Emotional Reasoning
Do you ever find yourself engaging in emotional reasoning? This might look like having a strong emotional feeling in response to a thought and then consequently thinking the thought was true. For example, when waiting for feedback on a task at work, we might predict that the assessor will think poorly of the work which may cause us to experience difficult emotions. Emotional reasoning occurs when as a result of experiencing these difficult emotions we then believe our work was poor or that we aren’t good at our job despite not yet receiving feedback.
This pattern of thinking is called emotional reasoning, which is an unhelpful thinking style that every person tends to engage in from time to time. Unhelpful thinking styles can also become automatic habits that individuals may not realise they are engaging in. This becomes problematic when these thoughts cause an increase in anxiety and decrease in mood. When this happens regularly and consistently this may have a detrimental impact on an individual’s social, academic, occupational and personal life. It is common in anxiety disorders and depressive disorders that an individual’s symptoms may be maintained by unhelpful thinking styles such as emotional reasoning.
When we engage in emotional reasoning, because the emotions feel bad, we feel as though the situation must be bad. For example, because we feel anxious, we think that we must be in danger. When our emotions are strong, we often have increased trouble thinking rationally which may perpetuate the strong emotions causing a vicious cycle. Individuals often feel as though they have a clearer perspective on a situation once their emotional response has been effectively managed.
If you are somebody who may notice yourself engaging in emotional reasoning from time to time, there are ways in which we can begin to become more critical and analytical of our thoughts. This can help us determine whether the thought is realistic and fair which may alleviate some distress that the thought caused. It can be helpful to write the thought down, then ask yourself:
Just because it feels bad, doesn’t necessarily mean it is bad. My feelings are just a reaction to my thoughts – and thoughts are just automatic brain reflexes.
It is also important to be mindful of when we are stressed or tired as we may be more prone to engaging in unhelpful thinking styles such as emotional reasoning. This can be managed by maintaining self-care strategies particularly during times of stress which may include, exercise, healthy food, relaxation activities, stress relieving techniques and mindfulness.
When we begin to pay more attention to this pattern of thinking we can get better at stopping it in its tracks!
