The phrase "distressing emotion" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing feelings that cause discomfort or anxiety.
Example: "The movie evoked a distressing emotion that lingered long after the credits rolled."
Alternatives: "upsetting feeling" or "troubling sentiment."
Dictionary.com defines the word fear as: A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
The position of current student protesters, at least at Yale and Princeton (where my husband is a professor and where my 2009 novel Admission was set), is that the power of language and thought to "trigger" distressing emotion is so all-consuming that we must avoid the sharing of any idea, opinion or historical truth that might offend.
As avoidance is to situation selection, escape-related behaviors are to response modulation, implemented once a person experiences a distressing emotion in an effort to reduce the intensity.
Two main findings emerge from the two studies reported here: (i) interpersonal conflict is a proximal trigger associated with non-fatal self-poisoning, in most instances; and (ii) a mixture of motivations is associated with the act, including a desire to die, a desire to escape, and difficulty tolerating distressing emotion associated with interpersonal conflict.
Active coping is used to handle the problem arousing emotional distress, whereas passive coping is used to handle the distressing emotions caused by the problem [ 12].
As Goleman writes, "One downside of emotional empathy occurs when people lack the ability to manage their own distressing emotions can be seen in the psychological exhaustion that leads to burnout.
A sense of irony animates her work, lending it a playful distance that permits her to enact distressing emotions, and assume extreme roles, with the knowledge that they can be put on and taken off like Andy Warhol's platinum wig.
The reptilian part of the brain is to blame for such distressing emotions, from the fear of heights and potentially dangerous animals to the terror buttons can cause some people.
Because dreams are thought to be the brain's attempt to cope with difficult and often distressing emotions, some psychologists and psychiatrists worry that dream groups might cause harm if traumatic events are exposed and not treated delicately.
One possible way forward might be to integrate an emotion regulation approach since emotions are potent during exposure and because distressing emotions may both interfere with exposure procedures and patient motivation to engage in exposure.
Currently available data suggest that people with moderate to severe dementia frequently experience distressing emotions.
