Emotional Self-regulation - in Adults

In Adults

There are many categories through which people (primarily adults) can control or regulate their emotions, which can be further divided into other subcategories. There are also specific points before and after the emotion has been triggered. The two main strategies one can employ to regulate their emotions are:

1. Antecedent-focused strategies and
2. Response focused strategies.

Antecedent-Focused Strategies refer to the things one does before they experience a certain emotion and can influence their behavior and physiological responses. This is basically when a person knows that certain stimuli can trigger negative emotions and chooses to avoid them. Response Focused strategies refers to what happens after the emotion has already been triggered and what the person might do to conceal the said emotion. As stated earlier, there are different stages when a person can regulate an emotion as they develop, five of them to be exact:

1. Selection of the Situation
2. Modification of the Situation
3. Deployment of Attention
4. Change of Cognition
5. Response Modulation

The selection of the situation refers to the situation the person chooses to be involved in that might cause her to react emotionally. Next, modification of the situation is when the circumstances of the situation can be made to soften its emotional impact. Thirdly, Deployment of Attention is the stage where a person chooses to focus on other parts of the situation at hand. Change of cognition is the way the person decides to interpret the situation like looking at the advantages of the situation or even putting it in context of other bigger events (i.e., looking at the bigger picture). Lastly, response modulation is the way a person reacts after the situation has already occurred by trying to sway them. Obviously, selection of a situation to change of cognition are associated with antecedent-focused strategies while only response modulation is a response focused strategy.