Emotion and Emotion Regulation: Integrating Individual and Social Levels of Analysis

Abstract

Rimé makes the important observation that the literature on adult emotion and emotion regulation has largely focused on the individual level of analysis. He argues, we believe correctly, that emotion research would benefit by addressing the fact that emotional events provoke not only individual responses, but systematic social responses as well. We present examples of our own research that are in accord with Rimé's central claims, and that demonstrate the benefits of considering the goals that are provoked and satisfied by emotions, as well as the social context of emotional responding. We conclude by advocating a dynamic systems approach that would allow an integration of individual and social levels of analysis in the study of adult emotion and emotion regulation.

Keywords

communication disclosure self social sharing

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Boker, S.M. , & Nesselroade, J.R. (2002). A method for modeling the intrinsic dynamics of intraindividual variability: Recovering parameters of simulated oscillators in multi-wave panel data. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 37, 127-160.

Butler, E.A. , Egloff, B. , Wilhelm, F.H. , Smith, N.C. , Erickson, E.A. , & Gross, J.J. (2003). The social consequences of expressive suppression . Emotion, 3, 48-67.

Butler, E.A. , & Gross, J.J. (2004). Hiding feelings in social contexts: Out of sight is not out of mind. In P. Philippot & R. S. Feldman (Eds.), The regulation of emotion (pp. 101-126). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Butler, E.A. , Lee, T.L. , & Gross, J.J. (2007). Emotion regulation and culture: Are the social consequences of emotion suppression culture-specific? Emotion , 7, 30-48.

Butner, J. , Amazeen, P.G. , & Mulvey, G.M. (2005). Multilevel modeling of two cyclical processes: Extending differential structural equation modeling to nonlinear coupled systems . Psychological Methods, 10, 159-177.

Feldman, R. (2007). On the origins of background emotions: From affect synchrony to symbolic expression. Emotion, 7, 601-611.

Ferrer, E. , & Nesselroade, J.R. (2003). Modeling affective processes in dyadic relations via dynamic factor analysis. Emotion, 3, 344-360.

Gross, J. J. (Ed.). (2007). Handbook of emotion regulation. New York: Guilford.

Hollenstein, T. , & Lewis, M.D. (2006). A state space analysis of emotion and flexibility in parent-child interactions. Emotion, 6, 656-662.

10.

Richards, J.M. , Butler, E.A. , & Gross, J.J. (2003). Emotion regulation in romantic relationships: The cognitive consequences of concealing feelings. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 599-620.

11.

Siegel, D.J. (1999). The developing mind: Toward a neurobiology of interpersonal experience. New York: Guilford.

12.

Tamir, M. , Mitchell, C. , & Gross, J.J. (2008). Hedonic and instrumental motives in anger regulation . Psychological Science, 19, 324-328.

13.

Vallacher, R.R. , Read, S.J. , & Nowak, A. (2002). The dynamical perspective in personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 264-273.