Affect regulation, or emotion regulation, is the ability of an individual to modulate their emotional state in order to adaptively meet the demands of their environment. Individuals with a broad range of affect regulation strategies will be able to flexibly adapt to a range of stressful situations. Individuals who struggle with emotional regulation may fall back upon a more limited range of stereotyped strategies that are not as successful in meeting their needs, or which come with more severe unintended consequences. The ability to successfully regulate emotion is sometimes viewed in the light of attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1982).
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acceptance (the effortful ‘allowing’ of the experience of aversive states without engaging in avoidance or distraction)
distress tolerance
response modulation (the strategic use of exercise or relaxation)
urge surfing
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Volume I. Attachment. London: The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: retrospect and prospect. American journal of Orthopsychiatry, 52(4), 664.