Under-Controlled

Reactive Coping Style

When experiencing emotional reactions, self-control is the goal for most people. Basically, we don’t want to make a scene AND we don’t be a doormat or in denial either. We want to express ourselves clearly, appropriately, and effectively.

If you have a reactive or under-controlled coping style, your actions are fueled by your emotions. Perhaps you are a creative soul that expresses deep thoughts and feelings through art, music, or writing. You might be a super-sensor — an empathic person who is motivated to help when you see others suffering.

Your tendancy toward the spontaneous can make you fun and unpredictable, even though some people may call you dramatic or unstable.

You can control your emotional expression (to a point). When emotions get too big, however, you react without thinking and that can sometimes cause problems.

In the extreme, a lack of self-control can result in depression, substance abuse, obesity, self-injury or other impulsive behaviors. If you struggle with any of these results of extreme under-control, click the button below to learn about how Dialectical Behahavior Therapy can help.