Exploring female dancer’s emotions and coping experiences following deselection: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to (a) explore female dancers’ experiences of emotions following deselection and (b) examine the coping mechanisms used by dancers to overcome these emotions.MethodsTwo one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten female dancers (aged 20–26, average career length M = 6 years) from dance forms including ballet, jazz, commercial, and contemporary. Data were collected and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis by Smith (2009).ResultsDancers experienced a rollercoaster of emotions including disappointment, confidence impacts, and embarrassment, as well as changes in their feelings towards dance. To deal with these emotions the dancers often avoided their emotions, used dance as therapy, and sought social support as coping mechanisms.ConclusionsDancers’ emotional experiences of deselection seem to negatively influence the social identities of the dancer and the levels of motivation they held towards dance. Findings highlighted the importance of coping with these emotions, and suggested future sport psychologists should apply interventions to assist with this and the regulation of emotions to prevent dancers from dropping out.     

The role of corrective emotional experiences in the counsellor-client attachment: a model for processing emotions in therapy

ABSTRACT

Even though emotions are central in many counselling modalities, how best to work with emotions has not often been clearly articulated or practically presented for counsellors. In this paper I outline a brief history of the science of emotion, highlighting the role of emotional regulation in the counsellor-client attachment and present a five-step model of working with emotions in therapy, adapted from the work of Canadian developmental psychologist, Gordon Neufeld. The paper provides a theoretical and practical framework for understanding the crucial importance of a corrective emotional experience for client healing.     

The past thirty years of emotion research: appraisal and beyond

ABSTRACT

For this Special Issue, I highlight the past and present importance of appraisal theory as well as the challenges to its status as a total theory of emotions from the other functions of emotions: associative learning, self-regulation and social communication. This theoretical view applies both to emotion research in general and the specific fields of my interest in the emotions of moral judgment and intergroup processes. Methodologically, developments in analyses of large and more naturally occurring data sets will give an opportunity to square psychology’s structural models of discrete emotions with the more complicated reality that exists. Both for the field and for individual researchers picking up the study of emotions, my advice is to pay special attention to measures, their assumptions and their context.     

The influence of motivational and emotional factors in mathematical learning in secondary education

IntroductionWhile motivation has, for decades, been investigated as a key component of academic learning and performance, academic emotions have often been left out of the scope of investigation. According to several researchers, mathematics learning seems to be particularly affected by students’ emotions.ObjectiveThis paper is aimed at characterizing the emotions and motivation of eighth grade students in a mathematical setting and highlighting the cluster of emotions–activity emotions vs outcome emotions–which best predict math value, math self-concept, behavioral engagement and math performance.MethodData were collected through questionnaires from 115 students and analyzed through means comparisons and linear regressions.ResultsResults indicated that eighth grade students give a relatively high value to mathematics have a positive mathematics self-concept and are moderately engaged in mathematical tasks. Regression analysis showed that mathematics value and behavioral engagement are better explained by activity emotions while mathematics self-concept and performance are better predicted by outcome emotions.ConclusionThe implications of these findings in terms of educational practices are discussed at the end of this study.     

A qualitative analysis of the role of emotions in different patterns of long-term weight loss

Objective: To explore participant perspectives of the impact emotions have on weight loss.

Design: A qualitative design gathered data through semi-structured interviews with participants in a weight management programme. The interview addresses the following research questions: (1) how do individuals working to lose weight perceive the impact emotions have on their long-term success, and (2) what strategies do more or less successful participants use to regulate their emotions? Researchers conducted and transcribed the interviews then completed content analysis to create and organise themes.

Results: Two broad themes emerged through the interviews with 21 participants: emotional impact and emotional regulation. Further subthemes captured emotions blocking action toward goals, strategies for regulating emotions (e.g. exercise, food) and the need for new strategies to regulate emotions. Themes were also split in to three groups based on weight outcomes: regainer, moderate success (3–6% loss) and large success (>7% loss). More successful participants, compared to regainers, shared being aware of the impact of their emotions and made efforts to develop healthy regulation strategies.

