Emotional Response and Emotional Regulation:

Emotional Response and Emotional Regulation: Expanding Our Understanding of Causes and Effects

Emotional responses are often difficult to control; they are by the very nature impulsive and arise unbidden and sometimes unwanted based on circumstances usually beyond our control. The scream of fright when suddenly startled by a loud noise, the anger that arises when an individual feels wronged, and the happiness of having a hope fulfilled are all fairly automatic and universal responses, and seem to be largely beyond our control. We might be able to consciously control how we act based on these emotions, of course, but is that really the same thing as controlling our emotions? Is it actually possible to change the way we feel in certain situations, and if so, is it advisable to do so?

The study of emotions is not new. From ancient philosophers to modern psychologists and neurologists, the very concept of emotions -- not to mention their origins, purpose, and the mechanisms by which they function -- has long been a subject of great interest for many thinkers in all ages. This is no doubt a result of the universality and seeming inevitability of many emotional reactions. Modern research, however, has been able to more effectively determine some of the specific effects and mechanisms of emotions, in a way that simply was not possible in the preceding centuries. Empirical psychological studies, coupled with a better medical and scientific understanding of the way the brain works, have allowed researchers to truly look deeper into human emotions in order to determine exactly how and why it is that these emotions behave in the ways they do.

Some of the findings have led to major considerations in the impact emotions have on our conscious lives and cognitive development, while others have simply confirmed what common sense and basic observation suggests about emotions. Studies across this spectrum, however, have been immensely useful in providing a more extensive and more comprehensive understanding of emotionality and the practical (and sometimes impractical) functions of emotions. Studies of emotional regulation specifically have shown that there is a much stronger cognitive and conscious relationship between an individual's decision making capabilities and even their intellect, to some degree, and the emotional life that the individual experiences. While emotional responses are still known to be generally self-serving, they can also be controlled to much greater effect.

The Value of Emotions

One of the most essential ongoing developments in the study of emotions is the creation of an appropriate framework for the study and discussion of these emotions. Especially as emotions are generally seen as highly if not entirely subjective, the definition of their functions has largely been a product of the definition of their goals, and this has varied considerably among various researchers (Pekrun & Stephens 2009). A new framework that seems to more consistently unify many of the disparate goal theories regarding emotions has been developed, however, and if this theory is correct it will have some major implications in the ways that emotions and the relationship between emotion and cognition are perceived.

Specifically, recent studies have suggested that emotions operate on a control-value basis. One of the main tenets of these theories is that the goal achievement of an individual leads to an emotional reaction that is in turn mitigated by the goal achievement, in a process that automatically controls emotion to some degree, yet also ultimately serves to reinforce either the success or failure of the goal achievement attempt (Pekrun & Stephens 2009). Because emotions are capable of causing both positive and negative effects, their regulation might be key to continued success in many pursuits in life, including academics (Pekrun & Stephens 2009). These authors contend, however, that emotional regulation systems might actually be maladaptive at times, as they are ineffective against negative emotions and not entirely necessary with positive reinforcement emotions (Pekrun & Stephens 2009).

The Effects of Emotion on Cognition

It is not only academic performance that is influenced by emotions, however, but truly the entirety of an individual's cognitive experience. Emotions can be generated through attention, knowledge, and bodily responses -- all of which are conscious parts of an individual's life that are cognitively processed and analyzed (Koole 2009). The regulation of these emotions, which tends to focus on these emotion-generating aspects of an individual, is a major part of the mechanism by which emotional responses and emotional information is communicated to the cognitive mind. It also serves in the other direction, aiding in the translation of cognitive information into appropriate emotional responses (Koole 2009).

The causes that have been identified lying behind emotional regulation also provide some insight into its relationship to cognition. Satisfying simple pleasure impulses, aiding in the achievement of more long-term goals, and projecting a desired and beneficial personality are all primary reasons that emotional regulation becomes engaged, on both a conscious and unconscious level (Koole 2009). Even when making unconscious emotional choices, however, the mind must be influenced by the conscious cognitive processes of the individual; the determination of personality projection, delaying pleasure impulses, and long-term planning are all very much matters of conscious cognitive discretion, and thus will influence the level and direction of emotional regulation that occurs, possibly leading to the maladaptive tendencies noted above (Pekrun & Stephens 2009).

The Cognitive Control of Emotions

Another recent study suggests that the control of emotions can be made an even more conscious and cognitive process than through the complex interface of emotional regulation. research using various emotional regulation training techniques has had a major impact on both the emotional and cognitive development of many of the children and adolescents used in the study, and has led to the formation of new emotional regulation and cognitive patterns in their everyday lives, as well (Izard et al. 2008). By creating a conscious, dynamic, and continuous relationship between cognition and emotional modulation and regulation, the subjects in the study were able to better utilize emotions for success (Izard et al. 2008).