The interpersonal effects of emotions
The impact that a person’s emotional experience or expression may have on others depends on a few factors. Here’s a brief overview of some of the things that might make a difference. The level of interdependence of the people involved If the person perceiving the
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: A Human History of Emotion by Richard Firth-Godbehere
Before reading this book, I didn’t know there was a whole field of research on the history of emotion, and it turns out it’s fascinating stuff! The field looks at variations in how emotions are understood across cultures and historical periods, both in terms of
Anger in conflict
I conducted a poll on social media recently, asking people which emotion they found the most challenging to deal with in conflict, and about half the respondents said it was anger. When we think about conflict, one of the main emotions that springs to mind
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Emotional by Leonard Mlodinow
This is another excellent book, just released this year, incorporating some of the most recent research about emotions in an accessible and often entertaining way – occasionally this book made me laugh out loud. The author has written many other terrific books, and has also
Positive and negative emotions in conflict
When we think about the kinds of emotions people experience in conflict, we usually think of negative ones like anger or frustration, and how to minimise the harm that these emotions can have on engagement and resolution. However, as conflict practitioners we can also promote
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: Psychology of Hope by C.R. Snyder
In this book Snyder introduces his theory of hope thinking. You may recall that Claire Holland and I discussed this in some detail in our recent conversation. There’s also a lesson on hope and conflict in our new Working With Emotions online course. The first