Concezioni ingenue del concetto di regolazione emozionale: Uno studio con un campione di adolescenti

Several studies have shown that the conceptual schemata we have guide the way we relate to the world. On the basis of this perspective, it is important to try to understand what individuals think of, and know about, emotional regulation, i.e., which naive theories they have about it. The study aimed to investigate, by means of open-ended questions, the naive conceptions that 141 adolescents between 16 and 19 years of age have about emotional regulation: which emotions need to be regulated, which strategies may be involved in the regulation process, which functions regulation has, and in which contexts it is active, whether it is conceptualised as an ability that can be enhanced, or, vice versa, as a dispositional trait, and which factors may influence its enhancement. The study was expected to enable us to see to what extent naive theories of regulation exhibit common-sense shared biases. The answers provided to the open-ended questions were analyzed through content analysis, with a category system built on the basis of both the sample’s responses and the theoretical aims of the study. Results overall showed a significant frequency of various biases in the naive concept of emotional regulation. More specifically, for most participants regulation is necessary especially for negative emotions, is implemented through the strategy of suppression (e.g., of emotion), is useful for oneself (rather than for others), is functional for one's well being and to solve problems, especially interpersonal ones occurring in the school context, and is an ability that, although influenced by personality, can be enhanced, especially on the basis of experience. Contrary to the hypotheses, only a few gender differences were obtained.