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15.5: Emotion and Self- Regulation

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  • Page ID
    140945

    • Amanda Taintor
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    Self-Regulation

    Emotional self-regulation refers to strategies we use to control our emotional states to attain goals (Thompson & Goodvin, 2007). As a construct, emotional regulation reflects the interrelationship of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors (Bell & Wolfe, 2004). This regulation requires effortful control of emotions and initially requires assistance from caregivers (Rothbart, Posner & Kieras, 2006).

    The developing ability to regulate emotions has received increasing attention in research literature (Eisenberg, Champion & Ma, 2004). Researchers have generated various definitions of emotional regulation, and debate continues over the most valuable and appropriate way to define this concept (Eisenberg & Spinrad, 2004). Children's ability to regulate their emotions appropriately can contribute to perceptions of their overall social skills and the extent to which peers like them (Eisenberg et al., 1993). Poor emotional regulation can impair children's thinking, compromising their judgment and decision-making[1].

    man in uniform holding crying baby
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Working on Self-Regulation. Photo by George Pak)

    [1] California Department of Education (CDE Press). Development Foundations: Social-Emotional Development . Is used with permission

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