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Bakgrund: Studiens syfte var att undersöka psykoterapiprocesser innan och under känslomässig upplevelse (EE) i en en-sessionsbehandling av Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), samt att beskriva hur vi kan förstå dessa. Ämnet valdes att studeras då det är eftersträvansvärt att undersöka hur processvariabler förhåller sig i interaktionella sekvenser. Dessutom har psykoterapiprocesser inte tidigare studerats i en EAET-behandling. Att förstå psykoterapiprocesser som föregår EE i en EAET-behandling kan generera hypoteser samt öka intresset för utforskandet av möjliga processer och mekanismer involverade i EE inom psykoterapi. Metod: Denna kvalitativa studies data samlades in från tio inspelade intervjuer som härstammade från KOSMOS-projektet, vilket var en vetenskaplig studie som studerade känslofokuserade digitala interventioner för patienter med medicinskt oförklarade kroppsliga symtom (MOS) med hög primärvårdskonsumtion. Samtliga deltagare genomförde Life-stress intervjun, vilket är en en-sessionsbehandling som fokuserar på att patienten berättar om, utforskar och uttrycker emotioner. För att urskilja EE i data användes kodningsinstrumentet Narrative-Emotion Process Coding System 2.0 (NEPCS 2.0), vilket spårar sekvenser där patienter upplever känslor, integrerar nya känslomässiga upplevelser och fångar reflekterande processer. Urskilda sekvenser transkriberades och analyserades med kvalitativ tematisk analys. Resultat: Resultatdel ett presenterade tio teman med tillhörande subteman i ett kodningsschema. Teman var Känslor, Frågor och reflektion, Tolkning, Förklaring, Upprepning, Bekräftelse, Visualisering, Motstridighet, Sammanfattning och Testa nytt beteende. Teman var olika återkommande och var olika gynnsamma utifrån studiens frågeställning. Resultatdel två presenterade samband mellan teman. Vi identifierade bland annat att subteman ofta följde efter varandra samt att teman stundtals var svåra att särskilja. Diskussion: I diskussionen förde vi ett resonemang gällande de urskilda psykoterapiprocesserna och dess eventuella koppling till EE, samt kring identifierade mönster inom och mellan de olika teman. Vissa teman identifierades vara eller likna vedertagna terapeutiska interventioner. Trots att inga kausala samband kunde dras från resultatet genererades hypoteser för framtida processforskning kring det potentiella sambandet mellan funna psykoterapiprocesser och EE. Med hänvisning till det nuvarande forskningsläget antas det viktigt att fortsatt undersöka detta. / Background: This study aimed to investigate psychotherapy processes before and during emotional experiencing (EE) in a single-session treatment with Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), and to describe how we can understand these processes. The topic was chosen because it is desirable to examine how process variables relate in interactional sequences. Additionally, no previous studies have investigated psychotherapy processes in an EAET treatment. Understanding psychotherapy processes preceding EE in an EAET treatment can generate hypotheses and increase interest for future research exploring possible processes and mechanisms involved in EE within psychotherapy. Method: This qualitative study included data from ten recorded interviews which originated from the KOSMOS project, which studied emotion-focused digital interventions for patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) with high primary care consumption. All participants underwent the Life-stress interview, which is a single-session treatment focusing on the patient narrating, exploring, and expressing emotions. To identify EE in the data, the Narrative-Emotion Process Coding System 2.0 (NEPCS 2.0) was used. It tracks sequences where participants experience emotions, integrate new emotional experiences, and capture reflective processes. The identified sequences were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results: The first part of the results presents ten themes with corresponding subthemes in a coding scheme. The themes were Emotions, Questions and reflection, Interpretation, Explanation, Repetition, Confirmation, Visualization, Contradiction, Summary, and Testing new behavior. The themes varied in occurrence and were considered differently favorable based on the study's research questions. The second part of the results presents connections between themes. Among other findings, we identified that subthemes often followed each other and that themes were sometimes difficult to distinguish from one another. Discussion: In the discussion, we reasoned about the distinguished psychotherapy processes and its possible connection to EE. We also discussed identified patterns within and between the different themes. Some themes were identified as being or resembling established therapeutic interventions. Although no causal relationships could be drawn from the results, we generated hypotheses for future process research about the potential relation between psychotherapy processes and EE. With reference to the current state of research, it is assumed important to continue investigating this.

