ABSTRACT
Clients come to therapy with their specific theory of their emotions—and the emotions of others. These theories of emotion include the manner in which the client describes emotion—for example, specifying the emotion and the context or describing emotions in vague, overgeneralized terms. Specific, context-related descriptions lend themselves to identifying the variability of emotion dependent on the situation and the client’s interpretation, thereby offering the possibility of change. In contrast, overgeneralized and vague descriptions make it difficult to identify variability and change agents. Another aspect of theory of emotion in therapy is the client’s goal—is it to rid themselves of all anxiety or it is to accomplish valued goals that might, in fact, necessitate tolerating anxiety? Further, some clients have a fixed view of emotion—that an emotion is a kind of trait—whereas others have a “growth” or “flexible” view of emotion. Finally, clients differ as to their theories of cause and change. Some clients believe that the important causes are in the distant past or outside of one’s control—such as genetics, childhood experiences, unconscious processes, unrecoverable trauma—whereas others may come to believe that the cause of their emotion may be specific situations, behaviours or cognitions. These theories of emotion have implications for the client’s response to therapy.
