Are we and our children better off when we suppress our negative emotions, or when we’re honest and transparent with our feelings? When parents suppressed their negative emotions — squelching feelings like upset, anger, and sadness — they reported a reduced sense of their own emotional well-being, poorer quality of relationship with their children, and less effective responsiveness to their kids’ needs. “Hiding our negative emotions decreases our sense of authenticity, defined as operating according to our core sense of who we are,” explains Dr. Aaron Cooper. “Authenticity seems to be a critical component of personal well-being, whether in our role as parents or any of our important relationships.”Dr. Aaron Cooper, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, is available to comment on becoming aware through mindfulness.
“Suppressing negative emotion requires effort, which researchers suspect may deplete our emotional and energy resources,” Dr. Cooper adds. “Depleted in this way, we may be compromised in our ability to effectively meet our children’s needs.”
Dr. Cooper earned his doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago, following a three-year internship at the Loyola Guidance Clinic. Prior to that, he received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) from Harvard University.
To speak to Dr. Cooper about the emotional and logical brain, or to learn more about The Family Institute, please contact Cyndi Schu, Director of Public Relations, at cschu@family-institute or 312-609-5300, ext. 483.
ABOUT THE FAMILY INSTITUTE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY – The Family Institute at Northwestern University (www.family-institute.org) is committed to strengthening and healing families, couples and individuals from all walks of life through clinical service, education and research. An affiliate of Northwestern University, The Family Institute is a relationally based mental health system of care governed by its own independent Board of Directors and responsible for its own funding. The Institute offers a wide range of high quality mental health counseling through our staff practice and our sliding-fee scale Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic, where we are committed to serving at-risk, under-resourced communities. The Family Institute also operates two nationally-renowned graduate programs in marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology in affiliation with Northwestern University, and conducts cutting-edge research projects that lead to a better understanding and treatment of mental health issues.
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