Monologue: an investigation of how visualization could be used to help us record and reflect emotion

China's unique social development of rapid urbanization, high population density, and the emergence of new culture have put heightened demands on my generation (Millennials) and increased the need to care for our mental health. As my generation became satisfied with their material life, our demand for spiritual healing surfaced and increased. But traditional cultural ideology, stigma surrounding mental health issues, and the lack of psychological education and consult resources make Chinese people less likely to seek psychiatric healthcare. Social Anxiety Disorder is one of the neglected but ubiquitous emotional disturbances among the young generation in China. This study addresses the cultural and social context of Social Anxiety as well as the needs of individuals who suffer from Social Anxiety for a healthy way of emotion expression. This thesis studies an interdisciplinary approach of design through borrowing concepts from professional psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation, and Art Therapy to explore the possibility of self-emotion management for socially anxious individuals, and design a language which records and translates emotion data visually and can be used systematically. Using research methods such as Heuristic Inquiry, Cultural Probes, and Information Visualization, I have developed an interactive emotion tracking tool, which provides users the opportunity to record and reflect their emotional experiences in order to gain self-awareness, and achieve emotional healing and regulation.