When I think back to being driven to tears, usually I'm angry and fustrated, and not knowing how do deal with either emotion. Growing up I wasn't allowed to yell back, or explain why I did whatever it was I was being blamed for. Tears pretty much made the torment go away.

I think I finally got over it at work when an acting supervisor took it upon himself to *counsel* me after a difficult public meeting I was in charge of. But the man couldn't express himself without cussing, meanwhile he's spouting how well educated he is (he has a PhD in Education!). I told him that if he's so well educated, why can't he express himself without cussing? And if he's going to swear, I'm leaving. That blew the wind out of his sails. I was still captive, but I tuned him out. Can't even remember if he had any salient points on how to deal with the difficult individual from the public meeting. The man *couseling* me had lost my respect.

I think those of us who cry when we're getting chewed out, do so because we've never learned how to handle the emotions of anger and fustration. Doesn't help that we feel powerless, which adds to the personal level of anger and fustration. Having someone tell you to let if flow like water off a duck's back doesn't help either. HOW do you not let it bother you??? I don't know the answer, but holding onto whatever morsel of control you have over your life seems to help.