Unit 3: Thoughts, Emotions, & Decisions

Your emotions act as guides for your brain.

• True

• False

Thoughts can be both helpful and unhelpful.

• True

• False

Which of the following statements are true? Choose all that apply.

• Your emotions can inspire you to try new and difficult things.

• Your emotions can protect you from dangerous situations.

• You emotions can keep you safe.

• Your emotions can sometimes keep you from doing fun things.

Jack is frustrated that he hasn't been doing well on his Social Studies homework assignments, even though he's worked hard all month. How could his frustration lead him to a helpful decision.

• His frustration could cause him to give up on doing his homework at all.

• His frustration could motivate him to get help from his teacher.

• His frustration could push him to get angry and tell his teacher her assignments are too hard.

• His frustration could lead him to find new strategies for doing his homework.

As you cross the street, you see a car speeding toward you. Will your emotions guide you to act appropriately?

• Yes. My emotions will help me react quickly.

• Yes. My emotions are always in charge of my actions.

• No. My emotions will slow down my rational response.

• No. Emotions are never good guides.

When your emotions overwhelm you, what can help you make a good decision? Choose all that apply.

• Remember that my brain is developing, and at this age, my emotions are in charge of my actions.

• Recognize that I can choose not to do what my emotions are telling me to do.

• Try to remember my values and allow them to guide my decision.

• Let my emotions have their way, because they always direct me in helpful ways.

Last week Ivy had an argument with Kayla. Kayla accused Ivy of spreading rumors about her. Ivy did spread the rumors, because she was upset at Kayla for excluding her from activities with their friends. What should she do?

• Remember her values of responsibility and honestly, and admit to Kayla that she did spread the rumors.

• Recognize that emotions guided her actions, and there's nothing she can do about it now.

• Try to undo the damage by spreading new rumors about someone else.

• Remember that Kayla did something wrong first, so wait for her to apologize.

Emotions are what we feel, and thoughts are what we say to ourselves in our heads.

• True

• False

We cannot decide whether or not we listen to our thoughts.

• True

• False

Which of the following is a helpful thought?

• You get a bad grade on a test and think you're not good at anything.

• You get a bad grade on a test and think you should study harder for the next one.

• You overhear someone criticizing how you look and think that person is probably right.

• You get a compliment on a new outfit and think the person must be pretending to be nice.