What is emotional regulation? A child psychologist explains
A child psychologist explains that emotional regulation is a learnable set of skills rather than an innate temperament. The article distinguishes between self-regulation and co-regulation, emphasizing their importance in healthy relationships and child development.
Why it matters
Understanding emotional regulation provides practical tools for improving mental health and interpersonal relationships in both personal and professional settings.
If you’ve followed mental health topics on TikTok or Instagram lately, you have probably heard the term emotional regulation. But emotional regulation isn’t just a trendy buzzword. It’s a nuanced concept that psychologists like me have been studying for decades .
At its core, emotional regulation is how well someone can manage their emotions – whether positive ones like excitement and joy, or negative or more uncomfortable ones like jealousy and anger.
I study emotional regulation – which scientists refer to as simply “emotion regulation” – within the context of relationships, including understanding how children learn to regulate their own emotions. The goal of healthy emotional regulation is not to erase difficult feelings, but to be able to manage those feeling more effectively so they do not become overwhelming.
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