Conclusions: Emotional awareness and regulation play an important role in participant’s weight management experience. Taking time to build emotional awareness and strategies to manage emotions is important to participants in weight management.     

Recognition of facial expressions of emotions in criminal and non-criminal psychopaths: Valence-specific hypothesis

IntroductionPsychopaths with the dominant reduced interpersonal and affective ability are characterized by the hypofunction of the right hemisphere, while psychopaths with the dominant impulsivity and antisocial behavior are characterized by the hyperfunction of the left hemisphere. The assumption is that this interhemispheric imbalance in a psychopath will also be reflected in the recognition of facial emotional expressions.ObjectiveThe objective is to examine the lateralization of facial expressions of positive and negative emotions as well as processing of facial expressions of emotions in criminal and non-criminal psychopaths.Participants48 male participants age 24–40 were voluntarily recruited from the psychiatric hospital in Nis, Serbia.Stimuli48 black-and-white photographs in two separate tasks were used for the stimulation with central and lateral exposition.ResultsCriminality is related to the reduced recognition of facial expression of surprise and not necessarily to psychopathy, whereas reduced recognition of facial expression of fear is related to psychopathy, but not criminality. Valence-specific hypothesis has not been confirmed for positive and negative emotions in criminal and non-criminal psychopaths and non-psychopaths, but it was shown that positive emotions are equally well processed in both hemispheres, whereas negative emotions are more successfully processed in the left hemisphere.     

“I control my own emotions for the sake of the team”: Emotional self-regulation and interpersonal emotion regulation among female high-performance curlers

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to examine emotional self-regulation and interpersonal emotion regulation within a team of competitive athletes.DesignInstrumental case study approach (Stake, 1995).MethodData collection involved multiple semi-structured interviews with all four members of a female high-performance curling team, as well as observation of team meetings, practices, and games over the entire season.ResultsAnalyses produced the main themes of emotional self regulation (body language and self-censorship) and interpersonal emotional regulation (providing positive and/or technical feedback, humour, cueing teammates about their emotions, prosocial actions and indirect actions). We also identified factors influencing emotional regulation (length of time together, team dynamics/cohesion, context, social norms and team roles, and seeking support outside the team).ConclusionsAthletes were aware of and took into account social and contextual factors (e.g., social norms and role on team) when regulating emotions in a team context, and they also identified challenges associated with emotional regulation within the team. Findings highlight the complex interplay between athletes' emotions, emotional expression, and self-regulation to achieve multiple goals (e.g., positive performances, positive social relationships), as well as the importance of examining interpersonal processes related to emotion and emotion regulation within team sports.     

Children as psychologists: The later correlates of individual differences in understanding of emotions and other minds

Abstract

The sequelae of individual differences in children's understanding of emotions and of other minds were investigated in a longitudinal study of 46 children. At 40 months, differences in the children's understanding of emotions were not significantly related to their ability to explain behaviour in terms of beliefs within a false belief paradigm. Follow-up in kindergarten showed that early emotion understanding was related to children's positive perception of their peer experiences, to their understanding of mixed emotions, and their moral sensibility as kindergarteners. Early understanding of other minds was, in contrast, related to negative initial perceptions of school, and sensitivity to teacher criticism. These differences in sequelae highlight the importance of differentiating the emotional and cognitive components of social understanding in framing developmental questions.     

