order to cope with these feelings, individuals may develop unhealthy behavior patterns and stereotype these behavior patterns over time. Many different unhealthy behavioral patterns to regulate compulsive emotions can be used by individuals. Some of these are:
• Avoiding intense emotional experiences,
• Positioning as a bully or victim in relationships,
• Passive-aggressive attitudes in social relations,
• Behaving aggressively,
• Alcohol, substance, cigarette use,
• Distancing oneself from society and social life.
Hereditary factors such as hormonal predisposition to emotion regulation skills and structural factors in the brain.
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