Did you know about losing control? Loss of control generally refers to lack of the ability to provide conscious limitation of impulses and behavior as a result of overwhelming emotion. Behaviors that illustrate loss of control are agitated states such as fighting, screaming, and crying uncontrollably. Fear of losing control is a symptom or thought of losing control over oneself and is felt in one's mind. These thoughts if they become repetitive and obsessive will cause OCD.
Loss of control can happen to drivers. The result of losing control while driving will cause an accident. These accidents usually occur when a driver loses control of their car and drives off the road. Accidents experienced by young drivers are usually single-vehicle accidents and are often preceded by risky driving. Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are frequently reported as risk factors in single vehicle crashes (Karttunen et al., 1982; Karpf and Williams, 1983; Brorsson et al., 1993; strm and Eriksson, 1993; Laapotti, 1991; Twisk, 1994; Williams et al., 1995). It is the speeding and under the influence of alcohol that make drivers lose control and cause accidents.
In addition, holding negative beliefs about losing control can lead to increased social anxiety. Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by signifcant fear and anxiety across social situations or in contexts where being scrutinized is possible (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).In SAD, concerns about losing control over one's emotions have been proposed as acore maintaining factor for anticipatory anxiety leading up to social situations (Hofmann, 2007). The fear of losing control over emotions in SAD has received more research attention than other domains of control (i.e., behaviour, physiological responses). For example, Spokas et al., (2009) found that relative to individuals low in social anxiety, individuals high in social anxiety held more negative beliefs about the consequences of losing control over their emotions, place greater importance on maintaining control and attempt to do so through suppression of their emotions.
From this statement, we can conclude that loss of control can refer to loss of self-control as well as loss of control in a situation. Loss of self-control can have a negative impact in emotional, mental or physical terms. Losing control in a situation may result in unintended consequences. It is therefore important that we are always able to self-manage and control our emotions in order to better face challenges. Also, having a better understanding of the situation can help in minimising the risk of losing control.
