Analysis of a Story

1. Analysis of a Story The Analysis is the second part of your Emotions paper. In the Analysis first identify the sequence of emotions that you can extract from the story line, and then identify, for each emotion, the four components: • Trigger • Interpretative Thought and Further Thoughts • Motivation to Act • Bodily Feeling.

2. Caught near the orchard In this episode I experience panic, irritation about my panic, care of self, then worry, more irritation with myself, and further care of self, then curiosity, then relief, followed by feeling silly and a renewed care of self, then annoyance with myself and care of self.

3. Panic • Trigger (Perception): I look in my rear view mirror. A white car appears from under the fruit trees, 600 feet behind me, a flash of light coming off the car • Thought (interprets the perception): A police car! (descriptive) That’s bad news. I am going to get an expensive ticket! (evaluative) • Bodily feeling: Rush of blood through my head and upper body, general agitation, increased heartbeat; sweet in hand palms • Motivation to act: hit the breaks

4. Irritation about my panic • Trigger (Perception): I perceive myself to be somewhat out of control • Interpreting Thought: I am out-of-control (descriptive) That's stupid! (evaluative) • Bodily feeling: Frowning through my whole body • Motivation to act: Wanting to walk away from myself

5. Care of Self • Trigger (Perception): I perceive myself irritated and wanting to walk away from myself. • Interpreting Thought: This guy is in trouble. (descriptive) I love him, he's my best friend. (evaluative). I should take care of him. I shouldn't be so panicked, or at least not show that I'm panicked and as if I appear to know I was going too fast, just slowly get the car loose speed, without using the break.

6. Care of Self (cont.) • Bodily feeling: Warm feeling for myself, gathering energy to get out of a bad situation • Motivation to act: I try to get control over my panic through trying to calm down my bodily response; breathing control, mental focus; mental preparation (Thought: Should I say sir? How do you address a policewoman? Perceptual imagination: mentally preparing how to respond to being flagged down; imagine the officer get out the car, asking for my papers, writing a ticket.)

7. Worry • Trigger (Thought): What will my girlfriend say when she hears of my ticket? Imagining her being angry and upset, slamming of doors. (Perceptual imagination) • Interpreting Thought: She will be upset and angry with me! (predictive) I am in deep trouble. (evaluative) • Bodily feeling: feeling closed-up, somewhat gray • Motivation to act: Trying to think of something to explain it to her.

8. Irritation with myself • Trigger (Thought) : I vaguely think of the last times I was stopped for speeding. Years ago. (Images: street in Palo Alto, highway around Chicago.)* • Thought that interprets the situation in the light of the earlier thought: "How stupid. I'm too old for this!” (evaluative) • Bodily feeling: Shuddering, an itch • Motivation to act: Trying to get rid of the irritating thought. * (This thought came up in my effort to come up with the right behavior for such a situation).

9. Care of Self • Trigger (Perception): I perceive myself irritated by a thought I want to get rid of. • Thought: This guy is in trouble. (descriptive) I love him, he's my best friend. (evaluative) I should take care of him. Let me help him. • Bodily feeling: Warm feeling for myself, gathering energy to regain control and tranquility. • Motivation to act: Breathing control, mental focus, perceptual preparation

10. Curiosity • Trigger (Perception): Seeing the police car in my rear view mirror still far behind me • Thought: Why has he not closed in, why is he not right behind me? • Bodily feeling: Still rush of blood through my head and upper body, general agitation, increased heartbeat, but calming down, have the more focused "stretching" feel of curiosity • Motivation to act: Look more carefully, what's wrong with this cop? Has he not noticed me yet?

11. Relief • Trigger (Perception): Having stopped at a stop sign, the car pulls up behind me. I see a woman driver and a child on the passenger seat. See no marking on the car. • Thought that interprets the perception: It's not a police car at all! • Bodily feeling: beginning of a relaxation, less cramped, exhaling • Motivation to act: returning to the task at hand, driving home

12. (Mixed with) Feeling silly • Thought that triggers feeling silly: How could I have made this mistake? • Thought that interprets the trigger: How stupid! • Bodily feeling: Wobbly • Motivation to act: Wanting to turn away

13. Feeling even more silly • Perception that triggers feeling silly: While I wait at a stop sign, I see the woman and child are laughing. • Thought that interprets the perception: They may be laughing at me! • Bodily feeling: contracting • Motivation to act: Stop looking at them; trying to hide

14. Care of Self • Perception and trigger of the care of self: I perceive myself making a odd judgment • Thought: That's impossible! This guy is still in trouble. I love him, he's my best friend. I should take care of him. Let me help him. • Bodily feeling: Warm feeling for myself • Motivation to act: Rejecting the thought

15. Annoyance • Thought that triggers the annoyance: Why did I misinterpret the perception? The white flash must have been the reflection of the sun. Why did I think of my girlfriend? Why did I think she would get angry at me? What does that tell me about our relationship? Why did I get in such a panic about a simple speeding ticket? What does that tell me about my attitude towards the police? • Thought that interprets: What a fool I am! • Bodily feeling: Shuddering, an itch • Motivation to act: Slap at myself

16. Care of Self • Perception and trigger of the care of self: I perceive myself being annoyed with myself • Thought: This guy is still in trouble. I love him, he's my best friend. I should take care of him. Let me help him. • Bodily feeling: Warm feeling for myself • Motivation to act: Trying to get rid of annoyance through calmly and systematically thinking about what has happened.

17. Summing Up Although my emotions went up and down and rose high, I did not let them get out of control because I took care of myself. Many emotions were triggered by thoughts. The most troubling aspect was my thoughts about my girlfriend and the motions these triggered. This may mean a weakness of social skills. Also my apparent fear of the police indicates weakness of social skills.