Negative emotions and quality of life among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Background/ObjectiveDepression, anxiety and stress are known as negative emotions. Previous studies have shown that negative emotions were associated with quality of life. There are a lot of researches on quality of life. However, previous studies mainly focused on health-related quality of life among patients. This study aims to examine the relationship between negative emotions and quality of life as well as the underlying psychological mechanism among community-based samples.MethodWe surveyed 6,401 adolescents (age: 9-15 years old). Participants were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent, Perceived Social Support Scale and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Scale for Negative Emotions, Resilience, Social Support and Quality of Life.ResultsResults revealed that negative emotions were negatively associated with quality of life, and resilience mediated the relationship between negative emotions and quality of life. Social support moderated all the paths among negative emotions, resilience and quality of life.ConclusionsAdolescents’ quality of life was indirectly affected by negative emotions via resilience, and less affected by negative emotions and more affected by resilience with the improvement of social support. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Beyond positive and negative affect: Achievement goals and discrete emotions in the elementary physical education classroom

ObjectivesBased on the Achievement Goal perspective [Dweck, C. S., Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256–273; Nicholls, J. G. (1984). Achievement motivation: conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice, and performance. Psychological Review, 91, 328–346] and on Pekrun et al.'s [(2004). Beyond test anxiety: development and validation of the test emotions questionnaire (TEQ). Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 17, 287–316] model of discrete class-related emotions, this study investigated the relation of achievement goals to discrete emotions in the Physical Education (PE) class.DesignCross-sectional.MethodParticipants were 319 Greek upper elementary school students who responded to a set of questionnaires assessing their achievement goal orientation, perceived competence, and the class-related emotions they experienced in the PE classes.ResultsHierarchical regression analyses showed that, after controlling for perceived competence and gender differences, task goals were positively related to positive activating emotions and negatively related to negative emotions. Ego goals exhibited a mixed picture as they were positively associated with pride and all the negative emotions. Furthermore, the relations between ego goals and emotions were qualified by an ego by task goal and by an ego by perceived competence interaction suggesting that ego goals were especially linked to emotional maladjustment when task goals were low and when competence perceptions were high rather than low.ConclusionUnique associations between task and ego goals and specific emotions were found, rendering insightful the disentanglement of positive and negative emotions into its components. The pursuit of task goals might help to counteract the emotional burden associated with ego goal pursuit whereas feeling competent to outperform when one endorses ego goals might perhaps put extra pressure on the pupils and, hence, have negative implications for their emotional adjustment.     

Regulating emotions under exposure to negative out-group-related news material results in increased acceptance of out-groups

ABSTRACT

Negative emotions affect the acceptance of out-groups. Here, we investigated whether modifying negative emotions would affect perceptions of out-groups. We experimentally manipulated the use of two emotion regulation strategies: suppression of emotional expression and cognitive reappraisal, the latter involving reframing a situation to mitigate its emotional impact. Using a population-based sample (N = 317), we conducted an online randomized controlled trial. Participants regulated their emotions while reading threatening news about out-groups. Not only reappraisal, but also suppression increased immediate acceptance of out-groups. The effect of reappraisal was partly mediated by decreased disgust, suggesting unique effects of reappraisal on this emotion. In the suppression condition acceptance decreased at high levels of habitual emotion regulation, whereas reappraisal showed an opposite tendency. Previous research may have underestimated the importance of different emotion regulation strategies on prejudice, and that relatively simple interventions can affect prejudice. The findings are of interest to prejudice prevention programs.     

Exploring emotions as social phenomena among Canadian varsity athletes

ObjectivesAthletes are constantly engaging with teammates, coaches, and opponents, and rather than treating emotions as manifested in the individual as is often the case, psychological analyses need to treat emotions as social and relational. The purpose of this research was to explore athletes' accounts of emotions as social phenomena in sport using qualitative inquiry methods.MethodFourteen Canadian varsity athletes (7 males, 7 females, age range: 18–26 years) from a variety of sports participated in two semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive coding, categorization, micro-analysis, and abduction (Mayan, 2009; Strauss & Corbin, 1998).ResultsAthletes reported individual and shared stressors that led to individual, group-based, and collective emotions, and they also reported emotional conflict when they simultaneously experienced individual and group-based or collective emotions. Emotional expressions were perceived to impact team functioning and performance, communicated team values, served affiliative functions among teammates, and prompted communal coping to deal with stressors as a team. Factors which appeared to influence athletes' emotions included athlete identity, teammate relationships, leaders and coaches, and social norms for emotion expression.ConclusionsOur study extends previous research by examining emotions as social phenomena among athletes from a variety of sports, and by elaborating on the role of athletes' social identity with regard to their emotional experiences in sport.     

