The Hidden Genius of Emotion: Lifespan Transformations of Personality (Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction)

This book is about emotion and personality, focusing on how emotion powerfully influences moment-to-moment thoughts, behaviors, and interpersonal interactions. Though emotion is continually present, it is seldom in consciousness, and thus affects lives in a covert manner. This hidden influence is revealed through the example of the lives of three famous mid-century psychologists: Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, and Fritz Perls. Carol Magai and Jeanette Haviland-Jones show how each person has his or her own unique "emotional organization," that exerts a distinct and unique bias on what we see, feel, and think. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 PART I Introduction......Page 19 The Affective Connection......Page 21 Working Documents of the Project: Use of Narrative and Film Material......Page 33 Summary and Overview of the Volume......Page 37 Being and Time: The Historical Context......Page 40 2 Affect, Human Development, and Dynamic Systems......Page 45 Scope of Developmental Psychology: Then and Now......Page 47 Emotion......Page 48 Biography......Page 49 Dynamic Systems: Background and Conceptual Terms......Page 51 Emotion......Page 55 Dynamic Systems......Page 57 Generalization from Cases......Page 68 PART II Emotion as the Integrative Link in Social and Personality Development......Page 71 Overview......Page 73 Rogers’s Early Life......Page 78 Analysis of Rogers’ Earliest Life......Page 80 The Early School Years......Page 83 Period of Rebellion......Page 88 Commitment to Healing......Page 93 Commitment to Achievement......Page 97 Affective Themes and Their Dynamic Interplay in Personality......Page 101 Emotional Profile of Rogers......Page 102 Excitement and Interest......Page 107 Shame......Page 109 Application of Affect Theory......Page 110 Summary and Concluding Thoughts......Page 120 4 Lives Repelled by Fear and Distress......Page 121 Early Childhood......Page 124 Developmental Analysis of Childhood and Adolescence......Page 126 Becoming an Adult: Adolescence and Young Adult Years......Page 140 Ellis Formalizes His Therapeutic Ideology......Page 145 How to Finesse Negative Emotion......Page 146 Ellis and Intimacy......Page 148 Summary and Concluding Thoughts......Page 160 5 Lives Repelled and Attracted by Contempt and Shame......Page 164 Socioemotional Development......Page 168 Early Life......Page 172 Adolescence and Early Adulthood......Page 175 Later Adult Life......Page 178 Content Analysis of the Autobiography......Page 184 Attachment Style......Page 187 The Perls Affective Persona......Page 200 Perls’s Theory of Emotion......Page 205 Affects in Psychotherapy......Page 209 Concluding Thoughts......Page 211 PART III Emotion as the Link in Intellectual Work......Page 215 6 Wisdom and Passion......Page 217 Emotional Patterns......Page 222 Organization Analysis......Page 226 Absolute Logic......Page 229 Relativistic Logic......Page 231 Patterned Thought......Page 232 Conventions or Personal Style......Page 235 The Traditions: Genius of Emotion as Oxymoronic......Page 236 Differential Emotion and Thought......Page 240 Coding......Page 243 7 Cognitive Stages and Joy, Surprise......Page 245 Interest and Joy as Information Filters......Page 247 Flexible Emotion......Page 248 Blocked, Silent, and Singular Emotions and Thoughts......Page 249 Book 1......Page 250 Book 2......Page 254 Book 3......Page 258 Joy Alone......Page 264 Book 2......Page 265 Book 3......Page 267 Book 1: Emergence of a Passionate Therapy......Page 270 Book 2: Linking Emotions to Stages in Therapy......Page 273 Book 3: Integrating Passion and Being......Page 284 Book 1......Page 289 Book 2......Page 293 Book 3......Page 294 8 Cartesian Logic and Anger, Fear......Page 303 Stated Philosophy......Page 306 Expectations for Life’s Work from Socioemotional Development......Page 307 Intimacy and Emotionality Emerge as Problem Areas......Page 310 The Singular Emotion of Fear: Continuity Across a Life and Across Themes......Page 312 Multiple Emotions – A Second View......Page 316 Cognitive Style in the First Writings Related to Fear and Magnified Emotionality......Page 318 Emotion and Logic – Fear and Absolute Thinking......Page 320 Later Books on RET Therapy......Page 324 The Silent Emotion: Contempt......Page 329 Layers of Information......Page 341 Ellis’s Challenge......Page 342 Ideoaffective Themes: Nontransforming Adult Development......Page 344 Fear and Contempt: A Particular Closed Organizing System......Page 345 Background Issues: The Hidden Patterns Emerge......Page 347 Ellis on the Frontier......Page 348 9 Dialectical Logic and Excitement, Disgust, and Shame......Page 351 The Development of Perls’s Ideoaffective Processes......Page 356 Work in the Early Years: Building and Exploring the Emotional Scripts......Page 358 Emotional Content in the Early Years......Page 360 Early Emotional Patterns......Page 378 Perls as a Wild Man......Page 379 Transition to Later Years......Page 383 Perls Late in Life: The Gestalt Approach and Gestalt Therapy Verbatim......Page 384 Organismic Organization to Holistic Doctrine......Page 386 Emotional Resistance to Lack of Self-Expression......Page 388 From Shame to Underdog......Page 391 Self-Conscious to Self-Actualization......Page 393 From Internal Babble to Fertile Void......Page 394 Summary......Page 397 PART IV Emotion as the Link in Therapeutic Behavior......Page 401 10 Postures and Climate in Dyadic Interaction......Page 403 Affective Fractals......Page 404 Analyses of Gloria’s Roles in Therapy......Page 406 Coding Gloria’s Affect......Page 407 Gloria’s Use of Verbal Emotion......Page 410 Changes in Gloria