Emotion
Misconceptions of Emotion
In the episode The Fog (H), Sally is acting out and getting in trouble at school. She got in a fight with another girl, so Don and Betty were called into school. According to Lane (2008), the emotions Sally is dealing with would be considered debilitative because they "detract from functioning (16)." Don and Betty meet with Sally's teacher and determine that Sally's behavior has been caused by the death of her grandfather. Sally and Bobby were not allowed to attend the funeral because their parents did not want to put them through it. It probably would have been helpful for them in dealing with their feelings about his death.
During the conversation between Don and Sally's teacher, Don says that it is not a good time for them to be dealing with this situation, which is one of the misconceptions of emotion, that it should be saved for "later (17)." Another misconception of emotion that relates to the situation with Sally is that we should ignore emotions to resolve conflict. Betty wants to pretend that the incident did not happen, saying to Sally's teacher, "I want to put it behind us. I really want everything to be okay when the baby comes.” According to Wilmot (2011), “if other people express, I have the responsibility to do something (17).” Sally’s teacher illustrated this misconception of emotion by trying to comfort Betty when she explained that her father had died, even though Betty did not want her help. (Photo: see Notes, n) |
Emotional Intelligence Domains
Betty is in the hospital in labor and Don sits in the waiting room. He waits with another expectant father, Dennis. Dennis is nervous and afraid for his wife and baby, rehearsing possible scenarios of what might go wrong and what he would do if his wife did not survive. This anxiety can be helpful to deal with potential threats.
Several of the Emotional Intelligence Domains are seen in this situation. When Dennis finds out that his wife and son are okay, he uses his emotions of anxiety and excitement to motivate him. He uses the birth of his son as a fresh start, which corresponds to the motivation element of the Emotional Intelligence Domains. Dennis was aware of his emotions and able to identify his nervousness, excitement, and gratefulness and why he was feeling that way, which exemplifies the “knowing” domain. According to Goleman (1995), "empathy is an essential 'people skill.' These people are attuned to subtle social cues and interactions which indicate what others want or need (18)." Don illustrated the “empathy for others” domain by recognizing and understanding what Dennis was going through. Dennis also showed the “managing” domain by handling his emotions with the support and encouragement he received from Don. (Photo: see Notes, o) For more information on references; see Notes. |