9.1 emotionregulation 03.09

Human Emotion

Warren G - Regulate

Human EmotionPsychology 3131

Professor June Gruber

Human EmotionEmotion Regulation

Can We Control our Feelings?

Imagine standing in a long line at a supermarket counter. A grumpy clerk slowly passes each item on the scanner glaring at you. A small child behind you emits a piercing scream. Your blood pressure rises and your fingers grip the cart tightly. !

But, at that very moment, the thought crosses your mind that a scathing remark towards the clerk or child will make things worse. So you bite your tongue and put on a smile. Why?

Course Logistics

Social Emotion Regulation

Roadmap

Process Model

What is Emotion Regulation?

Course Logistics

Take-Away Qs & Expert Interview

Course LogisticsExam 2 - Review Sheet Exam Review Sheet Handed Out This Thurs 3/12

Exam 2 - Review Session TBD Next Tuesday

Outreach Project - Ask Questions Due 4/2

Course LogisticsNext Tuesday- Guest Speaker from Yale Emotion and Aging

Course Logistics*Special April Invited Speaker Module* In-depth lectures from experts in the field!

4/7 Emotion and Psychosis

4/9 Emotional Development & Adolescence

4/14 Emotional Treatments for Depression

4/16 Emotional Treatments for Anxiety

Course Logistics


Roadmap

Process Model




“The processes by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express their emotions” !

(Gross, 1998).

Down-Regulation (Decrease)

Up-Regulation (Increase)

Negative

Positive

Course Logistics


Roadmap

Process Model



Process Model

Process Model of Emotion Regulation(Gross, 1998)

Situation

Situation Selection/Modification

Event/Stimulus ANTECEDENT-FOCUSED


STRATEGY DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Situation Selection

Taking actions that will make it more (or less) likely that you will end up in situation giving rise to desirable (or

undesirable) emotions.

Move to a different checkout line at the grocery store.

Situation Modification

Directly modify a situation so as to alter its emotional impact.

Strike up friendly conversation with clerk.

Antecedent-Focused Strategies

Situation Attention Appraisal


AttentionalDeployment

Cognitive Reappraisal


Assessment of Event



Attentional Deployment

(2 types: distraction, concentration)

Directing one’s attention within a given situation in order to influence one’s emotions.

Remembering a happy memory.

Cognitive Reappraisal (aka cognitive

change)

Changing the way one appraises (i.e., thinks about or evaluates) a

situation to alter its emotional impact

Thinking that the situation could be worse, you could have 10

screaming kids behind you in line!

Assessment of Event

• Defined as construing an emotion-eliciting situation in a way that alters its emotional impact (e.g., Lazarus & Alfert, 1962; Gross, 1998)

• Form of cognitive change common to existing CBT interventions (e.g., Beck, 1962)

• Associated with reductions in negative affect and physiological response (e.g., Gross, 1998; Gross, 2002).


You will be viewing a short film clip. Please try to adopt a detached and unemotional attitude as you watch the film. In other words, as you watch the film clip, try to think about what you are seeing objectively, in terms of the technical aspects of the events you observe. Watch the film clip carefully, but please try to think about what you are seeing so you don't feel anything at all.


Situation Attention Appraisal Response



Cognitive Reappraisal Suppression


Response RESPONSE-FOCUSED

Assessment of Event



Behavioral Suppression

Inhibiting ongoing emotion expressions Suppress anger expression

Response Focused Strategies

• Defined as attempting to suppress or inhibit outward displays of emotion (e.g., Gross, 1998)

• Associated with increased physiological response (e.g., Gross, 1998; Gross, 2002).

Suppression

You will be viewing a short film clip. If you have any feelings as you watch the film clip, please try your best not to let those feelings show. In other words, as you watch the film clip, try to behave in such a way that a person watching you would not know you were feeling anything. Watch the film clip carefully, but please try to behave so that someone watching you would not know that you are feeling anything at all.

