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Ever wondered why your emotions often lead your actions, even when logic seems to make more sense? Get ready to unlock the mysteries of your emotional console with insights from Sylvan Tompkins' affect theory and the animated film "Inside Out." We break down the common misconception that thoughts govern behavior, using the relatable example of a young violinist’s performance anxiety to illustrate how feelings frequently drive our actions. By expanding your emotional vocabulary and understanding the nine affects, particularly the positive ones like interest/excitement and enjoyment/joy, we aim to empower you to take control of your emotional life.

Journey with us as we examine the complex relationship between emotions and memory through the lens of "Inside Out" and its sequel. Observe how Riley's emotional console evolves as she matures, leading to deeper and more nuanced memories. By connecting these cinematic developments to affect theory, we show how emotions like sadness can add richness to our experiences and memories. Our discussion provides valuable insights into how emotional awareness can impact your relationships and personal growth, ultimately guiding you towards a more fulfilling and meaningful life. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Have you ever wondered how our favorite characters from movies would handle real-life challenges like puberty? Discover the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence through the eyes of Riley from Inside Out, as Dr. Scott Conkright navigates her journey with the help of affect relational therapy. This episode of the Meaningful Happiness Podcast promises to offer invaluable insights into the hormonal, cognitive, and social upheavals that accompany this life stage. Learn how newly introduced characters and a revamped emotional console mirror Riley's heightened complexity and self-consciousness, and understand the crucial shift from parental to peer reliance.

Join us for an enlightening discussion that bridges psychological theory and cinematic storytelling. Dr. Conkright dives deep into how Riley's internal and external worlds are reshaped, offering strategies to manage the overwhelming self-awareness and social judgments of puberty. Additionally, we celebrate a film that masterfully captures the intricacies of human emotions, emphasizing the importance of staying connected to our feelings. Tune in for an engaging conversation that promises to enhance your understanding of emotional complexity and provide valuable takeaways for personal growth and emotional resilience.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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What if shame isn’t just an emotion, but a core feeling hardwired into us from birth? In this enlightening episode, I, Scott Conkright, guide you through the maze of core feelings, starting with the elusive and often misunderstood sensation of shame. Learn how platforms like Instagram can trigger these innate responses through relentless comparisons, and understand the reflexive nature of core feelings—known as affects—that shape our perceptions long before our conscious minds even catch up. By dissecting these nine core affects and their intrinsic differences from emotions, you'll gain a clearer path to self-awareness and healthier relationships.

We then move on to the fascinating interplay between positive affects such as interest, excitement, enjoyment, and joy, and how shame can act as an obstacle to these fulfilling experiences. Through the contrasting stories of Bob and Jane, we reveal how our personal narratives shape our emotional responses to everyday disappointments and significant social conflicts alike. Discover the biological rationale behind shame and its protective role in social navigation, as we prepare to uncover how our sensory interface—our core feelings—uniquely color our reality.

Finally, delve into the nuts and bolts of how our affect and sensory systems drive our motivations and actions before any cognitive processing kicks in. From examining the primary sources of motivation—affect, bodily sensations, and pain—to distinguishing between our immediate physical reactions and our autobiographical emotional responses, this episode is packed with insights that empower you to better understand and navigate your true feelings. Join me on this journey to enrich both your personal interactions and your relationship with yourself, as we uncover the essential role of affects in our daily lives.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Unlock the secrets to emotional mastery with Dr. Scott Conkright, the pioneering founder of Affect Relational Therapy! Join us as Dr. Conkright shares transformative strategies for harnessing your emotions to foster happier, more meaningful relationships. Learn how to become keenly aware of your feelings, identify emotional triggers, and make timely interventions to improve your decision-making. Gain insights into the power of attention redirection and discover how thinking follows feeling, enabling you to create connections that are not only joyful but deeply rewarding.

As a therapist pioneering Affect Relational Therapy centered on the nine core affects like interest, enjoyment, anger and shame, I empower you to take control of runaway emotions and feelings by mastering attention redirection - the ultimate mindfulness skill for nurturing proud, meaningful happiness in your most cherished relationships. By understanding how hardwired biological feeling states and body sensations inherently capture human focus while catalyzing ruminating thought patterns, you can build the emotional intelligence to disengage from hostile affects and consciously realign your attentiveness with uplifting values, aspirations and bonding memories.  This ethical mind-hacking equips you to curate your experience of captured states, authoring a passionate life narrative imbued with resonant emotional wellness.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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As a licensed psychologist exploring relational affects and emotions, I reveal the profound distinction between biologically hardwired affects like startle, fear, and anger, and the deeply personal emotional autobiographies that stem from them, empowering you to master emotional control. By understanding the nine core affects that shape our feeling states from birth and recognizing how prolonged moods and emotional narratives emerge, you can gain invaluable insights into navigating life's complexities with emotional intelligence and wisdom. Unlocking the mysteries of affects and emotions is the key to self-awareness, healthy relationships, and a fulfilling, emotionally balanced life.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Discover the power of confronting shame and the subconscious shields we raise against it. We're peeling back the layers of this complex emotion, revealing how it can simultaneously cause pain and catalyze personal growth. Dr. Conkright probes the dual nature of shame and invites you to a journey towards affective intelligence, where you'll learn to identify and understand behaviors such as facade crafting, emotional ghosting, self-clipping, blame casting, and cloistral retreat. These terms aren't just buzzwords; they're keys to unlocking a deeper connection with your true self, and a guide to navigating the treacherous waters of the digital age where social media magnifies our insecurities.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Join Scott, Kay, Greg, Alex, and Hayat on a journey to decode the complexities of relationships and love. We discuss the importance and difficulties of communicating your needs, setting boundaries, and understanding you and your partner's feelings; and how Affect Theory can help us to overcome these challenges and guide us towards meaningful happiness with the important people in our lives. 

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Scott, Greg, and Alex examine an excerpt from the literature of Silvan Tompkins, the progenitor of Affect Theory, and discuss how shame and feelings of inadequacy factor into our interpersonal relationships, both romantically and in the workplace.  

Join us for an introduction to Tomkins' work and a look into Affect Relational Therapy (A.R.T)- Scott's new and groundbreaking approach to therapy based on the groundwork laid by Tompkins. 

Through these discussions we aim to learn, grow, and to achieve meaningful happiness in our lives, and hope you will too!

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Join Scott, Kay, Hayat, Greg, and Alex as they tackle the difficult topic of race in America and discuss how Affect Theory can be applied to DEI initiatives and be used to give us the tools we need to understand and accept each other on a more human level. 

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright

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Scott, Greg, and Alex discuss the current state of AI, its potential future, and the fear surrounding it. 

What does it mean to be human? How do we shape AI and how might it shape us ? Will it take over and should we be worried? How does the human mind relate to that of an AI?

Join us for an enlightening dialogue, navigating the nuanced impact of Affect in AI—because understanding our future with artificial intelligence begins with understanding ourselves.

For more information about Scott and his practice, articles, videos, and more: https://linktr.ee/scottconkright