The Consequences of Suppressing Affective Displays in Romantic Relationships: A Challenge and Threat Perspective (original) (raw)
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Emotion regulation and the quality of romantic relationship
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Given the key role that emotions play in human social relations, the way emotions are experienced, regulated, and expressed is likely to affect the quality of romantic relations. This study attempted to examine the differences in romantic relationship satisfaction that might be attributable to the habitual expression of emotions and the use o f two emotion regulation strategies: emotional suppression and cognitive reappraisal. The study hypotheses were 1) individuals with higher emotional expressivity would be more satisfied with their romantic relationship, 2) if the study participants are in a relationship with a romantic partner who manifests emotions, the participants would be more satisfied with the relationship, 3) participants who suppress the experienced emotions would have lower relationship satisfaction, and 4) participants who utilize cognitive reappraisal to reframe the emotional events would have higher relationship satisfaction. Study results supported the second and third hypotheses but not the first and fourth one. Additional findings o f this study were 1) a positive correlation between age and the use o f cognitive reappraisal, 2) negative correlation between the relationship duration and use o f reappraisal, 3) the more extensive use of suppression by men as opposed to women, and 4) the negative correlation between emotional expressiveness of the two partners in a romantic relationship.
Emotion regulation and romantic partners’ relationship satisfaction
Psihologijske teme, 2021
Studies investigating the effects of emotion regulation on romantic partners’ relationship satisfaction (RS) found that proneness to use cognitive reappraisal exerts positive, whereas expressive suppression negative effects on both one’s own and partner’s satisfaction. However, no studies explored the effects of partner reported use of the two emotion regulation strategies on RS, which might allow the exclusion of method-related explanations of the previous findings and offer new insights into the mechanisms involved. We tested the hypotheses about the effects of reappraisal and suppression on RS on a sample of 205 romantic couples by using round-robin design and actor-partner interdependence modelling (APIM). Although the effects were relatively small, they were still in line with the assumptions that cognitive reappraisal has positive intra- and interpersonal effects on RS, that they can be generalized across self- and partner reports to a certain extent, and that they are somewha...
Expression and Regulation of Emotions in Romantic Relationships
2007
Romantic relationships are extremely important in people's physical and mental well being. One of the important determinants of the quality of romantic relationships is the expression and regulation of emotions. This study hypothesized that 1) expression of positive emotions is good for any relationship, 2) expression of negative emotions is good for only communal relationships, 3) expression of positive emotions is necessary alongside of negative ones to maintain a communal relationship, 4) in case negative emotions are expressed, providing explanations would help maintain the relationship, 5) suppression of emotions does not benefit communal relationship, and 6) expression of emotions correlates with a) secure attachment, b) partner's receptiveness to expression, and c) communal approach to relationship. The interactions predicted in this study were not found to be significant. The key study findings follow: 1) expression of positive and negative emotions, 2) communal orientation, 3) explanation of negative affect, 4) and general emotional expressivity correlate with higher relationship satisfaction. 5) Emotional suppression, 6) anxious attachment, and 7) higher year in school were related to lower satisfaction. Other findings suggested that 1) communal approach, 2) partner's receptiveness, and 3) female gender were related to more emotional expressivity. 4) Communal orientation was related to more and 5) avoidant attachment was related to less positive expression. 6) Secure attachment was related to less emotional suppression. Lastly, it was found that 1) secure attachment correlated with more partner's receptiveness. 2) Anxious attachment accompanied less explanations for negative affect., and, 3) older participants had more avoidant attachments. The major limitation of this study was that only one member the couple was assessed and the impact of the respondent's style and behavior on the partner as well as the dyadic factors contributing to the relationship were largely unknown.
Emotion regulation in romantic relationships
Romantic relationships are hotbeds of emotions - from the high highs and low lows in the beginning of a new relationship to all the tough and tender moments when navigating life as a couple to the question of how to let go and move on when a relationship ends. How couples regulate emotions has profound consequences, not only for relationship quality and stability, but also for well-being, health, and longevity (e.g., Gottman & Gottman, 2017; Levenson et al., 2014; Wells et al., 2022).Drawing from functionalist perspectives of emotion (e.g., Levenson, 1999), we propose that each phase in a romantic relationship (i.e., initiation, development, ending) can be characterized by specific challenges and opportunities that give rise to specific emotions and with it, demands for emotion regulation. We do not wish to imply that these challenges and opportunities are universal (although there is evidence that romantic love is a cross-cultural phenomenon, see Jankowiak & Fischer, 1992) or that ...
