The Role of Integrative Emotion Regulation in Adaptive Coping and Daily Stress Regulation

Emotional integration involves ways of responding to one's emotions: receptive attention (i.e., open and nonjudgmental attention to emotions) and intentional exploration (i.e., active and motivated pursuit of one's own emotions. Across two studies (Study 1: two waves longitudinal, N = 239; Study 2: daily diary, N = 132), we compared these two dimensions of integrative emotion regulation (i.e. receptive attention and intentional exploration) in adaptive and maladaptive coping styles (i.e., specific strategies to shape one's response to stress) and daily well-being. In Study 1, both forms of integrative emotion regulation were positively associated with adaptive coping (e.g., the use of active coping, acceptance, planning, and positive reframing) 1 month later, but only intentional exploration (and not receptive attention) showed benefits for well-being in a 7-day daily diary context (Study 2). Intentional exploration was negatively associated with perceived daily stress and positively associated with constructive self-reflection, a marker of productive processing of emotions, and daily day satisfaction. In all, both forms of emotion regulation promote adaptive coping, but intentional exploration showed more consistent benefits across our studies. This research highlights the independent importance of motivated pursuit of emotional information in the coping process.