Emotional Regulation, Big Five Personality Traits and Cognitive Styles: Differentiating State-Trait Influences on Emotional Regulation

The role of emotions, specifically emotional regulation, is a hotly contested research area that functions to reveal the core nature of affective-cognitive psychological processes. Specifically, understanding the influences that determine emotional regulation strategy selection in individuals is of particular importance. In this study, the state-trait distinction often applied to specific clinical symptoms is applied in terms of its influence on ER strategy selection. Personality (big five traits) and cognitive styles (vulnerabilities and strengths) are compared to determine which process decides an individual’s regulatory capacities and strategies. The initial prediction that personality would be the largest influence was not founded, but novel connections were discovered between personality and cognitive vulnerabilities/strengths along with a replication of previously found links between personality and emotional regulation. Implications of the findings of state-trait influences as well as future directions are discussed