Behavior and emotion regulation of socially inhibited individuals in uncomfortable social situations: A mixed methods study

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify patterns of emotion regulation and behaviors in specific uncomfortable situations using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design and to examine how the trait social inhibition (SI) is related to these patterns. The sample (N = 451, 66% female, M_age = 34 (SD=17.2)) collected in 2016-2017 completed the social inhibition questionnaire (SIQ15) and open-ended questions on self-indicated uncomfortable situations and the regulation of emotions and behaviors in those situations. The open-ended questions were analyzed and coded into quantitative data, after which a latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to (A) identify latent profiles of emotion regulation and behaviors in specific situations, and (B) to examine how SI and facets are related to these profiles. LPA revealed seven profiles that differed in the type of situation described and how people regulated their emotions and behaved in the situation. The results show that it is the type of situation which determines regulation style and behavior. Additionally, SI was found to rely on active avoidance to deal with uncomfortable social situations, while not using emotion regulation to modify how they feel in that situation. In conclusion, our findings show that context seems to be the most important factor that drives the choice or decision of how emotions are regulated. SI individuals tend not to use emotion regulation strategies but rely on active avoidance in dealing with uncomfortable situations. Importantly, the sample was mainly female and highly educated, suggesting that our results may not generalize to other populations.