Alexandra Main

Reconceptualizing Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation is one of the major foci of study in the fields of emotion and emotional development. This article proposes that to properly study emotion regulation, one must consider not only an intrapersonal view of emotion, but a relational one as well. Defining properties of intrapersonal and relational approaches are spelled out, and implications drawn for how emotion regulation is conceptualized, how studies are designed, how findings are interpreted, and how generalizations are drawn. Most research to date has been conducted from an intrapersonal perspective, and the shortcomings of this approach for understanding emotion regulation are highlighted. The article emphasizes major conceptual and methodological steps required for a fuller description of the process of emotion regulation.

Feminism and Women Leaders in Spssi Social Networks, Ideology, and Generational Change

We look at women leaders in the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) as a case study to explore the roots of second wave feminist leadership in psychology and its impact on the acceptance of gender as an important part of the field. Although all psychological organizations excluded many women from leadership until the latter part of the 20th century, the SPSSI, despite the contradiction between its socially activist agenda and exclusionary practices, was unusual because its ideals attracted many accomplished women to become members. In order to provide a richer view of womens professional leadership and its consequences, we conducted a cohort analysis of the personal and professional circumstances of those women elected to office in the SPSSI over the past 70 years. We examine the complex interaction between the internalization of sexist norms, the use of formal and informal social structures (especially those involving collegial networking), political ideology, and social change. Based on our analysis, we suggest that the achievements of individual women appear to be less influential than the development of a critical mass of women leaders with a politically activist agenda and commitment to a social constructionist theoretical frame.

Associations of Parent–Adolescent Relationship Quality With Type 1 Diabetes Management and Depressive Symptoms in Latino and Caucasian Youth

OBJECTIVE To examine associations of parent-adolescent relationship quality (parental acceptance and parent-adolescent conflict) with adolescent type 1 diabetes management (adherence and metabolic control) and depressive symptoms in Latinos and Caucasians. METHODS In all, 118 adolescents and their mothers (56 = Latino, 62 = Caucasian) completed survey measures of parental acceptance, diabetes conflict, adolescent adherence, and adolescent depressive symptoms. Glycemic control was obtained from medical records. RESULTS Across ethnic groups, adolescent-reported mother and father acceptance were associated with better diabetes management, whereas mother-reported conflict was associated with poorer diabetes management and more depressive symptoms. Independent of socioeconomic status, Latinos reported lower parental acceptance and higher diabetes conflict with mothers than Caucasians. Ethnicity moderated some associations between relationship quality and outcomes. Specifically, diabetes conflicts with mothers (mother and adolescent report) and fathers (adolescent report) were associated with poorer mother-reported adherence among Caucasians, but not among Latinos. CONCLUSIONS Parent-adolescent relationship quality differs and may have different relations with diabetes management across Latinos and Caucasians.

Adolescent Disclosure to Parents and Daily Management of Type 1 Diabetes

Objective To examine how adolescents’ daily disclosure to parents about type 1 diabetes management may foster a process whereby parents gain knowledge and are viewed as helpful in ways that may aid diabetes management. Methods A total of 236 late adolescents (M age = 17.76) completed a 14-day diary where they reported daily disclosure to, and solicitation from, their parents, how knowledgeable and helpful parents were, and their self-regulation failures and adherence; blood glucose was gathered from meters. Results Multilevel models revealed that adolescent disclosure occurred in the context of greater parent solicitation and face-to-face contact and was positively associated with adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge and helpfulness. Disclosure to mothers (but not to fathers) was associated with better diabetes management (fewer self-regulation failures, better adherence). Conclusions Adolescent disclosure may be an important way that parents remain knowledgeable about diabetes management and provide assistance that serves to support diabetes management.

The Interpersonal Functions of Empathy: A Relational Perspective:

Empathy is an extensively studied construct, but operationalization of effective empathy is routinely debated in popular culture, theory, and empirical research. This article offers a process-focused approach emphasizing the relational functions of empathy in interpersonal contexts. We argue that this perspective offers advantages over more traditional conceptualizations that focus on primarily intrapsychic features (i.e., within the individual). Our aim is to enrich current conceptualizations and empirical approaches to the study of empathy by drawing on psychological, philosophical, medical, linguistic, and anthropological perspectives. In doing so, we highlight the various functions of empathy in social interaction, underscore some underemphasized components in empirical studies of empathy, and make recommendations for future research on this important area in the study of emotion.