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The Relationship between Beliefs about Emotions and Emotion Regulation: A Systematic Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2021

Eun-Jee Hong  and
Maria Kangas Open the ORCID record for Maria Kangas [Opens in a new window]
Eun-Jee Hong
Affiliation:
School of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
Maria Kangas*
Affiliation:
School of Psychological Sciences, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Maria Kangas, Macquarie University, School of Psychological Sciences, 4 First Walk, Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Emotion regulation is a known predictor for psychopathology and a target for treatment. A growing body of literature has examined the role of beliefs about emotions (BEs) in the emotion regulation process, yet the relationship between the two has yet to be systematically evaluated. A systematic review was conducted across five databases and 22 studies that assessed the relationship between BEs and emotion regulation were identified. The findings generally revealed a positive relationship between beliefs about the controllability and goodness of emotions and emotion regulation. There was strong evidence that beliefs about controllability were consistently associated with ‘active’ emotion regulatory strategies. This outcome has important implications for targeting change in therapy. However, further investigation is needed to establish consistent patterns regarding beliefs about the goodness of emotion and emotion regulation using longitudinal designs.

Keywords

emotion regulationbeliefsaffectdysregulationcognitions
Type
Review Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 39 , Issue 4 , December 2022 , pp. 205 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy

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