Emotion regulation

Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation (pronunciation: /iˈmoʊʃən ˌrɛgjəˈleɪʃən/) is a term used in psychology to describe the process by which individuals influence their own emotional states, when they have them, and how they experience and express these emotions.

Etymology

The term "emotion regulation" is derived from the Latin word "emotio" meaning "excitement, disturbance" and the English word "regulation" which means "control or direction".

Related Terms

• Affect regulation: This is a related term that refers to the ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience.
• Cognitive reappraisal: This is a form of emotion regulation strategy that involves changing the trajectory of an emotional response by reinterpreting the meaning of the emotional stimulus.
• Expressive suppression: This is another emotion regulation strategy that involves inhibiting the outward signs of inner feelings.
• Emotional self-efficacy: This refers to a person's belief in their ability to manage their emotional reactions.

Emotion Regulation in Psychology

In psychology, emotion regulation is a complex process that involves initiating, inhibiting, or modulating one's state or behavior in a given situation – for example, the subjective experience (feelings), cognitive responses (thoughts), emotion-related physiological responses (for example, heart rate or hormonal activity), and emotion-related behavior (actions or expressions).

Emotion regulation can be automatic or controlled, conscious or unconscious, and may have effects at one or more points in the emotion producing process.

Techniques for Emotion Regulation

There are several techniques for emotion regulation, including:

• Mindfulness: This involves staying present and engaged in the current moment, which can help prevent becoming overwhelmed by negative emotions.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: This is a type of psychotherapy that can help people learn more effective ways of regulating their emotions.
• Dialectical behavior therapy: This is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that emphasizes the development of four skill sets, one of which is emotion regulation.

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.