Pathways to social anxiety: the role of reinforcement sensitivities and emotion regulation

Past research has demonstrated a strong relationship between threat sensitivity and social anxiety; however, the relationship between reward sensitivity and social anxiety is less clear. Further, the role that emotion regulation (ER) may play in the expression of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is rarely considered. The current study tested whether two emotion regulation strategies (emotional suppression and cognitive reappraisal) mediated associations between threat sensitivity and reward sensitivity and social anxiety in a community sample (402 adults, 78% female; Mage=32.49, S.D.age=11.53). Path analyses indicated that low reappraisal mediated the relationship between high threat sensitivity and high social anxiety; and both low reappraisal and high suppression mediated the relationship between low reward sensitivity and high social anxiety. These results highlight the potential role that emotion regulation plays in the relationship between trait motivation and social anxiety.

Aversive sexism and emotion regulation in a masculine organization

This study explores aversive sexism as an extension of Dovidio and Gaertner's (2004) recent notion of aversive racism. In this study, we investigate the presence of aversive sexism by examining relationships between emotional experience and emotion regulation in a masculine organization, an Australian Police Force ('APF').

Trait motivation and emotion regulation as predictors of anxiety

This thesis demonstrates that high avoidance motivation, low approach motivation, and maladaptive emotion regulation contribute to the prediction of anxiety, within groups at low risk for an anxiety disorder. High avoidance motivation is largely the sole predictor of anxiety for those at high risk for an anxiety disorder.

A case-control study of emotion regulation and school refusal in children and adolescents

The current study aimed to investigate emotion regulation (ER) strategy use in a sample of 21 clinic-referred children and adolescents (10-14 years old) presenting with school refusal, all of whom were diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder. Being the first known study to examine ER and school refusal, hypotheses were guided by previous research on anxiety. It was hypothesized that the school refusal sample would report less healthy ER strategy use compared to an age- and sex-matched nonclinical sample (n = 21). As expected, the school refusal sample reported less use of cognitive reappraisal and greater use of expressive suppression to regulate their emotions than did the nonclinical sample. Although preliminary, the findings provide important information regarding the emotional functioning of children and adolescents presenting with school refusal. Future directions for research and implications for improved prevention and intervention programs are discussed.

Procedural justice and affect intensity : understanding reactions to regulatory authorities

Why is it that some people respond in a more negative way to procedural injustice than do others, and why is it that some people go on to defy authority while others in the same situation do not? Personality theorists suggest that the psychological effect of a situation depends on how a person interprets the situation and that such differences in interpretation can vary as a function of individual difference factors. For example, affect intensity—one’s predisposition to react more or less emotionally to an event—is one such individual difference factor that has been shown to influence people’s reactions to events. Cross-sectional survey data collected from (a) 652 tax offenders who have been through a serious law enforcement experience (Study 1), and (b) 672 citizens with recent personal contact with a police officer (Study 2), showed that individual differences in ‘affect intensity’ moderate the effect of procedural justice on both affective reactions and compliance behavior. Specifically, perceptions of procedural justice had a greater effect in reducing anger and reports of non-compliance among those lower in affect intensity than those higher in affect intensity. Both methodological and theoretical explanations are offered to explain the results, including the suggestion that emotions of shame may play a role in the observed interaction.

Expression and regulation of Homer in human skeletal muscle during neuromuscular junction adaptation to disuse and exercise

Protein calcium sensors of the Homer family have been proposed to modulate the activity of various ion channels and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), the transcription factor modulating skeletal muscle differentiation. We monitored Homer expression and subcellular localization in human skeletal muscle biopsies following 60 d of bedrest [Second Berlin Bedrest Study (BBR2-2)]. Soleus (SOL) and vastus lateralis (VL) biopsies were taken at start (pre) and at end (end) of bedrest from healthy male volunteers of a control group without exercise (CTR; n=9), a resistive-only exercise group (RE; n=7), and a combined resistive/vibration exercise group (RVE; n=7). Confocal analysis showed Homer immunoreactivity at the postsynaptic microdomain of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) at bedrest start. After bedrest, Homer immunoreactivity decreased (CTR), remained unchanged (RE), or increased (RVE) at the NMJ. Homer2 mRNA and protein were differently regulated in a muscle-specific way. Activated NFATc1 translocates from cytoplasm to nucleus; increased amounts of NFATc1-immunopositive slow-type myonuclei were found in RVE myofibers of both muscles. Pulldown assays identified NFATc1 and Homer as molecular partners in skeletal muscle. A direct motor nerve control of Homer2 was confirmed in rat NMJs by in vivo denervation. Homer2 is localized at the NMJ and is part of the calcineurin-NFATc1 signaling pathway. RVE has additional benefit over RE as countermeasure preventing disuse-induced neuromuscular maladaptation during bedrest.

Subtle sexism : re-informing intergroup bias and regulating emotion in an Australian police organization

From a liberal feminist perspective, we argue that gender can both inform and should continue to be informed by social identity studies in efforts to understand and manage subtle sexism in contemporary workplaces. We investigated the presence of a form of subtle sexism, affective aversive sexism, in an Australian male-dominated organization: a police force. To do this we surveyed 159 policemen and examined relationships between individual emotional experience, emotional intensity and emotion regulation. Results indicated that, in a subtle display of intergroup bias, policemen experienced both higher positive and higher negative emotions in the presence of other policemen than of policewomen who, we argue, may be less central in the men's identities and relationships at work. Implications for research, training, and emotion management in the workplace are discussed and it is suggested that liberal feminist research can contribute much to understanding the dynamics that reproduce structural segregation in the workplace.

