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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Status Of Freud’S Legacy On Emotional Processing: Contemporary Revisions, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

The Status Of Freud’S Legacy On Emotional Processing: Contemporary Revisions, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

This paper evaluates, in light of current empirical data, several of the assumptions contributed to our field by Freud about how emotions operate. The idea that expression of emotions dissipates these emotions is evaluated. The idea that bottling up emotion results is ill health is reviewed. The idea that pain of trauma and loss needs to be confronted will be examined. Additionally, the assumption that traumatic events invariably result in distress will be discussed. It is argued that empirical findings reject the Freudian model of emotion as energy that must be discharged. Empirical findings also support the view that revisiting …


Expression Of Emotion: When It Causes Trauma And When It Helps, Jill Littrell Dec 2014

Expression Of Emotion: When It Causes Trauma And When It Helps, Jill Littrell

jill l littrell Dr.

The idea that clients should be encouraged to express strong emotion regarding the traumas they have suffered is widely assumed. This paper asks whether the empirical literature supports the underlying assumption that emotional expression leads to positive outcomes (better health and dissipation of distress). Studies in which individuals who have been given an opportunity to express emotions about past traumas are compared with subjects placed in appropriate control conditions are reviewed. The empirical literature suggests that eliciting emotion is harmful when it is not associated with reappraisal of past trauma, but helpful when the reappraisal occurs. The following guideline emerges: …


The Journey From Tragedy To Hope: The Experience Of Christian Undergraduates, David M. Johnstone Aug 2014

The Journey From Tragedy To Hope: The Experience Of Christian Undergraduates, David M. Johnstone

David M. Johnstone

Using the case study approach, I interviewed seven student leaders at an evangelical university in the Pacific Northwest. Their common feature, other than attending the same institution, was that they had all experienced tragic or traumatic situations at some point in their lives. In spite of this experience, they were able to display a hopeful outlook on life. The purpose of this study was to discern elements or themes that were common to their stories. I was particularly looking for themes that might explain what helped them move on from their traumatic experiences into a perspective of hope. I anticipated …


Trauma, Adversity, And Parent-Child Relationships Among Young Children Experiencing Homelessness, Janette E. Herbers, J. J. Cutuli, Amy R. Monn, Angela J. Narayan, Ann S. Masten Dec 2013

Trauma, Adversity, And Parent-Child Relationships Among Young Children Experiencing Homelessness, Janette E. Herbers, J. J. Cutuli, Amy R. Monn, Angela J. Narayan, Ann S. Masten

J. J. Cutuli

This study examined experiences of adversity and potentially traumatic life events among 138 young children (56% female) residing with their families in emergency housing. Experiences of these children were examined from a developmental perspective, testing the impact of cumulative adversity on trauma symptoms, other emotional/behavior problems, and executive functioning in relation to the quality of observed parent-child interactions. Cumulative adversity was related to children’s trauma symptoms and total problem scores. Quality of observed parent-child interactions related to fewer child symptoms, congruent with a promotive role. Quality of parent-child interactions also moderated the associations between adversity and both specific trauma symptoms …