PSY331 - 6. Emotion Regulation Flashcards
Emotion Regulation
Strategies we use to control which emotions we have, when, and how strongly we experience/express them
Emotion Regulation
We use when emotions hurt us by: Being of the wrong type
Emotion Regulation
Occurring at the wrong time: excited for vacation, but have a test
Occurring at the wrong intensity level: not happy enough for gift
I. Emotion Regulation Model
Gross, 2008
- Situation’s familiarity, valence, value, relevance
emotional cue - like familiar things, is this helping me, in line with my moral - antecedent focused emotional regulation (reappraisal)
I. Emotion Regulation Model
Gross, 2008
emotional response: behavioural, experiential, physiological
response focused emotion regulation (suppression)
Modal Model of Emotion Regulation
Gross & Thompson, 2007; Gross & Barrett, 2011
processes
strategies at moment in time: situation, situation modification, attention deployment, cognitive change, response modulation
Modal Model of Emotion Regulation
Gross & Thompson, 2007; Gross & Barrett, 2011
situation - attention - appraisal - response
attention + appraisal - cognitive processes
can occur at different times
changing situation as a result of response
II. Antecedent-Focused Regulation:
A. Situation Selection
Choosing situations taking into consideration potential future consequences of our actions for our emotional responses (affective forecasting)
deciding in the future, which ones to avoid and approach that will lead to positive emotions
II. Antecedent-Focused Regulation:
A. Situation Selection
affective forecasting: how we’re going to feel in the future
pretty bad at forecasting how long we’ll be feeling emotion
avoidance coping techniques can be problematic: missing opportunities - avoiding finding love because of risk of hurting
II. Antecedent-Focused Regulation:
A. Situation Selection
more avoidance based - increased stressors over 4 years, increasing depression
more likely to die of heart failure in 6 years
B. Situation Modification
Attempts to modify situation to alter emotional impact (active or problem-focused coping)
when you modify situation, you’re choosing one
modifying external environment: putting on earbuds during noisy situation
B. Situation Modification
just need to feel like we have control over situation
perception of little control leads to depression
if they managed to push joystick in right time, less time in pain - random
perceived control leads to less pain perception
C. Attention Deployment
Influencing emotional responding by redirecting attention within a given situation (an internal situation selection)
distraction: breathing, distract when injecting without changing situation
C. Attention Deployment
think of nonemotional aspects
focusing on threat makes emotion response bigger
told voted out of survivor game: either sit there or distractions (comics, music) - distracted felt better and more cognitive control
Ayduk et al. (2002)
Ps vividly remembered a rejection experience and…
IV: focused on emotional/physiological sensations OR room’s features.
Ayduk et al. (2002)
DVs:
a) lexical decision task (hostility words)
b) self-report of angry feelings
c) essay about experience (anger/hurt)
Ayduk et al. (2002)
embedded in words - priming hostility
emotional state - more ready to see hateful words
distracted took longer - brain wasn’t ready
Ayduk et al. (2002)
self report: distracted = less angry
essay: less hurtful/angry essay
works for only so long - get tired eventually
D. Cognitive Change
Modifying internal situations
Changing one or more of our appraisals (primary or secondary) in a way that alters the situation’s emotional significance
D. Cognitive Change
restructuring
primary: maybe wasn’t bad after all
secondary: it is bad, but i can cope with it
interpreting it as a challenge instead of a threat
D. Cognitive Change
tamaka: mental arithmatic posed as threat or challenge
threat: quickly and accurately as you can
challenge: you can do this
better blood pressure, cardio and less stress
D. Cognitive Change
jackson: suppress emotion after negative picture
inventing or looking for silver lining
focus on real, neutral or positive aspect
Lazarus & Alfert (1964)
Ps watched films of a tribal circumcision ceremony.
Some Ps were instructed to reinterpret the scene in a
non-emotional way.