Troubles musculosquelettiques,pratique instrumentale et ressentis des musiciens d’orchestre professionnels en confinement dû à la COVID-19

IntroductionProfessional orchestra musicians frequently suffer from musculoskeletal disorders related to their working conditions. In the spring of 2020, the lockdown and the interruption of their professional activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic could have presented an opportunity for them to recuperate but could also have increased their professional uncertainty and been a source of negative emotions.ObjectiveThe first objective is to evaluate the evolution of musicians’ musculoskeletal disorders in relation to the interruption of their professional activities due to COVID-19. The second is to examine the impact of professional uncertainty caused by the pandemic on their instrument practice as a function of the emotions it generated.MethodA questionnaire concerning instrument practice and musculoskeletal disorders was completed by 439 French orchestra musicians in 2019 (period of professional activity). During lockdown (April 2020), a second questionnaire measuring these variables as well as professional uncertainty, emotions, emotional exhaustion, and the lockdown experience was completed by 172 musicians.ResultsInstrument practice and musculoskeletal disorders decreased between the periods of activity and lockdown. Professional uncertainty during lockdown correlated with negative emotions. Emotional exhaustion mediated the relations between uncertainty and the effort perceived when practicing one's instrument on the one hand and the pleasure experienced during practice on the other.ConclusionFor orchestra musicians in lockdown, uncertainty was related to negative emotions. Playing their instrument required more effort and was not associated with well-being, emphasizing the difficulties regarding the resumption of their professional activity in conditions which would limit the risk of injury.     

Young adults’ reactions to infant crying

AimTo determine whether young childless adults show negative emotions and cognitive disturbances when listening to infant crying, compared to other disturbing noises, and whether negative emotions and cognitive disturbances are associated.MethodsWe tested the cognitive performances and emotional reactions of 120 childless participants on a working memory task while being subjected to different disturbing noises including infant crying.ResultsParticipants had the least correct trials on the working memory task, and showed the most negative emotions, when hearing infant crying as compared to the other noises. Participants also showed less positive emotions when hearing infant crying as compared to working in silence. Overall, negative emotions were associated with less correct trials on the working memory task, except in the infant crying condition. Furthermore, cognitive performance and emotional reactions to infant crying were unrelated to personality characteristics.ConclusionNegative emotions and cognitive disturbances may be general adult responses to infant crying that are not limited to parents. These results suggest a broadly present human emotional and cognitive response to infant crying, that may underlie a general predisposition to care for infants in distress.     

Impact du 3e confinement lié à la Covid19 sur les émotions des Français : exploration textuelle de 481 601 flux Twitter

ObjectiveThis work proposes the investigation of the immediate emotional repercussions of the announcements of the third containment in France. In order to respond to this objective, we are interested in the emotional reactions as they were communicated via the social network Twitter between March 11, 2021 and April 08, 2021.MethodAmong the tweets, 481,601 were retrieved via the rtweet library of R software. An automated emotional lexicon analysis was conducted. The data were processed according to two approaches: (i) one cross-sectionally and (ii) the other one considering longitudinally the dynamic aspect of emotions by studying the content of tweets, day after day.ResultsThe impact of the containment announcements is not trivial. If positive emotions can be observed, the impact remains mostly negative and global. Over the whole period considered, the dominant feeling was one of discomfort. It is illustrated by an experience of loneliness, feelings of tension, suffering and/or frustration. Depression and suffering are also predominant in all the tweets. The temporal analyses show that the nature and diversity of emotions vary according to the date on which the tweets were published. The reconfinement announcements are thus mainly associated with hatred but appear to be only transient.DiscussionThe results are discussed with respect to the adaptive functions of emotions.ConclusionThe analysis of the messages posted on social networks brings us information for a real-time understanding of the emotional reactions related to reconfinement announcements. In addition to examining the type of emotions mobilized, a dynamic reading of them will help to bring out the personal meaning that the confinement may have had.     

