Origins and outcomes of individual differences in emotion regulation

Recent discussions of emotion regulation in infants and young children have focused on the individual differences that exist in this domain of development. Such differences may be seen at the outcome level, in terms of variations in the development of particular strategies as a result of infant or caregiver effects. In this essay, a general hypothetical pathway to emotion regulation and dysregulation comprising interactions among a number of internal and external factors thought to impinge on the emotion regulation process has been proposed. Relations among these factors were hypothesized, and examples of pathways to particular types of social behavior in a peer setting were advanced. It is suggested that empirical confirmation of these pathways would enhance our understanding of adaptive regulatory behavioral patterns as well as patterns that may be dysregulating and potentially place the child at risk for the development of psychopathological disorders. To be successful, such studies must include consideration of the reciprocal interaction between the infant's behavioral and cognitive traits and the caregiving environment over extended periods of early development.