DVs: a) Feelings of depression/pleasure
b) Amount of physiological arousal
Lazarus & Alfert (1964)
brain activation also changes
less depression
less arousal
Cognitive Change (Gross & John, 2003)
People who use cognitive reappraisal report:
Increased dispositional positive affect
Cognitive Change (Gross & John, 2003)
Decreased negative affect
Increased life satisfaction
Lower risk of depression
Cognitive Change (Gross & John, 2003)
Peer-rated likeability
Increased sharing of emotions with others
Closer relationships to others
Cognitive Change (Gross & John, 2003)
forgiveness
humour
release tension - getting rid of grudge
III. Response-Focused Emotion
Regulation: Response Modulation
Influencing physiological, experiential, or behavioural responses relatively directly (emotion-focused coping).
III. Response-Focused Emotion
Regulation: Response Modulation
emotion focused
rather than dealing problem
Regulation of Physiological Arousal
Sheppard et al. (1997) – Ps either:
a) went through 12-week meditation program
b) spent same amount of time listening to lectures about stress reduction
Regulation of Physiological Arousal
exercises, breathing, drinking
Only meditation group had long lasting decreases in anxiety and depression
Regulation of Physiological Arousal
Venting/Catharsis: often increases emotion
encouraging crying in sad movies leads to more sadness
venting have more anxiety in interpersonal relationships
contempt is the worst you can vent in interpersonal relationships
Regulation of Physiological Arousal
at the moment it feels good, but create emotional baggage
more you learn initial reaction is anger, then the more you practice that as your primary reaction
underventers: first time they articulated their feelings, most likely awareness that leads to positive effect
B. Regulation of Expressive Behaviour
Richards and Gross (1999)
Ps saw slides including badly wounded men
½ of Ps suppressed emotional responses
occupation, name, how they got wounded
B. Regulation of Expressive Behaviour
DVs:
a) sympathetic arousal
b) recall of information
c) confidence in memory
B. Regulation of Expressive Behaviour
suppress response: increased sympathetic arousal, poor recall, ones they did get right felt less confidence in memory
constantly thinking about whether you are showing
cognitive consequences: poorer recall + attention
Expressive Suppression:
Richards and Gross (2000)
IV Suppress: Suppress behaviours while watching a film
about a husband having an affair.
“I will show you the film clip in just a moment.
Expressive Suppression:
Richards and Gross (2000)
Please watch + listen to it carefully. In addition, it is extremely important that if you have any feelings as you
watch the film clip, please try your best not to let those feelings show.
Expressive Suppression:
Richards and Gross (2000)
In other words, as you watch the film clip, please try to
behave in such a way that a person watching you would not know you are feeling anything at all.
Expressive Suppression: Richards and Gross (2000)
So, watch the film clip carefully, but please try to behave so that someone watching you would not know you are feeling anything at all.”
Expressive Suppression: Richards and Gross (2000)
child witnesses fight and sobs
1/2 told to surpress
IV Control: Just watch the film
DV: Memory of Film
memory for this film and confidence in memory increased in control and decreased in suppression
Richards and Gross (2000; Study 2)
Is reappraisal as cognitively costly?
Looked at slides of injured people.
Told the person’s name, occupation, and accident.
Richards and Gross (2000; Study 2):
Reappraisal Instructions
keep a straight face by controlling facial muscles
adopt neutral attitude
detached interest of medical profession
see them objectively
Richards and Gross (2000; Study 2):
Reappraisal Instructions
adopt neutral attitude
detached interest of medical profession
see them objectively
Richards and Gross (2000; Study 2)
DV: Memory of Given Details
suppression had worst memory
reappraisal: worse than watch but better than suppress
better to reappraise than suppress
Richards and Gross (2000; Study 2)
DV: Memory of Given Details
-
C. Regulation of Experience:
Emotional Thought Suppression
Suppressing emotional thoughts rebound effect?
Wegner and Gold (1995)
Part 1: Think aloud about a hot flame vs. cold flame
C. Regulation of Experience:
Emotional Thought Suppression
Part 2: ½ suppress thoughts of flame; ½ told to keep
thinking about the flame
Part 3: Everyone instructed to think about flame again
C. Regulation of Experience:
Emotional Thought Suppression
natural defence: suppress thoughts
rebound: after spending so much energy on suppressing, brain is so primed, when guard is down, everything will remind you of thought
C. Regulation of Experience:
Emotional Thought Suppression
think of ex: hot or cold flame
part 2: report amount of slip ups
Wegner and Gold (1995)
Thought rebound for cold flame suppressors - they
thought about the cold flame more after suppression.
