How Primary Emotions Affect You

How Primary Emotions Affect You PTSD Print How Primary Emotions Affect You By Matthew Tull, PhD twitter Matthew Tull, PhD is a professor of psychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in post-traumatic stress disorder. Learn about our editorial policy Matthew Tull, PhD Updated on June 24, 2019 franckreporter / Getty Images More in PTSD Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Coping Related Conditions PTSD and the Military Primary emotions are those that occur as a direct result of encountering some kind of cue. For example, if someone is late for a meeting that is scheduled, she may experience frustration or concern. These emotions would be considered a primary emotion  because the emotion occurred as a direct consequence of encountering some kind of event. Learn more about primary emotions and their relationship to secondary emotions with this review. What Makes Primary Emotions Stand Out Primary emotions are fast-acting. That is, they occur in close proximity to the event that brought them on. Primary emotions are important  because they provide us with information about our current situation and get us ready or motivated to act in some way. People with post-traumatic stress disorder  (PTSD)  often experience strong emotions. If you have PTSD, you may experience  sadness,  anger,  or  anxiety  when youre reminded of the traumatic event or at other  stressful moments. These emotional reactions are all primary. Sometimes, however, emotions occur in response to having  other  emotions. For example, you might feel  shame  about being anxious or sad or anxiety because youre angry. This type of emotional reaction is called a  secondary emotion. Understanding Primary and Secondary Emotions If someone cuts you off in traffic, youll probably feel irritated or angry. In this situation, anger or irritation is a primary emotion, because it occurred as a direct consequence of the event (being cut off in traffic). Or, if you start  remembering the loss of someone  you care about, the primary emotion you might feel is sadness. Secondary emotions, on the other hand, are less useful. Secondary emotions are the emotions we have in response to having primary emotions. Lets go back to the example of  someone cutting you off in traffic. You first feel the primary emotion of anger. However, lets say you were brought up to believe that it is not okay to be angry, or you  fear that when you feel anger, youll lose control and do something  impulsive. If this is how you evaluate your primary emotion, anger, youll probably feel shame or anxiety as a secondary emotion. Secondary emotions dont pass quickly or provide useful information, but they do tend to stick around for a long time. Theyre also problematic  because they can take over from primary emotions, effectively blocking them. As a result, secondary emotions can keep you from  getting information from your primary emotions  and acting on it in healthy ways. You could think of this as a way of trying to  avoid your emotions. How to Reduce Your Secondary Emotions The first step in reducing your secondary emotions is to  increase your overall emotional awareness.  Self-monitoring exercises  may help. In these exercises, you identify and evaluate your emotional responses to situations, trying to capture the kinds of secondary emotions that arise from your primary ones. The goal is to learn to  challenge your thoughts  or be more  mindful of your thoughts. You  practice  not taking your secondary emotions at face value or as truth, but simply as emotions, youre having only because youve had them before in the same types of situations, and its become a habit. Over time, getting into the habit of recognizing and  challenging your secondary emotions  can help you reduce their effects. That way, you can stay in touch with your primary emotions long enough to  act  on them in healthy ways.