The present study examines the relationship of emotional awareness to anticipatory psychophysiological markers and performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The IGT is a computerized card game that simulates real-life decisions through uncertainty of reward or punishment. The participant’s goal is to make advantageous card choices. Anticipatory somatic markers of physiological arousal, like electrodermal activity and heart rate, have been proposed to bias decisions in the IGT. The central hypothesis is that a participant’s emotional awareness is related to their ability to make advantageous decisions through biasing psychophysiological responses. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale was used to assess each participant’s emotional awareness. Less emotional awareness was associated with enhanced performance on the IGT. However, anticipatory physiological arousal (electrodermal activity and heart rate) and emotional awareness yielded no significant relationships. Findings suggest a need for further research on cognitive models, such as the expectancy valence model, in relation to decision-making.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious disorder with long-term consequences for those afflicted. No evidence-based care is available for adults with full or subthreshold AN. The thesis research investigated aspects of emotion and cognition relevant to the maintenance of AN that might inform psychological treatment. In addition, the effectiveness of a recent psychotherapy model of AN was investigated. Study I investigated alexithymia and emotional awareness and their associations with depression, anxiety, and perfectionism among patients with AN compared with a control group. The AN group exhibited the same level of emotional awareness as did the control group and the same level of alexithymia when controlling for depression and anxiety. Alexithymia and emotional awareness were not associated, despite representing an overlapping construct. The results of the present study indicate that those with AN can trust their emotional awareness. Study II explored implicit pro-thin and anti-fat attitudes (towards the self and others), striving for thinness (loosely corresponding to positive reinforcement), and avoidance of fatness (loosely corresponding to negative reinforcement). The AN and the control groups were found to have equally strong implicit pro-thin and striving for thinness attitudes. The AN group exhibited stronger implicit anti-fat and avoidance of fatness attitudes (loosely corresponding to negative reinforcement) than did the control group. There was no association between implicit and explicit measures. The results are in line with the over-evaluation of weight and shape as a core feature of eating disorders. Study III compared the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and treatment as usual (TAU) for adults with AN after day-care. Follow-up measures indicated no difference in improvement or deterioration between the two groups. The level of perfectionism was reduced in the ACT group relative to the TAU group. The study was compromised by a lower inflow of patients than anticipated and by a high drop-out rate, and thus fails to provide evidence of a difference between the two groups. The present thesis demonstrates that emotional awareness is intact in those with AN and that implicit attitudes concerning weight and shape reflect the explicit attitudes, although without association. The treatment study indicates that, when designing treatment, it is important to consider the ambivalence to treatment among those suffering from AN, which is reflected in the high drop-out rate in the present study.

