Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Previous research in the field of emotion regulation has largely focused on the ways in which we regulate our own emotions, but not as much work has been done to examine the processes by which we regulate the emotions of others. The current research aims to develop a measure of motivations for engaging in extrinsic emotion regulation (EER), with a focus on why we attempt to down-regulate negative emotional experiences of those around us. Study 1 used narrative responses to formulate and validate a qualitative coding schema for categorizing motives for engaging in EER. The wide variety of EER motivations identified in Study 1 were used to inform a self-report measure of what motives people tend to use in everyday life. Study 2 involved an exploratory factor analysis of the preliminary Extrinsic Emotion Regulation Motives Scale (EERMS) that revealed four distinct, underlying factors for engaging in EER. Overall, there are a wide variety of motivations for regulating the emotions of others in daily life. Future research plans include revising the coding schema to improve inter-rater reliability, conduct a confirmatory factor analysis of the EERMS, and assess how an individual's tendency to use certain EER motives impacts their social and mental well-being.

Included in

Psychology Commons

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