Final answer:
To manage emotions stemming from automatic thoughts, adopting metacognition is crucial to reflect on their origins and manage them effectively. Emotions maintain homeostasis in the brain, as discussed by Damasio, but they can also impair judgment if not objectively assessed. Automatic Emotion Regulation (AER).
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Emotions and Automatic Thoughts
Dr. Marks suggests that our emotions often stem from automatic thoughts, which she refers to as 'false scripts', and to manage these emotions, it is beneficial to employ metacognition. This involves taking a step back to reflect on the source of our emotions, recognizing the reasons behind them, and considering them from different perspectives.
By doing so, you can manage your emotions rather than allowing them to control you. Engaging in metacognition allows one to understand that while emotions are critical to rational thought, as evidenced by Antonio Damasio's work, they can also impair judgment if not assessed critically.
Strong emotions often have a significant physiological aspect, as explained by Damasio (1994), who illustrated the concept that emotions serve to maintain homeostasis in the brain. An example of this is how a rustling sound in the bushes can trigger a fear response, which is essentially the body's survival mechanism in action.
Admittedly, while emotions are crucial, remaining skeptical of them can help maintain objectivity, especially with considerations in philosophy and critical thinking. The process of identifying and adjusting to these automatic thoughts is akin to automatic emotion regulation (AER), which operates without our conscious effort.
AER affects all aspects of emotional processing, influencing attention, appraisal, engagement, and resulting behaviors. Ultimately, confronting and adjusting automatic thoughts can lead to better cognitive harmony and decision-making processes.