• Dissertation in psychology of emotions,based on Dialogical Self Theory and the Self Confrontation Method. In my research I discovered that emotions are important powers for changing the self and motivation.

Abstract

Dynamic Conceptualization of Feelings based on Dialogical Self Theory.

Agnieszka  Hermans-Konopka   

Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Warsaw, Poland

The Dialogical Self, was described by Gonçalves and Salgado as “one of the most promising ways to develop a dynamic perspective on selfhood”(Gonçalves & Salgado, 2001, s. 367). It is also an excellent basis for understanding feelings as dynamic processes. Departing from the Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans, 2001, 2003, 2004, Hermans & Kempen, 1993) the authors are going to present the dynamic, dialogical conceptualization of feelings and results of the research based on such a model.

 Feelings from this perspective can be described as relational processes involving following dynamic aspects of emotional experience: emotional movements (EM), understood as changes in experience of self and action tendencies (AT).

 Two lists of verbs: LEV (Konopka, 2004) and the list from Self Confrontation Method (Hermans, 1985) have been applied to explore dynamic aspects of emotional experience of 14 feelings.

Research made on the group of 120 participants showed significant differences between positive and negative feelings and 14 specific categories of feelings. These findings will be discussed from the perspective of The Dialogical Self Theory and Fredrickson’s (1998) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.

Keywords: dialogical self, feelings, action tendencies, emotional movement, change