Date of Award
Summer 8-2015
Degree Name
Master of Arts (AM/MA)
Degree Type
Thesis
Abstract
Functionalist theories of emotion posit that people regulate their emotions in ways that help them accomplish their goals, suggesting that goals may be important for strategy selection. Two studies were conducted to examine reappraisal and suppression use when pursuing emotional and instrumental goals, and to assess the utility of those strategies in achieving distinct goals. Both studies found a stronger link between emotional goals and reappraisal than between emotional goals and suppression, but found no preference between strategies when pursuing an instrumental goal. Study 1 found that reappraisal had higher utility than suppression in achieving emotional goals, but not instrumental goals. In Study 2, individuals who used suppression more experienced more negative emotion and thought they made a worse impression on their partner, but they were not actually seen more negatively by others. Together these studies suggest that emotional goals may influence strategy selection and that strategies differ in their utility.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Tammy English
Committee Members
Renee J. Thompson, Heike Winterheld
Recommended Citation
Eldesouky, Lameese, "Emotion Regulation Goals Influence Strategy Use and Outcomes" (2015). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 402.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/402
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7QZ283T