Interpersonal Processes and the Development of Emotion Dysregulation

Emotion regulation and dysregulation often unfold within interpersonal contexts. Parent–child relationships provide early scaffolding of emotion regulation processes. Parents attune to, and influence, their children’s emotions, through pathways such as physical touch, infant cry, facial expressions, and stress physiology. Interpersonal emotion regulation and dysregulation processes continue to evolve within other close relationship contexts such as romantic couple relationships in adulthood. Partners shape each other’s emotion regulation through stress contagion and physiological interconnection, and through interactions that can be conflictual or supportive. This chapter reviews the theoretical foundations and the existing literature describing how emotion regulation and dysregulation take place within interpersonal relationships.