Shot 38 / 11:00–11:03Select a shot, or shift-click to select multipleSelect a shot, or double-tap to select multiple

Control Your Emotions

195013 min 17 sec48 shots

A man in a laboratory coat compares uncontrolled emotions to fire and explains emotions through a stimulus-response model. The film says rage, fear, and love begin as basic response patterns, while later experiences condition people to react emotionally to many situations. It also describes projection, in which someone blames an object or person for frustration, and the spread of anger from one person to others.

A dramatized example follows Jeff Moore, a young man whose failed attempt to impress his friends begins a series of frustrations involving a sprinkler, a car that will not start, and a fight with his younger brother. His mounting anger disrupts his thinking, harms his relationships, and leaves him tired and regretful. The same problems are reconsidered to show three methods of emotional control: eliminate the cause when possible, view the cause differently, or change the response by using humor and calm reasoning. Jeff then identifies a dead battery, seeks help with the car, and treats his brother more kindly, supporting the closing message that emotional control can become easier with practice and benefit everyone involved.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: Coronet Instructional Films
Collection: Prelinger Archives
Original title: Control Your Emotions
Date: 1950
Original link: Open on Internet Archive
Rights: public_domain