Variation and consistency in the links between religion and emotion regulation
Section snippets
Beliefs about controllability of emotions
People hold beliefs about the controllability of emotions, in general, as well as about how much they can control their own emotions (i.e. self-efficacy in emotion regulation; [6]). By instilling the expectation that one can successfully alter one’s emotional experience in line with one’s desired emotional state, these beliefs promote successful emotion regulation [7]. Religion may promote the belief that emotions can be controlled by prescribing what to feel (e.g. ‘give thanks to Me and do not
Desired emotions
As in other types of self-regulation, emotion regulation is directed towards desired end-states [10]. The attainment of these desired end-states, or desired emotions, is the very purpose of engaging in emotion regulation. A recent investigation found that, across several religions, people who are more religious desire emotions that strengthen foundational religious beliefs, include more other-praising emotions (awe and gratitude) and less self-praising emotions (pride [11•]). However, the
Emotion regulation strategies
Desired emotions are pursued via emotion regulation strategies. Emotion regulation strategies span a range of psychological processes, including the regulation of attention, meaning-making, and the regulation of expression [17]. Since meaning-making is a primary concern of religion [18, 19, 20], religion may be associated with an emotion regulation strategy concerned with meaning-making in particular. Such an emotional regulation strategy, called cognitive reappraisal [21], involves altering
Intrinsic versus extrinsic emotion regulation
The research reviewed up to this point refers predominantly to intrinsic forms of emotion regulation, which are processes that originate from within the self [29]. Specifically, an individual who pursues his or her desired emotions, supported by a belief that emotions are controllable while wielding emotion regulation strategies, is utilizing intrinsic processes of emotion regulation to alter his or her emotional experience. However, emotion regulation may also be extrinsic, such that they
Conclusion and future directions
In the links between religion and emotion regulation reviewed above, it is possible to identify two sources of variation. One source of variation arises from religion-specific characteristics. As reviewed above, religions that place greater value on internal states may foster lower beliefs about the controllability of emotions; religions that place greater value on shaping the environment may foster greater desire for high arousal positive affect than low arousal positive affect; religions with
Conflict of interest statement
Nothing declared.
References and recommended reading
Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as:
• of special interest
•• of outstanding interest
Acknowledgement
I thank Michael Pasek for comments on an earlier version of this paper.
References (33)
- et al.
Religiosity and desired emotions: belief maintenance or prosocial facilitation?
Pers Soc Psychol Bull
(2020) “It separated the wheat from the chaff”: the “1975” prophecy and its impact among Dutch Jehovah’s witnesses
Sociol Anal
(1989)The Varieties of Religious Experience
(1902)- et al.
Religion, emotion regulation, and well-being
Many forms of culture
Am Psychol
(2009)Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays by Clifford Geertz
(1973)- et al.
Fundamental social motives and the varieties of religious experience
Relig Brain Behav
(2015) - et al.
Beliefs about emotion: implications for avoidance-based emotion regulation and psychological health
Cogn Emot
(2018) - et al.
Yes I can: expected success promotes actual success in emotion regulation
Cogn Emot
(2016) - et al.
Religiosity and emotion regulation
J Cross Cult Psychol
(2019)
Religion and the morality of mentality
J Pers Soc Psychol
Motivated emotion regulation: principles, lessons, and implications of a motivational analysis of emotion regulation
The cultural regulation of emotions
Good feelings in Christianity and Buddhism: religious differences in ideal affect
Pers Soc Psychol Bull
Standing out and standing in: the psychology of control in America and Japan
Am Psychol
Influence and adjustment goals: sources of cultural differences in ideal affect
J Pers Soc Psychol
Cited by (8)
Emotion regulation in the teachings of the catholic church
2023, Understanding Emotion RegulationEmotional Intelligence Scale for Male Nursing Students and Its Latent Regression on Gender and Background Variables
2022, Healthcare (Switzerland)Rules We Live by: How Religious Beliefs Relate to Compliance with Precautionary Measures Against COVID-19 in Tibetan Buddhists
2022, Journal of Religion and HealthEmpathy Pathways: A View from Music Therapy
2022, Empathy Pathways: A View from Music TherapyPerceived Safety of Learning Environment and Associated Anxiety Factors during COVID-19 in Ghana: Evidence from Physical Education Practical-Oriented Program
2022, European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education