CHANGING EMOTIONS BY USING THE DIE MODEL Feeling
The DIE Model is used to identify thoughts that may be triggering emotional upset; Parts Two and Three of the DIE Model (adapted from Ellis, 1969) are used to manage these negative emotions.
Part One: Data, Interpretation, and Emotional Response
Part One of the DIE Model is used to identify the thoughts and emotions involved. Data (facts)
What are the objective facts? Write down what happened. Focus on 4 “Ws” - who, what, where, when.
Example: Last night, our investigator said he did not want to see us anymore.
Interpretation (thoughts or beliefs)
What are the subjective thoughts or beliefs about the data? Be as thorough as possible in describing the thoughts and beliefs. Example:
We messed up. Where did we do wrong? It’s not fair. Emotional Response (affect)
What emotions result from this interpretation? Example: Anger, anxiety, depression.
Part Two: Disputation, Exchange, and Practice
Part Two of the DIE Model illustrates how to change a negative emotional response by changing the thinking that is causing it.
Disputation
We dispute the distorted thoughts or the dysfunctional beliefs that are part of our interpretation by identifying and challenging them. Here’s how to do it:
1. Select the distorted thoughts or dysfunctional beliefs to be disputed. Write them down. It will be helpful to refer to the cognitive distortions sheet and compare them with the thoughts selected. Example: “Should statements”: I should have picked up the clues something was wrong. It’s my fault. Labeling: That was stupid. Over-generalizing: I always mess up, or these things always happen.
2. How is this thought or belief wrong, false, or misleading? Is it specific, accurate, nonjudgmental? Is it balanced? What evidence is there that it is false? Is there any evidence that it is true? How is it dysfunctional (counterproductive)? Example: I know we covered the main principles, but I am assuming the reason for him not wanting to see us is because of something we did. Is this accurate and I jumped to a conclusion without getting the facts (judgmental) and without hearing or asking if there was a problem (unbalanced). There is no evidence that we were at fault in this situation and it isn’t helping my mood to think that I was totally responsible (dysfunctional).
Exchange and Practice
We exchange distorted thoughts and dysfunctional beliefs for rational thoughts by making them specific, accurate, nonjudgmental, and balanced. Example: I have no evidence that we or I was responsible for the loss of this investigator.. For all I know, it could be for any number of reasons. Before I go jumping to conclusions, I’ll give it a few days and see we can get more information to get a more accurate picture. It may have nothing to do with me. He has always been honest in the past.
We practice the exchanged thoughts and beliefs by persistently rehearsing them in our minds (particularly when the data are present).
Only by persistently practicing disputation and exchange will a logical thought or functional belief replace the negative interpretation and change the negative emotion.
With practice, these cognitive processes become automatic and negative emotions become less frequent. As one missionary put it, “This model was a little hard to put into practice at first, but like anything else it takes practice.” Part Three: Coping and Reframing
Part Three of the DIE Model teaches us how to deal with the negative aspects of reality through coping and reframing.
Identifying and changing distortions and dysfunctional beliefs enable us to counter subjective thoughts that have no basis in fact or are harmful in some way. However, not all negative interpretations are false, and therefore, all do not necessarily result from cognitive distortions. After logically assessing a situation, we may find our negative interpretation is correct. Coping and reframing will help in dealing with this negative reality. Coping Coping is focusing on our personal resources and using them to adapt to a negative situation. It is particularly beneficial when dealing with a situation that we cannot change or one that we cannot change in the near future. We determine the worst thing that could happen and decide how to adjust to it. Examples:
Okay so we did make an error in this situation. What could be worse? He may have a bad taste about the church. I’ll talk with him about it calmly and see what I can learn. Then we’ll have to decide if there are some things we can change to make the next teaching situation more productive.
I have handled worse situations in my life and survived them. I’ve handled rejection in the past and I’ve gotten over them.
Reframing Reframing is focusing on the positive aspects of negative data. We practice reframing by identifying some good things that could result from a negative reality with which we are faced. Examples: Well situations do not always turn out as expected or hoped for. I will rack this up as another lesson. Hope for the best, but be prepared for any possibility. Expectations are good when tempered by experience.
This will give me a chance to do some of the things I’ve been putting off because of all the time I spent with this person. Better to have found out about this now before I invested too much into an effort that was going nowhere.
The coping thought process reduces a negative emotional response by strengthening the belief that we can handle a situation without excessive cost to ourselves. By reframing, we think about how we can benefit from the experience. In time, these thoughts can produce positive feelings that will motivate us to act toward the situation in a manner consistent with our goals.
As we attempt to cope and reframe, distorted thinking or dysfunctional beliefs can interfere with the process. For example, filtering may block our recall of past successful coping strategies or lead us to see reframing as “just kidding ourselves.” We would then need to dispute these distortions, rather than allow them to undermine our efforts to manage our feelings.
Applying the DIE Model to change the negative thinking and emotions will go a long way in helping us change perspective.
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