Emotional stability

The five components of emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Emotional stability refers to an individual's ability to manage and express their emotions in a healthy, constructive and appropriate way, even when faced with stressful or challenging situations (See: Emotional intelligence and Self-regulation and Stress management). It's about maintaining a sense of inner emotional balance and composure, rather than merely suppressing or denying their emotions (See also: Mindfulness). People who are very emotionally stable tend to engage in self-reflection regularly and to have self-awareness so they are better able to exercise self-control.

Emotional composure "refers to the ability to remain calm, collected, and in control of one's emotions, especially during stressful or challenging situations. It's not about suppressing emotions, but rather about managing them effectively and responding thoughtfully instead of impulsively."

"Emotional stability, self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-control are interconnected aspects of emotional intelligence, personal development, and well-being. They involve understanding one's own emotions, regulating responses, and adapting to situations. Developing these skills can lead to improved relationships, better decision-making, and increased overall well-being."

Individuals with emotional stability tend to be mentally tough, psychologically resilient, adaptable, and able to handle life's ups and downs with a more optimal, balanced, constructive, positive and realistic perspective (See: Mindset and Attitude and Positive thinking and Peak performance and Flow state).

Genuine Christian faith is a very strong source of emotional stability as it provides virtue, character, a sense of inner strength, hope, and resilience during challenging times.

Emotional conflict

See also: Emotional conflict and Emotional intelligence and Neuroticism

Emotional conflict occurs when a person experiences two (or more) opposing emotions/feelings at the same time, and those opposing feelings are pulling them in different directions.

Carl Jung indicated that "emotional conflicts and the intervention of the unconscious are the classical features of...medical psychology". The child psychoanalyst Eric Erickson indicated that emotional conflict was a source of neurosis in children.

Emotional conflict happens when:

• A person wishes to do something, but another part of the person doesn’t want to do it.

• A person feels both positive and negative emotions about the same person or situation.

• A person has two or more different values, desires, or needs inside themselves that are incompatible.

Emotional conflict can create stress, indecision, hesitation, and/or even physical tension. See also: Stress management

Journal articles and academic works

• Personality traits and subjective well-being: emotional stability, not extraversion, is probably the important predictor, Personality and Individual Differences. Volume 31, Issue 6, 15 October 2001, Pages 903-914
• Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Stability in Crises. Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders. January 2020 04(02). DOI:10.26502/jppd.2572-519X0090 (PDF version)
• Job burnout: The contribution of emotional stability and emotional self-efficacy beliefs. The Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 13 June 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12225
• Emotional Stability, Core Self-Evaluations, and Job Outcomes: A Review of the Evidence and an Agenda for Future Research, Human Performance. Volume 17, 2004 - Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1703_4
• Emotional stability as a major dimension of happiness, Personality and Individual Differences. Volume 31, Issue 8, December 2001, Pages 1357-1364
• Personality predictors of longevity: Activity, Emotional Stability, and Conscientiousness. Psychosom Med. 2008 Jul 2;70(6):621–627. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e31817b9371
• Development of the Emotional Stability Seen as a Personal Leadership Quality Using the Acmeological Approach in the Master’s Students. European Journal of Educational Research 10(1):275-284, January 2021. DOI:10.12973/eu-jer.10.1.275
• Intelligence and emotional stability. The American Journal of Psychiatry. Volume 104, Number 8. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.104.8.548
• Emotional (In)stability: Neuroticism is Associated with Increased Variability in Negative Emotion After All. PNAS. May 2023. DOI:10.31234/osf.io/akbgh
• Does Emotional Stability Form the Core of Self-Evaluations? A Multi-Rater Cross-Lagged Panel Study, Journal of Research in Personality. Volume 108, February 2024, 104451
• Emotional stability: A new construct and its implications for individual behavior in organizations. March 2016Asia Pacific Journal of Management 33(1):1-28. DOI:10.1007/s10490-015-9423-2
• Development of emotional stability scale, Association of Industrial Psychiatry of India. 2010 Jan-Jun;19(1):37–40. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.77634
• Emotional stability, Science Direct
• Select on Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability, Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior: Indispensable Knowledge for Evidence‐Based Management, Second Chapter abstract, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119206422.ch2

Self-help cognitive behavioral therapy techniques

See also: Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy is a form of psychotherapy, developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. Also called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), it is "based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events."

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

Articles:

• Self-help CBT techniques, National Health Service
• Discovering New Options: Self-Help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, National Alliance of Mental Illness
• Therapy Without a Therapist? Doing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on your own can be effective by Seth J. Gillihan PhD
• A Course in CBT Techniques: A Free Online CBT Workbook, Cognitive Behavorial Therapy, Los Angeles

Quotes related to emotional stability, resilience and inner strength

See also: Inspirational quotes and Quotes about victory and Quotes about problems in life and problem solving and Self-control, willpower and resisting temptation quotes

• "Emotional self-control is the result of hard work, not an inherent skill." - Travis Bradberry

• "If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

• "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway

• "Change what you can, manage what you can't." - Raymond McCauley

• "Remember that failure is an event, not a person." - Zig Ziglar

• "You're never a loser until you quit trying." - Mike Ditka

• "You're not a loser in anything until you quit. Don't quit." - Kelvin Sampson

• “There is no security on this earth, only opportunity.” - General Douglas MacArthur

• "A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition! Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything: how to sleep, how to eat, how to work, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered, and always wear a little prayer shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I’ll tell you. I don’t know. But it’s a tradition." - Fiddler on the Roof, 1971 film

See also

• Emotional health
• Emotional detachment
• Self-distancing
• Grit (personality trait)
• Motivation
• Self-motivation
• Antifragility
• Cognitive bias
• Neuroticism
• Negative thinking
• Self-care

External links

Examples of basic emotions

• A Comprehensive Guide to Emotional Stability, The Wellness Society
• How to Be More Emotionally Stable
• 5 Habits of Emotional Stable People, Nick Wignall, PhD
• 8 Signs of Emotional Instability + How to Become Emotionally Stable
• Emotional stability: 8 tips to help you keep your nerve
• Maintaining composure
• Emotional Stability: The Quiet Strength That Changes Everything
• Emotional Stability Test
• How do you reduce neuroticism?, AI
• How to be very emotionally stable, AI
• Emotional stability, Yandex, AI

Work related:

• 7 Ways Leaders Maintain Their Composure in Difficult Times, Forbes, 2014
• How to Regain Your Composure in Stressful Situations, Harvard Business Review, 2023
• Emotional Composure Is the Silent Superpower of Great Leaders
• How to Maintain Your Composure at Work by Melody Wilding, LMSW

Videos:

• Emotional stability - video playlist, Video playlist