Dealing With Your Feelings: The Psychology of Emotion Regulation

Interdisciplinary Studies Program
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dates: 7/1/23 - 7/30/23

Interdisciplinary Studies

Dealing With Your Feelings: The Psychology of Emotion Regulation

Dealing With Your Feelings: The Psychology of Emotion Regulation Course Overview

OVERVIEW

CEA CAPA Partner Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Primary Subject Area: Psychology
Instruction in: English
Transcript Source: Partner Institution
Course Details: Level 300
Recommended Semester Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 50

DESCRIPTION

Emotion regulation relates to the processes whereby people manage their emotions. It is linked to better mental and physical health, relationship satisfaction, and work performance. Therefore, it is vital to learn more about the psychology of emotion regulation. This summer course aims to provide students with a) knowledge regarding the state of the art of modern emotion regulation research; b) critical thinking and presentation skills; c) tools for developing new research and real-world applications of emotion regulation research. Among the topics a covered in the course are: Emotion regulation strategies, emotion regulation flexibility, mindfulness, embodied emotion regulation, interpersonal emotion regulation, psychopathology and psychotherapy.

Emotions are often portrayed as irresistible forces that exert a sweeping influence on our behaviour. There is reason to believe, however, that we are much more flexible in dealing with our emotions than we think. The processes whereby we manage our emotions are commonly referred to as emotion regulation. This process has been linked to such important outcomes as mental health, physical health, relationship satisfaction, and work performance. It thus seems vital to learn more about the psychology of emotion regulation.

Over the past twenty years, research on emotion regulation has developed into a vibrant and productive scientific discipline. The volume of emotion regulation research is staggering, with more than 20,000 articles appearing each year on this topic. Furthermore, the study of emotion regulation is inherently interdisciplinary, and involves vital contributions from developmental psychology, clinical psychology, social and personality psychology, psychophysiology and social-cognitive and affective neuroscience. Consequently, it is challenging to get a firm grasp on the rapidly expanding emotion regulation literature.

Among the various topics and questions to be covered in the course are:
- Emotion regulation strategies ? which strategies do people use? Are some strategies better than others And if so, why?
- Emotion regulation flexibility ? when and how do people switch between different emotion regulation strategies?
- Mindfulness and acceptance ? do they help or hinder emotion regulation?
- Embodied emotion regulation ? how do people use the body in managing their emotions?
- Interpersonal emotion regulation ? how do people regulate another?s emotions?
- Psychopathology and psychotherapy ? what are the implications of modern emotion regulation research for understanding and treating mental illness?

By the end of this course, students will:
- Have knowledge of and insight into the major modern theories of, and scientific research on, emotion regulation.
- Learn to generate and discuss new and critical questions about emotion regulation research.
- Learn to develop a proposal for new, theory-driven empirical research in the area of emotion regulation; and to provide feedback to research proposals by peers.
- Learn how to apply insights from emotion regulation research to address individual problems.
- Develop oral and written presentation skills to communicate effectively on scientific topics.

Classroom teaching & expert seminars: 22 hours
Work groups: 6 hours
Excursions/workshops: 22 hours
Self-study: 34 hours

Assessment: Students will be assessed through thought questions, presentations and a final assignment (research or applications proposal).

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course. CEA's recommended credits are based on the contact hours assigned by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam): 15 contact hours equals 1 U.S. credit


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