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential connection between emotional awareness and resilience in a young child affected by HIV/AIDS. The study forms part of a broad research project, the Kgolo-Mmogo project, involving a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and Yale University in the United States of America. The Kgolo-Mmogo project aims to investigate the adaptive functioning of children affected by HIV/AIDS, whilst potentially enhancing resilience. The project involves an assessment of the participating children, which is followed by a structured intervention and post assessment. The conceptual framework for my study was based on existing literature relating to early childhood development, emotional development, as well as children affected by HIV/AIDS and resilience. I followed a qualitative approach, anchored in the interpretivist paradigm. I utilised an instrumental case study research design and conveniently selected the participants, who were involved in the broader Kgolo- Mmogo project at the onset of my study. One five year old girl, her mother and the care workers who facilitated the intervention, participated in my study. I observed eleven intervention sessions, as well as the pre- and post assessment. In addition to observation, documented in the form of field notes, photographs and a research journal, I employed conversational interviews with the care workers, for data collection and member-checking purposes. I also conducted two semi-structured interviews with the mother of the participant. Three main themes emerged subsequent to thematic data analysis. The first theme relates to developmentally appropriate skills that remained constant throughout my study, with the sub-themes associated with the cognitive, emotional and social domain of development. The second theme concerns accelerated emotional functioning in certain areas of development, with the sub-themes being an increased frequency in referring to feelings, and an increased differentiation when referring to feelings and desires. The last theme entails the enhancement of social skills, with the sub-themes relating to the formation of trusting relationships and enhanced communication about experiences. Based on the findings I obtained, I can conclude that the Kgolo-Mmogo intervention seemingly provided some learning opportunities to foster emotional resilience in a young, vulnerable child. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

This study’s contribution to knowledge is the contextualizing of emotional awareness as a prerequisite for becoming emotionally intelligent, and developing a program to educate emotional awareness, as a developmental ability, within the educational system. Emotional intelligence is a familiar and widely recognized term, but is in fundamental nature more of a broad and overreaching outcome, rather than an ability. This research focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase and how emotional awareness can be taught to them. An Emotional Awareness Program (EA Program) was developed and implemented within the classroom context and its effectiveness was evaluated to determine whether the EA Program did have an influence on emotional vocabulary, emotional expression and the general level of emotional awareness displayed by the learners. Being emotionally aware, benefits children on different levels of their functioning. Various authors, as cited in this study, conclude that relationships, self-esteem, academic performance, independent functioning and self expression all benefit from the development of emotional awareness. Entering the school setting is often the child’s first move into relationships with peers and adults other than family members. Learners spend most of their waking lives, during their middle childhood, in school. Many aspects necessary for emotional education may be found within the school environment. These consist of peer relationships, empathy for others, problem-solving, developing a regard for the feelings of others and coping with difficult situations or emotions. A child suffering physical and emotional abuse, neglect, trauma or insufficient stimulation presents neurological deterioration in neurons (the “building blocks” of the brain). Diminished brain functioning may result in anger, emotional episodes and disruptive behaviour as methods of emotional expression in some learners. Neurological damage, suffered in this manner, can be reversed via the intervention of a caring adult. This interaction stimulates healthy neurons, and causes them to migrate to the area that suffered damage, thus illustrating the immense role educators are required to play in the future development and restoration of neurological health of some learners. The educational system is ideally positioned to deal with children from a holistic perspective by addressing not only their cognitive and physical needs, but also their emotional and subsequent social needs. Furthermore, the development of the emotional awareness of educators will equip them with the necessary insight into the emotional needs of learners. It is anticipated that emotional awareness will benefit learners in general and have a positive ripple effect on schools and communities as a whole. The study found that the Gestalt approach is best suited for the research study, as it presupposes that the child is “a whole and complex being”; and considers, as a backdrop, the child’s development regarding awareness and the influence that this has on their progress. It was noted from the study that this viewpoint is not always the point of departure of the current school set-up. This investigation was executed using a quantitative research approach, with a structured method of inquiry. This consisted of the formulation of a specific and constant hypothesis, a predetermined research process and a standardized questionnaire. The researcher wanted to measure the effectiveness of an EA program on specific variables such as the learners’ ability to: <ul> <li> be in contact with their