Mastering Your Moods: Recognizing Your Emotional Style and Making It Work for You

Millions of Americans mistakenly believe they are neurotic or have ``personality disorders,'' argues the author of this commonsense guide. As a result, many spend years in therapy, analyzing their present and past circumstances, yet never find resolutions. The difficulty, according to Kinder ( Smart Women, Foolish Choices ), is that what they perceive as problems usually are not. Instead, most ``neuroses'' are manifestations of one of four personality styles: the Sensor (sensitive, introverted); the Focuser (introverted, prone to depression and worry); the Discharger (extroverted, emotionally expressive); or the Seeker (sensation-seeking, extroverted). These temperaments, claims Kinder, are biochemically based; attempting to change or hide one's temperament, then, creates undue stress. The solution is to work with one's personality (``setting your emotional thermostat''), enhancing its positive attributes and finding constructive ways to express (not deny or hide) the negative. The Focuser, for example, becomes vexed when idle, due to a high-arousal threshold; instead of ``thought stopping'' or dredging up the past to find a ``root,'' Focusers should acknowledge their feelings, then find an activity to ``focus'' on other than their own thoughts. (Jan.)