Emotion Differentiation

Attempts to define “emotion” have proved to be rather difficult. Instead of searching for a comprehensive definition, Gross (2011) describes the three core features of emotions. First, emotions occur when an individual decides that a situation is relevant to his or her goals. Second, emotions are multi-faceted, and involve both subjective and physiological experiences, as well as behaviors. The third feature involves the authoritative nature of emotions. They have the powerful ability to interrupt ongoing processes, assert their priority over other activities, and force their way into awareness. For example, some traditions describe emotions as “disorganized interruptions of mental activity” (Salovey & Mayer, 1989). Emotions are such an important part of daily functioning that researchers deem effective monitoring of emotions to be a facet of intelligence. Emotional intelligence, considered a division of social intelligence, involves “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (Salovey & Mayer, 1989, p. 189). While this definition encompasses various processes, a particularly important ability involves the self-regulation of emotions.

Emotion Regulation

Once made aware of an emotional experience, individuals may choose how to respond. Understanding how people attend to their emotional experiences is the goal of an increasingly popular field called emotion regulation. Emotions can be regulated by either responding to the source of the emotion or by controlling the emotion itself (Gross & Muñoz, 1995). Effective emotion regulation is a skill, which for some may be innate and for others may be taught. Regardless of h...

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