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2014
Engaging in emotional suppression typically has negative consequences. However, relatively little is known about response-focused emotion regulation processes in dyadic interactions. We hypothesized that interacting with suppressive partners would be more threatening than interacting with expressive partners. To test predictions, two participants independently watched a negatively-valenced video and then discussed their emotional responses. One participant (the regulator) was assigned to express/suppress affective signals during the interaction. Their partner was given no special instructions prior to the interaction. Engaging in suppression versus expression elicited physiological responses consistent with threat-sympathetic arousal and increased vasoconstriction-in anticipation of and during dyadic interactions. Partners of emotional suppressors also exhibited more threat responses during the interaction, but not before, compared to partners of emotional expressors. Partner and interaction appraisals mirrored physiological findings. Emotional suppressors found the task more uncomfortable and intense while their partners reported them as being poor communicators. This work broadens our understanding of connections between emotion regulation, physiological responses, and cognitive processes in dyads.
Revista De Cercetare Si Interventie Sociala, 2022
Although interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) has gained more attention in recent years, few studies focus on IER in romantic relationships. In this study, using a qualitative-quantitative approach, we assessed the most commonly-used IER strategies employed by couples in both positive and negative interactions, and the anticipated self and partner's emotions arising from their utilization. One hundred and ninety-nine couples participated in this research. The participants had to read a vignette that had a positive connotation and imagine they were the main character and write answers to four questions. Then, they had to repeat the process, using the negative connotation vignette. The questions were focused on the assessment of the self-anticipated IER strategies as well as the self and partner's anticipated emotional reactions associated with the self-anticipated IER strategies. The thematic analysis showed that most of the participants described IER strategies that fi t either into the 'cognitive engagement' category or in the 'put own feelings fi rst' category. The most frequently anticipated self and partner's emotions were 'calm', 'joy' or 'sadness'. IER strategies have an eff ect not only on the target but also on the regulator. This aspect can contribute to a better understanding of couple relationships.
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2007
In general, expressing emotions is beneficial and withholding emotions has personal and social costs. Yet, to serve social functions there are situations when emotions are withheld strategically. We examined whether social anxiety influenced when and how emotion expressiveness influences interpersonal closeness in existing romantic relationships. For people with greater social anxiety, withholding the expression of negative emotions was proposed to preserve romantic relationships and their benefits. We examined whether social anxiety and emotion expressiveness interacted to predict prospective changes in romantic relationship closeness over a 12-week period. For people with less social anxiety, relationship closeness was enhanced over time when negative emotions were openly expressed whereas relationship deterioration was found for those more likely to withhold emotions. The reverse pattern was found for people with greater social anxiety such that relationship closeness was enhanced over time for those more likely to withhold negative emotions. Related social anxiety findings were found for discrepancies between desired and actual feelings of closeness over time. Findings were not attributable to depressive symptoms. These results suggest that the costs and benefits of emotion expression are influenced by a person's degree of social anxiety. #
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 2018
The study explored the quality of conflictual discussion between intimate partners and their emotional experience subsequent to emotion regulation (ER) manipulation. It differentiated between integrative ER (IER), which involves an interested stance to emotional experience, and two types of regulation aimed at minimizing emotions: emotional distancing (minimization of emotional experience) and suppression of expressive behavior (minimization of emotional expression). The sample included 140 intimate couples randomly assigned to one of four conditions (IER, distancing, suppression, and control). Following the selection of a specific relational conflict to discuss, one of the partners received manipulation instruction; the other (naïve) partner was oblivious to the instruction. During a 10-min discussion, the naïve partner’s skin conductance level was continuously assessed. The partners’ self-reported perceptions of quality of experience and discussion were measured after the discussi...
Emotion, 2013
Romantic couples (N ϭ 127) engaged in a relationship conflict interaction during which their autonomic physiology, emotional experience, and emotional behavior were recorded. Couples were assigned randomly to one of two interventions, or to a control condition: In the affective suppression condition, one partner was instructed to refrain from expressing emotions. In the positive mindset condition, one partner was instructed to think about the positive aspects of the relationship. Results revealed that emotion regulation interventions influenced the physiology, emotional behavior, and emotional experience of both the manipulated person and his or her partner, who was oblivious to regulation manipulations. Specifically, suppression increased, and positive mindset decreased cardiovascular arousal and negative affect. These effects were generally exacerbated among those high on attachment anxiety and attenuated among those high on attachment avoidance. The results of this research corroborate and extend the Temporal Interpersonal Emotion Systems model in the context of relationship conflict interactions.