Fearing the Emotional Self
Although conceptualizations of human emotions in personal construct psychology have differed, most have agreed that emotion is a fundamental aspect of human experience. However, notwithstanding their fundamental nature, personal attitudes and beliefs about emotion take form against the larger background of culture and its associated values, stereotypes, and ideals. In Western culture, individual constructions of emotion are likely to be housed in frameworks that resemble the structure of Western beliefs and attitudes. This article examines the relations between Western constructions of identity and the core processes of emotion—particularly, how conflict between these can generate fear of emotion. To this end, principles of personal construct psychology will be used to describe how emotion may come to be construed as being incompatible with the self, a state that we refer to as emotion-threat. The implications of this construct will then be elaborated in regard to psychological health and treatment.