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Caption: lazy son student home mother woman boy mom
Negative emotions often
plague the minds of those who are coming in for counseling. To be completely honest, they often are
festering in my own head, and at times it can be very difficult for me to think
otherwise, depending on how long I have let these emotions fester in my mind. Young (2017) mentions that the three most
common negative emotions are depression or guilt, anxiety, and anger. Taruna and Singh (2013) write that negative
emotions like depression, hopelessness, guilt, shame, and humiliation are the
main reason why adolescence come in for counseling. Reinecke, Hartmann, and Eden (2014) write
that ego depletion—low self-control due to mental fatigue—can cause further
stress and procrastination due to an ego depleted individual turning to media
to recharge after stress and add to negative emotions. When combining this idea with that of
adolescence needing counseling because of negative emotions, it makes an
interesting point.
While it is not true of
every adolescent—and maybe it is more true in males—but media can be a huge
outlet, whether that is through Netflix or video games. It almost then seems to cause a cycle where
an individual turns to media to recharge or rest, but ends up just
procrastinating and adds to their levels of stress or anxiety. This never-ending buildup of negative
emotions can then cause an individual to lose motivation as he or she becomes
more and more overwhelmed. But when
these negative emotions are addressed and analyzed, self-criticism is reduced,
and depression and anxiety can also be reduced (Young, 2017).
Reinecke, L., Hartmann,
T., & Eden, A. (2014). The Guilty Couch Potato: The Role of Ego Depletion
in Reducing Recovery Through Media Use. Journal Of Communication, 64(4),
569-589. doi:10.1111/jcom.12107
Taruna, & Singh, S.
(2013). Reducing negative emotions amongst adolescents: The role of dialectical
behaviour therapy (DBT). Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 4(9),
1794-1798. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1614334641?accountid=12085
Young, M. E. (2017). Learning the art of helping:
building blocks and techniques (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
I absolutely love this post. Negative emotions can build up faulty realities within our client's perspective. When client's constantly hear belittling statements they can begin to shut down and completely close up. I also believe this is why adolescents resist counseling because its seems as another thing that "they are doing wrong". So, they may believe we are also there to evaluate their short comings. For this reason, we as counselors must make sure we connect with adolescents clients on a social level. This will help us find common interests between ourselves and the client. As a result, the client may become more vulnerable and open to believing our presenting empathy regarding their insecurities.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you. Negative emotions can be presented as clouds that block the view of the individual. The emotions of depression and anxiety, specifically become detrimental to the mental health of those who go through these emotions constantly. Many use diverse coping techniques or mechanisms to help them deal with these emotions, hoping to get to a place where they can take control of how these emotions affect them. However, like you mentioned, sometimes these outlets backfire and do not turn out the way we imagined them to; they either consume you or worsen the emotions, bring up a feeling of inadequacy or worse, failure. Addressing these emotions is key in targeting the root of the problem, aiding in the reduction of these negative emotions as displayed in the individual.
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