Natural emotions
Most people experience a variety of emotions throughout their life. Most of these experienced emotions are in reaction to something; an event, a person, something gross, or something pleasant or comforting. Sometimes these emotions are intense and fleeting, and other times they stick around. When we have an immediate emotional response to something that goes away over time; that is a natural emotion.
Manufactured emotions
On the other hand, we have manufactured emotions. Manufactured emotions are the emotions that stick around even past when they normally would have faded. These manufactured emotions may stem from a natural emotional reaction, but they stick around because of the individuals’ thoughts. Thoughts that contribute to manufactured emotions center around why it happened, how it could have been prevented, and how it changed the individual’s world view. Common manufactured emotions include shame, guilt, self-hatred, or fear, among others.
Manufactured emotions and harm
Manufactured emotions can become harmful to the individual when they are in response to a stressful or traumatic experience. For example, an individual that has survived a violent crime may, instead of blaming the perpetrator, blame themselves. Thoughts such as “I should have known” or “I should have done something” can cause feelings such as shame, guilt, or anger directed at the self. Additionally, thoughts such as “no one can be trusted” or “people are always going to hurt me” could lead to fear or mistrust of others. This can therefore harm the individual’s relationships.
Some ways to combat manufactured emotions include writing down unhelpful thoughts and coming up with a more helpful alternative for each. Or thinking about what you would tell a friend if they said that thing, or working with a mental health therapist to engage in therapy.