Emotional validation

Emotional validation is the process of acknowledging and accepting another person's inner emotional experience and communicating that acceptance. Validating an emotion does not mean agreeing with the other person or justifying it.[1] Opposites of emotional validation include emotional denial, emotional dismissal, emotional invalidation, or apathy.

Affecting factors

Emotional validation is recognized as an important tool to develop empathy, strengthen bonds and resolve conflicts, as well as to effectively comfort people in the process of grieving. Studies on emotional validation have shown that it helps regulate the emotions of both the validating person and the validated person, helping to resolve conflicts more easily. Emotional validation has also been seen to increase children's emotional self-awareness, helping them to express their emotions appropriately.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Emotional invalidation

The opposite of emotional validation is emotional invalidation. Emotional invalidation occurs when a person's emotional experience is rejected, ignored, or judged, through words or actions that indicate that their emotions and reactions do not make sense for a particular context. It is also considered emotional invalidation to try to mitigate the other person's emotions with phrases like "it's not so bad", "you'll be better", "everything happens for a reason". Although these phrases arise from the intention to comfort the other person, many times they have the opposite effect.[1][4]

Levels of validation

According to the American psychologist Marsha Linehan:[4]

  • First level: attend, show a real interest in the other person.
  • Second level: clarify the information shared by the consultant through questions.
  • Third level: say as a comment what the person believes has not been said about the emotions of the other, always pending the affirmative or negative answer; to clarify the situation.
  • Fourth level: trying to understand the behavior by mentioning the cause of the emotions.
  • Fifth level: recognize emotions and their causes in the current context as valid, normalize the experience by describing the context.
  • Sixth level: consists of showing vulnerability and transparency, demonstrating empathy with the other's experience and establishing a relationship as equals; for example, talking about how you feel about the situation or what you have experienced before in a similar situation.

See also

References
  1. Torres, L. C. P. (2019). "Validación Emocional:¿ Qué es y Cómo Practicarla?". Área Profesional I: Psicología Clínica.
  2. "Corley, A. (2018). Emotional Validation: Reinforcing or Reducing Pain?. Wayne State University". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. https://www.mcleanhospital.org/sites/default/files/shared/BPDWebinar-Galen-Validation-Webinar10.13.16.pdf
  4. Cortes, M. D. L. Á. R. (2019). Estrategias de validación emocional, repertorio conductual indispensable en el apoyo del duelo. Revista Mexicana de Enfermería Cardiológica, 27(1), 42-45
  5. https://www.lavanguardia.com/magazine/psicologia/20230202/8724629/que-validacion-emocional-importante-pvlv.html
  6. Lambie; Lindberg (2016). "The Role of Maternal Emotional Validation and Invalidation on Children's Emotional Awareness". Merrill-Palmer Quarterly. 62 (2): 129. doi:10.13110/merrpalmquar1982.62.2.0129. ISSN 0272-930X. S2CID 58910367. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
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