Wegner and Gold (1995)
Hot flame ps talked about the flame no matter which condition (i.e., no distinct thought rebound effect due to suppression).
Wegner and Gold (1995)
cold: more rebound after supression
Hot flame suppressors showed increased physiological rebound when thought resurfaced.
Wegner and Gold (1995)
hot flame: suppressed hot flame had physiological stress reaction
counterproductive effect on physiology (physiological rebound)
Exploration of Emotional Experiences
Pennebaker (1997)
½ an hour a day for 3-5 days writing about
deepest thoughts/feelings about intensely upsetting experiences
Exploration of Emotional Experiences
same amount of time writing about unemotional topics
Felt upset, but nearly all Ps said writing about emotional experiences was valuable
Ill less often, drank less alcohol, got better grades
Exploration of Emotional Experiences
journaling
working through problems - not having stress response
thinking about stress event - working through it
Exploration of Emotional Experiences
works best when working through emotion rather than ruminating
writing about positive experience makes you feel better for months
D. Social Sharing of Emotions
Emotional Disclosure
Luminet et al. (2000) – Friends came in same-sex pairs
One P watched an emotional film clip while facial
reactions recorded
IV: emo level:
High = tourists kill a monkey and eat its brain
D. Social Sharing of Emotions
Emotional Disclosure
Moderate = cockfight
Low = life in the Himalayas
Other P did an irrelevant task in another room
D. Social Sharing of Emotions
Emotional Disclosure
DV: Friends brought together in a waiting room; conversation taped
stay healthier
more depressed = more lonely
D. Social Sharing of Emotions
Emotional Disclosure
report talking to somebody during day emotional experience
more intense emotion more likely to talk to someone
DV: who talked the most (high)
Luminet et al. (2000)
Amount of social sharing positively correlated with intensity of Ps’ facial reactions
Luminet et al. (2000)
Amount of social sharing is not related to a reduction in intensity of feelings toward /arousal from an event (emotional recovery).
Luminet et al. (2000)
intense films: talked most lasted into minute 2, but dissipated after
looked really horrified, talked about it more
Social Sharing: Social Comparison
social sharing amplifies emotion because you’re reliving it
feels bad in short term, but long term beneficial: work through emotion
integrate it to our understanding of the world
Social Sharing: Social Comparison
comparing reactions - maybe i need to reinterpret situation. am i reacting right?
interpret ambiguous feelings
Social Sharing: Social Support
comfort, distract advice in how to reappraise touching comfort strengthen social bond support resources
Social Sharing: Social Re-Integration
Social sharing is central to mental and physical health
emotional intense situation focused on ourselves, reintegrate into environment
Social Sharing: Social Affirmation/Approval
rewarding to us + them: value them
solidify relationship
Regulation Strategies Positively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
chronic suppression: lower self esteem, well being
increase risk of heart disease, cancer
inhibitory effect on immune system
Regulation Strategies Positively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
Rumination: dwelling without working through
Catastrophizing: life is over, exaggerate consequences
Self-blame: things you have no control over
Regulation Strategies Positively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
Other-blame: when constant, even when inappropriate
perhaps contributing to downward spiral
more you other-blame, more you blame others and less you fix yourself
Regulation Strategies Negatively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
Positive reappraisal: focus on silver lining
Positive refocus: thinks of joyful things
Regulation Strategies Negatively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
Putting into perspective: opposite of catastrophizing
won’t remember it in a month
Acceptance: part of life/human condition, gotta move on
Regulation Strategies Negatively Correlated with Depression/Anxiety
Refocus on planning: instead of wallowing, figure out how to deal better with negative event
Regulation of Emotions Summary
can’t apply these to all situations - death, war
less control over situation - should do cognitive efforts
try to get more control over situation
Regulation of Emotions Summary
reappraisal is better than suppression
talking/writing beneficial only if you work through it
depending on situation, should choose appropriate coping strategy
Antecedent-Focused ER
regulate emotion before emotion happens
most likely to lessen intensity
cognitive reappraisal - make me not emotional
Antecedent-Focused ER
regulate when discrepancy between what we show and what we feel
Response-Focused ER
response focused: after emotion comes through
suppression: hide emotion