Suppression

Situation Attention Appraisal Response



Cognitive Reappraisal Suppression


Response RESPONSE-FOCUSED

Assessment of Event


Emotion Regulation Strategies: Consequences

Suppression Watch Reappraisal

Experience or ns. *

Behavior *

Physiology *

Reappraisal & Suppression: Short-Term Consequences(Gross & Levenson, 1993)

STRATEGY LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES

ReappraisalBetter social relationshipsBetter coping with stress

More positive emotion

SuppressionFeel less authentic in social life

Poorer coping with stressLess positive & more negative emotion

Reappraisal & Suppression: Long-Term Consequences(Gross & Levenson, 1993)

EMOTION REGULATION DISTINCT FROM

Emotion Regulation & Related Constructs

Mood Regulation Subjective component

Longer-term state

Defenses Aggressive/sexual impulses

Unconscious

Coping Decreasing NA

Longer time period

Course Logistics


Roadmap

Process Model




Thought Exercise:First Thing You Did After Major Emotional Event?

External Emotion RegulatorsOther People Regulate Our Feelings By:

- Providing social support and comfort

- Empathy

- Assisting with cognitive strategies (e.g., reappraisal)

- Assist with attention strategies (e.g., distraction)

Diamond & Aspinwall, 2003

Principle 1: Humans are hardwired to seek social support and contact. Thus, social contact is a baseline strategy for emotion regulation.

Coan, 2011

Principle 2: Interpersonal factors (e.g., social interaction, social proximity) are a means through which we can regulate our emotions.

Social Baseline Theory

!

Social interactions regulate our emotions via: 1. Signal social resources are available 2. Reduce perceptions of risk and alarm 3. Alert individuals that less action is needed 4. Reduce cognitive and metabolic costs 5. Foster efficient coping !

!

Coan, 2011


Coan, 2011


- We use social contact with others as a “baseline” emotion regulation strategy

Emotion Co-Regulation

Anderson et al., 2003; Butner et al., 2007; Gottman, 1994

Emotional Synchrony- One way emotion co-regulation can occur is through emotional

synchrony, in which we become more “in sync” with another person in our emotional responses. Also referred to as emotional similarity or emotional convergence

- Occurs during shared experiences (short-term), is cumulative over time(long-term)

- Examined in both friends (e.g., roommates) and romantic couples !

Emotional Synchrony

SUBJECTIVE BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGICAL


- Friends (college roommates) - Report increased relationship closeness - Report greater likelihood of long-term friendship !

- Romantic partners: - Report greater relationship satisfaction - Report decreased likelihood of breakup

Emotional Synchrony: Subjective Data


Emotional Synchrony: Behavioral Data

“The coordination of movement that occurs between individuals during a social

interaction, featuring similarity of: (1) FORM: the manner and style of

movements (2) TIME: the temporal


Emotional Synchrony: Behavioral Data- Strangers with greater behavioral synchrony during personal self-disclosure report: (1) Increased positive emotions (2) Increased sense of mutuality and vitality (3) Increased warmth and connectedness !


Emotional Synchrony: Physiological Data- Physiological linkages studies examine synchronization

of physiological responding between two partners !

- ANS Measures Include: (1) Heart rate (i.e., cardiovascular arousal) (2) Skin conductance (i.e., SNS activity) (3) Finger pulse amplitude (i.e., SNS activity) !


Emotional Synchrony: Physiological Data!

Partners who exhibit greater physiological synchrony: 1) Exhibit increased ability to accurately detect partner’s negative emotions 2) Report increased positive emotion when exhibit physiological ‘down-regulation’ during conflict

Summary

2) Emotion Synchrony: the process through which we regulate our emotions to be in sync with others.

Social emotion regulation occurs when other people influence our emotion regulation. Two constructs relevant to social emotion regulation include:

1) Social Baseline Theory: a model of social emotion regulation which posits that we use social contact as a common and default strategy to reguate our emotions.

Course Logistics


Roadmap

Process Model


Take-Away Qs & Expert InterviewTake-Away Qs & Expert Interview

Experts In Emotion

? !

*EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY*

Dr. Jim Coan

Experts In Emotion Interview

Social Regulation of Emotion

Associate Professor of PsychologyUniversity of Virginia

Thank You!Psychology 3131

Professor June [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

9.1 emotionregulation 03.09

Documents