Across Sessions......Page 411 Setting the Emotional Climate......Page 412 The Film......Page 413 Therapeutic Intentions and Outcomes......Page 414 Environment and Static Posture......Page 415 Clear and Open Posture......Page 417 More than Clear – Focused......Page 418 Prizing......Page 419 Summary of the Rogerian Environment......Page 420 Moving Around in Feelings – Synchrony......Page 421 Moving from Distant to Present......Page 423 Stated Intentions......Page 424 Environment and Static Posture......Page 426 Head First......Page 428 Practicing–Repeating......Page 430 Teaching......Page 431 Work......Page 432 Boundaries......Page 438 Perls’s Intentions and Goals......Page 440 Perls on Tape: Establishing the Emotional Climate......Page 442 Perls’s Nonverbal Climate and Commentary......Page 450 Summary......Page 451 Emotional Climate in Therapy......Page 453 Goals and Posture......Page 454 Therapist Compatibility......Page 456 Attachment Styles......Page 457 Emotional Expression......Page 458 Concluding with Gloria......Page 461 PART V Presenting a New View......Page 463 11 Summarizing the Emotional Links......Page 465 Reviewing the Particulars of Small Expressive Behaviors......Page 466 Affective Organization, Theories, Values, and Goals......Page 470 Attachment Relationships......Page 473 Attachment and Therapy......Page 480 Emotions Set Boundary Conditions for Growth and Change......Page 483 Emotions as Agents of Developmental Divergence......Page 486 Change: Crisis Versus Small Effects......Page 489 12 Lives and Change......Page 491 Old Psychology......Page 492 New Views......Page 493 Means Become Ends......Page 496 Dynamic Systems: A New View......Page 498 Emotions as Change Agents in a Contextual Environment......Page 503 Order, Complexity, and Chaos......Page 506 Singular Events and Personality......Page 509 Patterns and Attractors......Page 511 Development......Page 512 State Changes......Page 513 Determinism and Nondeterminism......Page 514 Recognizing an Organized Pattern......Page 515 Summary and Concluding Thoughts......Page 516 Discrete Emotions......Page 518 Global Emotional Terms......Page 519 Affect Words......Page 520 Facial Expressions......Page 521 Affects......Page 522 Intellectual Style......Page 523 References......Page 525 Subject Index......Page 539 Author Index......Page 543 Publisher Description: This Thoughtful And Beautifully Written Book Demonstrates Compellingly That Emotions Are Central To Personality Development Across The Lifespan. Carol Magai And Jeannette Haviland-jones Draw On A Wealth Of Textual And Film Material To Forge An Original Empirical And Theoretical Analysis Of The Dynamics Of Emotion In Human Development. For Its Content, The Work Examines The Lives Of Three Mid-century Psychologists, Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, And Fritz Perls. Each Man Adopted A Unique Stance On The Question Of Emotion In Personality And In Therapeutic Interventions And, Tellingly, The Therapeutic Methods They Developed Necessarily Reflected Their Own Emotional Dynamics. Drawing On The Most Important Research In Clinical, Social, And Personality Psychology, The Authors Reveal The Pervasive Influence Of Emotional Organization In The Lives Of These Individuals. This Book Presents A New Approach To Personology, Autobiography, Autobiography, Narrative Studies, Psychotherapy And The Theory Of Emotions, And Will Be Essential Reading. Pt. I. Introduction -- 1. Challenging The Prevailing View -- 2. Affect, Human Development, And Dynamic Systems -- Pt. Ii. Emotion As The Integrative Link In Social And Personality Development -- 3. Lives Attracted To Shame And Longing: Carl Rogers -- 4. Lives Repelled By Fear And Distress: Albert Ellis -- 5. Lives Repelled And Attracted By Contempt And Shame: Fritz Perls -- Pt. Iii. Emotion As The Link In Intellectual Work -- 6. Wisdom And Passion -- 7. Cognitive Stages And Joy, Surprise: Carl Rogers -- 8. Cartesian Logic And Anger, Fear: Albert Ellis -- 9. Dialectical Logic And Excitement, Disgust, And Shame: Fritz Perls -- Pt. Iv. Emotion As The Link In Therapeutic Behavior -- 10. Postures And Climate In Dyadic Interaction -- Pt. V. Presenting A New View -- 11. Summarizing The Emotional Links -- 12. Lives And Change: Emotional Repetition And Uniqueness In Linear, Complex, And Chaotic Personality Systems. Carol Magai, Jeannette Haviland-jones. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 507-520) And Indexes. This thoughtful and beautifully written book demonstrates compellingly that emotions are central to personality development across the lifespan. Carol Magai and Jeannette Haviland-Jones draw on a wealth of textual and film material to forge an original empirical and theoretical analysis of the dynamics of emotion in human development. For its content, the work examines the lives of three mid-century psychologists, Carl Rogers, Albert Ellis, and Fritz Perls. Each man adopted a unique stance on the question of emotion in personality and in therapeutic interventions and, tellingly, the therapeutic methods they developed necessarily reflected their own emotional dynamics. Drawing on the most important research in clinical, social, and personality psychology, the authors reveal the pervasive influence of emotional organization in the lives of these individuals. Having presented a new approach to personology, autobiography, autobiography, narrative studies, psychotherapy and the theory of emotions on its publication in 2002, this book is essential reading. This book discusses how emotion powerfully influences our moment-to-moment thoughts, behaviors, and interpersonal interactions. This hidden influence is unveiled in the present volume, taking as its example the lives of three famous mid-century psychologists