Who proposed the emotion regulation theory?

The theory of emotion regulation was not independently proposed by a single scholar. Currently, the most widely used and recognized core framework in the academic community was formally and systematically proposed by James J. Gross, professor of psychology at Stanford University, in 1998. The development of the entire theoretical system integrates the research results of multiple schools such as psychoanalysis, cognitive behavior, and positive psychology.

When many people hear "emotion regulation theory" for the first time, they think it is an academic jargon that is far away from ordinary people. In fact, you use this theory unconsciously every day - swipe away bad social news as soon as you see it, count to three to hold back the curse words before quarreling with your partner, and scroll through the cat emoticon buffer for two minutes when you work overtime until you collapse. These are all practical exercises in emotional regulation. Gross's contribution is actually to organize everyone's vague experience of "coaxing yourself to be happy/suppressing anger" into a full-process framework that can be implemented: If you know you don't get along with someone, try to get along with them as little as possible. This is a situational choice. ； If you have to work together, make an appointment in advance to avoid quarreling in a public place. This is a situation modification. ； If the other party talks unpleasantly, just lower your head and try to divert your attention. This is attention allocation. ； When your boss scolds you, you think to yourself, "He probably had a fight with his wife this morning and is taking it out on me." This is cognitive reappraisal. ； If you really can't help but drop the cup and regret it later, buy a cup of milk tea to comfort yourself. This is reaction adjustment.

Speaking of which, I taught this to my mother before. She used to say, "I have a bad temper and can't change it." Later, she learned to go to the balcony to water the flowers for three minutes every time before scolding my father for forgetting to buy soy sauce. Now the family conflicts have been reduced by half. She also said, "What psychologists studied, isn't this just a slow down?" Indeed, the core reason why Gross's model can be popularized in corporate EAP training, primary and secondary school psychology classes, and even the content of parenting bloggers is that it does not require you to be an "emotionless saint", but to advance the adjustment action before the emotional outburst, which is much more effective than waiting until you are shaking all over before taking a deep breath.

However, if all the credit for emotion regulation theory should be given to Gross, researchers from other schools may not agree. As early as the beginning of the last century, the psychological defense mechanism proposed by Freud was essentially the earliest research on emotion regulation - when people encounter uncomfortable things, they will subconsciously find reasons to rationalize it, and will avoid situations they do not want to face. In fact, these are people's spontaneous emotion regulation strategies, but the unified term "emotion regulation" was not used at that time. Later, Baker and Ellis of cognitive behavioral therapy proposed that "emotion is not determined by the event itself, but by your view of the event." This directly laid the foundation for the core "cognitive reappraisal" strategy in Gross' model. Even the "positive emotion cultivation" that is very popular now is the gap that positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson filled in this theory: before, everyone only studied how to regulate negative emotions such as anger and anxiety. Later, they discovered that when you are sad, taking the initiative to watch comedies, chatting with friends, and actively accumulating positive emotions are also important ways of regulation.

I have been doing psychological counseling for almost five years, and I often encounter clients who ask, "Is it because I have poor emotional regulation ability every time I can't help but get angry?" ”There was a visitor who worked in operations before. Every time Party A asked her to change to version 8, she wanted to throw the computer. Before, she always forced herself to endure it. She didn’t dare to have breast hyperplasia until the physical examination revealed breast hyperplasia. Later, we worked together on Gross’s model adjustment method: we decided in advance with Party A that “up to 3 versions should be changed”. According to the rules (situation correction), when it was changed to the second version, I stood up to get a glass of water and turned around (pay attention to the distribution), and silently said in my heart, "What Party A wants is that his boss is satisfied, not that I am not good enough" (cognitive reappraisal). Later, not only did the problem no longer occur, but the communication with Party A became much smoother.

Of course, there are still debates in the academic community. Previous research by Gross has always believed that "suppression of emotions is harmful and cognitive reappraisal is the optimal adjustment strategy." However, in recent years, cultural psychology research on East Asian groups has found that this conclusion actually has the limitations of Western individualistic culture. : For example, when an elder says to you "Why aren't you married yet" during the Chinese New Year dinner, if you suppress your desire to retort and laugh it off, the psychological cost is much lower than directly banging the table and arguing. This kind of "emotional suppression" in order to maintain group harmony can actually help people better adapt to the social environment. Now the academic community has gradually reached a consensus: there is no absolutely correct way to regulate emotions, only choices suitable for the current scene.

In fact, in the final analysis, it is not that important to worry about who proposed this theory. Whether it is a model that psychologists have spent decades researching, or a little trick you have come up with "just eat hot pot when you are angry", it is the most useful method to help you live a good life without being led by your emotions.