EMOTIONAL PROCESS
Everyone has emotions but not everyone is in touch with their emotions or understands the “emotional process”.
Emotional Process is a term I first became familiar with when reading the book, “Resilient Leadership” by Bob Duggan & Jim Moyer. The Resilient Leadership model is a practical way of mastering and applying the key insights of what is known as the “Bowen Family Systems Theory”. Dr. Murray Bowen, a psychiatrist, developed the “Bowen Family Systems Theory” over forty years. To quote Mr. Duggan & Mr. Moyer this theory “has taken the study of human behavior to a new level of inquiry, and his disciples are still in the early stages of unpacking the many implications of his work and applying it across a broad spectrum of scientific research. Some have even said that Bowen Theory is sufficiently robust to replace Freudian thinking as the dominant therapeutic framework of the twenty-first century…..Central to his theory is the assumption that an emotional system has evolved over billions of years and is an unseen force regulating the relationship networks of human beings, in units as small as the family and as large as work organizations or even entire societies…. The Bowen Theory’s use of the phrase “emotional process,” while including the realm of feelings, refers primarily to instinctual dimensions of our makeup that are often too deep for conscious awareness…Although we are not always conscious of those feelings, in general they are accessible to our awareness if we focus and get in touch with them in a deliberate manner.”
There are 8 basic concepts involved in the Bowen Systems Theory : Emotional Process, Self-Other Forces, Reactivity-Automatic Functioning, Think Systems, Triangles, The Presence of the Past, Differentiation of Self, Lead With Conviction. All of these concepts impact each other and are explored during my life coaching sessions.
The “Emotional Process” can have both positive and negative effects on how a person reacts to circumstances in their life depending on the level of “reactivity” that they engage in and what type of “automatic functioning” takes place in their reactions. Reactivity and automatic functioning are triggered by the amount of “chronic anxiety” that one has in their life. “Chronic anxiety can be thought of as a pervasive and a more free-floating type of uneasiness in our lives.” Understanding that emotional process influences one’s functioning in powerful ways is a major step to taking control of one’s reactivity to any and all circumstances.
For more information on “Emotional Process” and the 8 Concepts of the “Bowen Family Systems Theory” I would recommend reading, Resilent Leadership, Navigating the Hidden Chemistry of Organizations by Bob Duggan & Jim Moyer. To learn more and/or order the book go to: www.resilient-leadership.biz