Glossary
Reduce negative emotions
What does “reduce negative emotions” mean?
The technique “reduce negative emotions” means advising on ways to reduce distress in order to make a target behavior easier to perform.
How the technique is defined
The technique targets distress that makes a particular behavior difficult. A discussion about relaxation or another coping method would fit when its purpose is to help the person perform that behavior. Anxiety, sadness, or frustration need not always be barriers, and different methods can have different effects.
Illustrative example
In a hypothetical example, a person feels anxious before attending a scheduled class. They discuss progressive muscle relaxation with a qualified practitioner and learn the method before trying it ahead of class. Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing and then releasing different muscle groups.
The behavioral aim is attendance. Recording both pre-class distress and whether the person attends can show whether the intended barrier and behavior change together. Feeling calmer without attending is a different result from increased attendance. This illustration does not establish that the method treats an anxiety disorder.
Taxonomy definition
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions identify this as technique 11.2.