Page 55 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Training Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 55
team members’ and teachers’ understanding of their own unpleasant emotions ...
to angrily shout at the student, saying that he/she is only allowed to speak
if he/she will talk about a topic related to the lesson). The author defines
this motivation as the action tendency or action potential, action disposi-
tion. Subjectively, this feels like the inner impulse for action, while objec-
tively it can be seen as a specific body position (emotional habitus) and as a
particular facial expression. In specific urgent or dangerous situations, this
action tendency is directly followed by the actual action of the person (e.g.
the teacher actually shouts at the student). However, in most situations this
phase is followed by mental operations including reasoning about which
action can lead to a wanted result.
Thinking
The emotional reaction in the body transmits to the mind the information
that there is something very important going on. This results in setting the
solving of the situation as the top priority of all mental processes. The au-
thor names this function of the emotions as prothymia or the prothym-
ic effect of the emotion (from the Greek pro – before, and thymos – mind,
meaning mental alertness, preference, preparedness). The emotion selec-
tively stimulates and activates only those mental perceptions and process-
es that are strictly relevant for the present stimulus situation that triggered
the emotion (e.g. all the teacher can think about in this moment (while ex-
periencing anger) is how to stop this inner tension that the emotional reac-
tion creates; he/she is unable to focus on the lesson in the way he/she had
focused before the emotional reaction; his/her brain is only focused on the
anger he/she feels). The sole goal is to find the best action to achieve the
wanted result, which is to end the emotional reaction.
Action
Action or adaptive behaviour is the final phase of the CER model. When
experiencing an unpleasant emotion, the goal of the action is to stop the
emotional reaction. On the other hand, when experiencing pleasant emo-
tions the adaptive behaviour is directed to stabilising, reinforcing or seek-
ing the environmental change that triggered the pleasant emotion.
If the stimulus situation that spurred the unpleasant emotion can be
changed, the adaptive behaviour is directed to changing the situation and
regaining the equilibrium with the environment (such as in the case of an-
ger; e.g. the teacher sends the student out of the classroom to prevent him/
her from disturbing the lesson) or it may also be directed towards avoiding
55
to angrily shout at the student, saying that he/she is only allowed to speak
if he/she will talk about a topic related to the lesson). The author defines
this motivation as the action tendency or action potential, action disposi-
tion. Subjectively, this feels like the inner impulse for action, while objec-
tively it can be seen as a specific body position (emotional habitus) and as a
particular facial expression. In specific urgent or dangerous situations, this
action tendency is directly followed by the actual action of the person (e.g.
the teacher actually shouts at the student). However, in most situations this
phase is followed by mental operations including reasoning about which
action can lead to a wanted result.
Thinking
The emotional reaction in the body transmits to the mind the information
that there is something very important going on. This results in setting the
solving of the situation as the top priority of all mental processes. The au-
thor names this function of the emotions as prothymia or the prothym-
ic effect of the emotion (from the Greek pro – before, and thymos – mind,
meaning mental alertness, preference, preparedness). The emotion selec-
tively stimulates and activates only those mental perceptions and process-
es that are strictly relevant for the present stimulus situation that triggered
the emotion (e.g. all the teacher can think about in this moment (while ex-
periencing anger) is how to stop this inner tension that the emotional reac-
tion creates; he/she is unable to focus on the lesson in the way he/she had
focused before the emotional reaction; his/her brain is only focused on the
anger he/she feels). The sole goal is to find the best action to achieve the
wanted result, which is to end the emotional reaction.
Action
Action or adaptive behaviour is the final phase of the CER model. When
experiencing an unpleasant emotion, the goal of the action is to stop the
emotional reaction. On the other hand, when experiencing pleasant emo-
tions the adaptive behaviour is directed to stabilising, reinforcing or seek-
ing the environmental change that triggered the pleasant emotion.
If the stimulus situation that spurred the unpleasant emotion can be
changed, the adaptive behaviour is directed to changing the situation and
regaining the equilibrium with the environment (such as in the case of an-
ger; e.g. the teacher sends the student out of the classroom to prevent him/
her from disturbing the lesson) or it may also be directed towards avoiding
55
