What empathizers do: Empathy and the selection of everyday interpersonal emotion regulation strategies

IF 4.9 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Journal of affective disorders Pub Date : 2024-10-28 DOI:10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.056

Eva J. Geiger , Luise Pruessner , Sven Barnow , Jutta Joormann

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Empathic behavior is crucial in promoting positive social outcomes and strengthening interpersonal bonds. Research on how empathy modulates responses to others' emotions remains scarce yet is fundamental for elucidating mechanisms of impaired social functioning in psychopathology and its treatment.

Methods

Two ecological momentary assessment studies (Ns = 125 and 204) investigated participants' empathy and usage of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in 5537 social interactions. We measured empathy, a multi-faceted construct, as dissected into its components of mentalizing and experience sharing in Study 1, while Study 2 additionally investigated empathic concern and personal distress.

Results

Findings revealed that empathizers engage in significantly increased other-focused regulation, especially when feeling empathic concern. We also found differences in the strengths of the links between empathy and responses to others' emotions: When we mentalize, share others' emotions, or feel concerned, we choose more relationship-oriented strategies, including validation and soothing, and less cognitive reappraisal and avoidance to regulate others' emotions. In contrast, when personally distressed by others' emotions, we select more cognitive reappraisal and avoidance and less relationship-oriented strategies.

Limitations

Both studies relied on regulator reports.

Conclusions

Empathy facets distinctly shape our responses to others' emotions and can make us increasingly emotionally responsive and relationship-oriented. Understanding these dynamics can enhance the treatment of affective disorders characterized by deficits in social functioning.

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移情者的所作所为：移情与日常人际情绪调节策略的选择。

背景移情行为对于促进积极的社会结果和加强人际关系至关重要。有关移情如何调节对他人情绪的反应的研究仍然很少，但这对阐明精神病理学中社会功能受损的机制及其治疗至关重要：两项生态学瞬间评估研究（Ns = 125 和 204）调查了 5537 次社交互动中参与者的移情和人际情绪调节策略的使用情况。在研究 1 中，我们测量了共情这一多层面结构，并将其分解为心智化和经验分享两个组成部分；而在研究 2 中，我们还调查了共情关注和个人痛苦：结果：研究结果表明，移情者进行的以他人为中心的调节明显增加，尤其是在感受到移情关注时。我们还发现，移情与对他人情绪反应之间的联系强度存在差异：当我们心理化、分享他人情绪或感到担忧时，我们会选择更多的关系导向策略，包括确认和安抚，而较少的认知重评和回避来调节他人情绪。相反，当个人受到他人情绪困扰时，我们会选择更多的认知重评和回避策略，而较少选择以关系为导向的策略：局限性：两项研究都依赖于调节者的报告：结论：移情因素明显地影响着我们对他人情绪的反应，并能使我们的情绪反应能力和关系导向能力不断提高。了解这些动态变化有助于治疗以社交功能缺陷为特征的情感障碍。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of affective disorders 医学-精神病学

CiteScore

10.90

自引率

6.10%

发文量

1319

审稿时长

9.3 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Affective Disorders publishes papers concerned with affective disorders in the widest sense: depression, mania, mood spectrum, emotions and personality, anxiety and stress. It is interdisciplinary and aims to bring together different approaches for a diverse readership. Top quality papers will be accepted dealing with any aspect of affective disorders, including neuroimaging, cognitive neurosciences, genetics, molecular biology, experimental and clinical neurosciences, pharmacology, neuroimmunoendocrinology, intervention and treatment trials.