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Emotion Regulation and Well-Being pp 13–29Cite as

Capacities, Targets, and Tactics: Lifespan Emotion Regulation from the Perspective of Developmental Functionalism

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Abstract

Perhaps because patterns of emotion and emotion regulation (EER) are implicated in physical and psychological well-being across the lifespan, a growing literature has begun examining age related differences in these phenomena. Almost without exception, current opinion suggests that patterns of EER improve with age. However, the literature taken as supportive of this claim contains few clear demonstrations and there is an assumption that self-report measures reflect actual regulatory capabilities. In addition, theories that purport to explain lifespan changes in emotion regulation and their implications for well-being pay insufficient attention to the basic characteristics and requirements of regulatory systems. In describing this state of affairs and providing guidance regarding future research, the current chapter presents a view of emotion regulation based in developmental functionalism, concentrating on lifespan variation in organismic capacity, regulatory targets, and the tactics used to attain them. Data and theory germane to lifespan issues in emotion regulation are reviewed, the tenets of the approach are presented, and the possibility of lifespan ­variation in the effects of emotion regulatory strategies on bodily systems is examined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Level 12, Support Building, Room 12.003, 92019, Auckland, New Zealand

    Nathan S. Consedine

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  1. , Center of Research on Psychology in Soma, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ivan Nyklíček

  2. , Department of Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ad Vingerhoets

  3. Tilburg Institute for Behavioral Economi, Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Marcel Zeelenberg

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Consedine, N.S. (2011). Capacities, Targets, and Tactics: Lifespan Emotion Regulation from the Perspective of Developmental Functionalism. In: Nyklíček, I., Vingerhoets, A., Zeelenberg, M. (eds) Emotion Regulation and Well-Being. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6953-8_2

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