Emotional experiences in youth tennis

ObjectivesTo explore adolescents' emotional experiences in competitive sport. Specifically, this study sought to identify, 1) The emotions adolescents' experience at tennis tournaments, 2) The precursors of the emotions they experience, and, 3) How adolescents attempt to cope with these emotions.DesignCase-study.MethodFour adolescent tennis players competed in four or five tennis matches under the observation of a researcher. Immediately following each match, participants completed a post-match review sheet and a semi-structured interview. A further semi-structured interview was completed at the end of the tournament. Review sheets, notes from match observations, and video recordings of matches were used to stimulate discussions during final interviews. All data were analyzed following the procedures outlined by Miles and Huberman (1994).ResultsParticipants cited numerous positively and negatively valenced emotions during matches and tournaments. Participants' emotions seemed to be broadly influenced by their perceptions of performance and outcomes, as well as their opponent's behavior and player's perceptions of their own behavior. Participants described various strategies to cope with these emotions, such as controlling breathing rate, focusing on positive thoughts, and individualized routines. Further, if participants perceived them to be facilitative, negative emotions could be beneficial for performance.ConclusionThis study provided original insights into the complexity of adolescent athletes' emotional experiences at competitions and highlights the critical need for further in-depth examinations of youth sport to fully comprehend the experiences of young people. Most notably, the findings highlight the necessity of considering the impact of both intra- and interpersonal influences on adolescents' emotional experiences, while also accounting for temporal changes.     

How does mindfulness modulate daily stress response: evidences from ambulatory assessment

Objective: Mindfulness has been found to be associated with less adverse stress response. However, little is known about how mindfulness modulates stress response in the real daily life. The current study investigated the relation between daily stress and negative emotions, and explored a mediational link via perceived loss of control, and moderation by dispositional mindfulness, to better understand this association. Design: A total of 95 college students were recruited to complete a questionnaire and to report on their stress, perceived loss of control and negative emotions in daily life. Main Outcome Measures: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to assess dispositional mindfulness. Stress, perceived loss of control and negative emotions were assessed by ambulatory assessment. Results: Stress was positively related with negative emotions at within-person level. Perceived loss of control mediated the relationship between stress and negative emotions. Furthermore, participants with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness showed an attenuated association between stress and anger, and also attenuated associations between perceived loss of control, and anger and fatigue at within-person level. Conclusion: These findings point to perceived loss of control as an important key factor in daily stress effects. Dispositional mindfulness appears to have beneficial effects in that it attenuates the impact of daily stressors on individuals’ wellbeing. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.     

Do we weep for Cordelia?

Abstract

Much of the contemporary debate concerning the nature and role of fictive emotions has argued that we do feel garden-variety emotions for fictional characters; the puzzle has been to account for this, given our knowledge of their fictional status. In this paper I argue that many of the emotional responses we have towards fictional characters are nothing like the emotions we feel in ordinary life. The implications for our engagement with literary fictions are subsequently examined.     

A deficit of primary affective facial expression independent of bucco-facial dyspraxia in chronic schizophrenics

Abstract

Chronic schizophrenics are known to manifest a deficit of categorisation and recognition of primary emotional facial expression despite intact recognition of face identity. An equivalent deficit of expression of the same primary facial emotions in schizophrenics has not been clearly established. Twenty chronic hospitalised schizophrenics and 20 normals were therefore tested on tasks of facial emotional expression upon verbal command, of facial emotional expression imitation, and of non-affective bucco-facial praxic imitation. Results indicate that chronic schizophrenics do manifest a deficit of facial emotion expression which can best be explained by task parameters, such as verbal cueing of emotions, perceptual recognition, and bucco-facial dyspraxia in decreasing order of importance. The deficit does not appear to result from neuroleptic or anticholinergic medication nor length of hospitalisation or disease.