| dc.description.abstract | Over the past 20 years, our understanding of emotional processes has grown
rapidly. Within the study of emotion, a key area of interest has been how individuals
succeed or fail in regulating emotional responses. Although still in its early
development, researchers in this field have made progress in identifying the
neurological, psychological, and social processes that underlie emotion regulation and
dysregulation. Despite these advances, relatively few of these insights have been
considered in light of the highly emotional terrain of couple distress. In the present
study, one hundred and eight cohabiting couples rated themselves and their partner on
key emotion regulation variables (e.g., the tendency to lose control of one??s emotions
and the ability to restore emotional control and equilibrium). Analyses using the Actor-
Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) showed strong links between these variables
and individuals?? experience of intimacy and distress in their relationship. Results
suggest that there are multiple avenues through which emotion regulation impacts a
given individual??s relationship functioning; these include: (1) the individual??s self
perceived capacity for emotion regulation, (2) their partner??s self-perceived capacity for
emotion regulation, (3) the individual??s perception of their partner??s capacity for
emotion regulation, and (4) the partner??s perception of the individual??s emotion
regulation abilities. | en |