emotions; </li><li> discriminate between different emotions; </li><li> verbalize and take ownership of their emotions; </li></ul> This study resorted within the description of applied research, as it was undertaken to acquire new knowledge and was primarily directed towards practical objectives. It focused on a practical problem; the need for an EA Program for children in middle childhood that was scientifically tested within the South African Education System. Within the context of applied research, intervention research was applicable to this study as it aimed to develop technology, useful to the educational profession. The design and development sub-type of intervention research best encompassed the researcher’s intent to design and develop technology, namely the EA Program, to implement the program (intervention) and to evaluate the effectiveness thereof for further implementation within the education system. A quasi-experimental design namely the comparison group pre-test – post-test design was utilized. A standardized questionnaire entitled Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS-C), developed by Dr. Jane Bajgar and Dr. Richard Lane (2003), was used as the measuring instrument. This questionnaire was developed specifically so that its use of language, the length and content of the form would be child appropriate. The study focused on children in the middle childhood developmental phase, which proved to be the phase where emotional awareness begins to play an important role. Children in this phase are particularly susceptible to new knowledge as they have already obtained the basic cognitive abilities (reading, writing and reasoning) necessary to comprehend the content of the EA program. The following conclusions were derived from the execution of this research study: Emotional awareness seemed to be a relatively unfamiliar term in comparison with the widely recognized and renowned term, emotional intelligence. This study positioned emotional awareness as a prerequisite for emotional intelligence; as it is a practical awareness of cognitively obtainable knowledge regarding the emotions of self and others. Emotional intelligence on the other hand is achieved through constructive and optimal emotional awareness abilities. Based on the research findings, and as suggested earlier, it appears that the education system is particularly well positioned to address the emotional development of a large percentage of the school going population. It is assumed that emotional awareness can be cognitively educated and educators are equipped with the necessary educational skills. The education system is thus further favourably equipped to educate emotional content due to the fact that cognitive development is their field of expertise. The research findings indicated that the EA Program succeeded to a great extent in developing emotional vocabulary, higher level emotional responses and the accompanying ability of emotional expression within the experimental group. This measured increase was derived from a seven week exposure to the EA program, which may be indicative of the results that could be achieved with daily exposure to emotional learning, and a healthy emotional setting within the school environment. Obtaining higher level emotional vocabulary is evidently accompanied by emotional expression as the appropriate vocabulary, which is necessary to express the emotional experience accurately. Emotional expression abilities were addressed in particular by the EA Program, and the empirical results suggest that the emotional vocabulary of respondents did expand. A caring educator, well equipped with insight into emotional awareness, may in many instances prove to be a safety net for many learners. This may well serve as a catalyst for reprogramming the brain of the emotionally scarred learner to trust, and risk getting back in the circle of life again, a better alternative than having the learner only surviving by adopting “fight‟ or “flight‟ strategies. Educators must become equipped with the knowledge to comprehend the possibly diminished brain development of the rebellious, aggressive, emotional or introverted learner. This will ensure that their response to such learners has emotional development at heart rather than further emotional harm. Educators should therefore be in touch with their own emotional awareness as well. Indeed, it may prove interesting to determine the value that would be added to the quality of education in South Africa through emotional awareness training to educators. The education system as a whole possesses a responsibility and accountability regarding the educational wellbeing of their learners, as emotional health pre-determines the learners’ ability to thrive. This study made a valuable contribution to the field of both social work and education in their collective aim to develop and empower children. It is recommended that the common grounds where these two professions may meet should be further explored to determine where such a partnership can add further value to the South African educational setting. Providing an emotionally safe and secure classroom atmosphere requires further exploration, as it is an additional factor relating to the ability of learners to excel in class. Existing literature suggests that peer relationships and self-esteem will also benefit from emotional awareness, but the development of these two variables was not tested in this study, and may be a topic for further research. It would be significant to repeat this study on a national level to determine the current emotional level of primary school learners. Comparative studies to determine the differences in emotional awareness of learners in urban and rural areas, or within different ethnic backgrounds may also be of value. This will assist in determining the South African situation regarding emotional awareness and to develop the means to enhance it within the South African education system. This study demonstrated that emotional awareness is an easily comprehendible term which can be easily educated but presents vast benefits. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

[pt] A presente tese teve como objetivo estabelecer um quadro teórico e empírico para desenvolver programas de intervenção para a alexitimia, uma condição relacionada com prejuízos socioemocionais. A tese é composta por quatro artigos. O artigo 1 validou uma versão adaptada do Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) para o português brasileiro, mostrando que o TAS-20 e o BVAQ-BR medem diferentes aspectos da alexitimia. O artigo 2 validou a escala de precisão interoceptiva (IAS) adaptada para o português brasileiro, destacando a correlação negativa entre a precisão interoceptiva e alexitimia, sintomas de TEA e síndromes disfóricas. Os artigos 1 e 2 forneceram ferramentas confiáveis para avaliar alexitimia e acurácia interoceptiva no Brasil, mostrando seus potenciais benefícios na identificação de fatores de risco para transtornos psiquiátricos. O artigo 3 realizou uma revisão sistemática do impacto das intervenções baseadas em DBT na alexitimia, indicando a eficácia de tais intervenções na melhoria das habilidades de processamento emocional, embora as intervenções que incorporam princípios de outros tratamentos tenham sido mais eficazes. Por fim, o Artigo 4 explorou a relação entre alexitimia e empatia, revelando os aspectos multifacetados dessa relação. A tese propõe uma estrutura robusta para facilitar o desenvolvimento de programas de intervenção para alexitimia. / [en] The current thesis aimed to establish a theoretical and empirical framework to develop intervention programs for alexithymia, a condition related to socio-emotional impairments. The thesis is comprised of four articles. Article 1 validated an adapted version of the Bermond–Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire (BVAQ) for Brazilian Portuguese, showing that the TAS-20 and the BVAQ-BR measure different aspects of alexithymia. Article 2 validated the Interoceptive Accuracy Scale (IAS) adapted to Brazilian Portuguese, highlighting the negative correlation between interoceptive accuracy and alexithymia, and symptoms of ASD and dysphoric syndromes. Articles 1 and 2 provided reliable tools for assessing alexithymia and interoceptive accuracy in Brazil, showing their potential benefits in identifying risk factors for psychiatric disorders. Article 3 conducted a systematic review of the impact of DBT-based interventions on alexithymia, indicating the effectiveness of such interventions in improving emotional processing skills, although interventions incorporating principles from other treatments were more effective. Finally, Article 4 explored the relationship between alexithymia and empathy, revealing the multifaceted aspects of this relationship. The thesis proposes a robust framework to facilitate the development of intervention programs for alexithymia.

Objective: Binge-eating disorder (BED) is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and is associated with eating disorder and general psychopathology and overweight/obesity. Deficits in cognitive and emotional functioning for eating disorders or obesity have been reported. However, a systematic review on cognitive and emotional functioning for individuals with BED is lacking. Method: A systematic literature search was conducted across three databases (Medline, PubMed, and PsycINFO). Overall, n = 57 studies were included in the present review. Results: Regarding cognitive functioning, individuals with BED consistently demonstrated higher information processing biases compared to obese and normal-weight controls in the context of disorder-related stimuli (i.e., food and body cues), whereas cognitive functioning in the context of neutral stimuli appeared to be less affected. Thus, results suggest disorder-related rather than general difficulties in cognitive functioning in BED. With respect to emotional functioning, individuals with BED reported difficulties similar to individuals with other eating disorders, with a tendency to show less severe difficulties in some domains. In addition, individuals with BED reported greater emotional deficits when compared to obese and normal-weight controls. Findings suggest general difficulties in emotional functioning in BED. Thus far, however, investigations of emotional functioning in disorder-relevant situations are lacking. Discussion: Overall, the cross-sectional findings indicate BED to be associated with difficulties in cognitive and emotional functioning. Future research should determine the nature of these difficulties, in regards to general and disorder-related stimuli, and consider interactions of both domains to foster the development and improvement of appropriate interventions in BED.

No description available.

The general purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between emotional awareness and human error in aviation. A quantitative analysis approach was used to explore this by means of a cross-sectional survey design. The independent variable emotional awareness and the dependent variable human error were contextualised and operationalised. During the empirical phase, biographical information was collected and the Hartmann Emotional Boundary Questionnaire was administered to a purposive sample consisting of 173 aircrew members within the South African Air Force. Factor analysis revealed an eight-factor structure: involved; exactness; blend; openness; structured; unstructured; flexibility; and imagination. No differentiation was found between the mustering groups in relation to emotional awareness and human error. However, correlations differentiated between aircrew with zero human error and aircrew with “more than ten years’ aviation experience”. The test for differences between human error and the emotional awareness sub-construct "imagination" indicated a medium significance. From this relationship, the researcher deducted that “imaginative aircrew are prone to err”. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and organisational Psychology