Self-conscious emotion: how two teachers explore the emotional work of teaching

Teachers are constantly involved in emotional management. This chapter focuses on two second year teachers and the self-conscious emotional work of teaching. Both teachers were working in a prep ( 5-year-olds) class. The teachers engaged in The Participatory Inquiry Program (PIP), which is framed by active and critical reflections on classroom practices. The teachers collaborated with each other, firstly filming the other's practice, and then acting as a critical peer when reviewing the other's film. Teachers also examined internal feelings and thought processes that influenced their actions. The teachers concluded their participation in PIP by narrating their experience and learning. These narratives were then analysed by focusing on how they became cognisant of emotion and emotion regulation that enhances practice and learning outcomes. Emotion work for these two teachers revolved around three key themes: the emotion work with regard to colleagues; the emotional work that arises in relation to students (feelings of love; annoyance, anger), and emotion and self-awareness.

The effect of affect in organizational settings

The study of emotion and affect on organizational settings has been steadily gaining momentum for much of the last decade. Important catalysts in this process have been the Emonet e-mail discussion group and the biannual International Conferences on Emotions and Organizational Life. The articles in this volume represent a selection of the best papers presented at the fourth Conference (which was conducted in London, England, in June, 2004), together with invited papers by some of the leading scholars in the field.
The theme of the book, "the effect of affect in organizations," was chosen to capture the centrality of emotion and affect in everyday organizational life. The opening chapter, co-authored by Howard Weiss, one of the inventors of "Affective Events Theory" (AET), sets the scene. At the heart of AET is the idea that organizational members experience daily hassles and uplifts that are reflected in their attitudes and behaviours. Following chapters flesh out the way that AET can be applied, covering a variety of constructs that relate to organizational life, including emotional intelligence, motivation, employee monitoring of web access, and emotional regulation. Other chapters deal with other aspects of emotion in organizations, such as loneliness, leader-member relationships in teams, organizational justice, negative behaviour, creativity, and organizational reactions to crisis situations. In the final chapter, Rob Briner and his colleagues round out the theme in a critical account of emotion in organizations.

Emotional regulation, attachment to possessions and hoarding symptoms

This study aimed to test which particular facets of emotion regulation (ER) are most linked to symptoms of hoarding disorder, and whether beliefs about emotional attachment to possessions (EA) mediate this relationship. A non-clinical sample of 150 participants (108 females) completed questionnaires of emotional tolerance (distress tolerance, anxiety sensitivity, negative urgency - impulsivity when experiencing negative emotions), depressed mood, hoarding, and beliefs about emotional attachment to possessions. While all emotional tolerance measures related to hoarding, when considered together and controlling for depression and age, anxiety sensitivity and urgency were the significant predictors. Anxiety sensitivity was fully mediated, and urgency partially mediated, via beliefs regarding emotional attachment to possessions. These findings provide further support for (1) the importance of anxiety sensitivity and negative urgency for hoarding symptoms, and (2) the view that individuals with HD symptoms may rely on items for emotion regulation, leading to stronger beliefs that items are integral to emotional wellbeing.

Emotions mediate the relationship between autistic traits and disordered eating: a new autistic-emotional model for eating pathology

The aim of the study was to assess the extent of overlap between autistic traits, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating and to explore the mediating effects of negative attitudes towards emotional expression and emotion dysregulation. The sample comprised 416 university students (82% females, 17-48 years [M=19.76, SD=3.85]), who completed an online questionnaire assessing eating attitudes and behaviours (including dieting, bulimia and oral control), body dissatisfaction, and autistic traits (including the Autism Quotient [AQ] and its related subscales as well as the Empathising Quotient). Attitudes towards emotional expression and emotion regulation were also assessed. Results revealed that eating pathology correlated highly with all AQ subscales, with the exception of the attention to detail subscale. However, there was no significant relationship between empathising and eating pathology. Path-analyses indicated that emotion dysregulation, but not negative attitudes towards emotional expression, was a significant mediator of the relationship between AQ, body dissatisfaction and eating pathology. Direct relationships were also obtained for the AQ-bulimia and the AQ-oral control paths. Prevention and early intervention programs for eating pathology would likely benefit from addressing abnormalities in emotion processes in individuals who score highly on measures of autistic traits.

Regulation of GLUT4 expression in human skeletal muscle

Increasing the number of glucose transporters in muscle ameliorates many of the symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes. This thesis identifies mechanisms regulating glucose transporter gene expression, and therefore glucose transporter number, in human skeletal muscle and provides potential targets for the treatment and management of type 2 diabetes.

Predictors of pre- and post-competition affective states in male martial artists : a multilevel interactional approach

The aims of this study were to examine (a) the effects of competition-related and competition-extraneous concerns on affective states; (b) the relationships of primary and secondary appraisal with affective states and (c) the main and moderating effects of personality traits on pre- and post-competition affects. Thirty-nine male elite martial artists were assessed on 12 affective states, concerns and dimensions of primary and secondary appraisal at five random times a day across 1 week before and 3 days after a competition. On the competition day, they were assessed 1 h before and immediately after the contest. Competitive trait anxiety, neuroticism and extraversion were measured at the start of the study. The competition was the most significant and stressful event experienced in the examined period and had a pervasive influence on athletes' affective states. All examined appraisal and personality factors were somewhat associated with pre- and post-competition affective states. Competitive trait anxiety was a key moderator of the relationship between cognitive appraisal and affective states. This study supports the idea that cognitive appraisal and situational and personality factors exert main and interactive effects on athletes' pre- and post-competition affects. These factors need to be accounted for in planning of emotion regulation interventions.

Affective energies : Sensory bodies on the beach in Darwin, Australia

Emerging debates on anti-racism within white majority cultures centre emotion and affect to explore the visceral nature of racialised encounters that unfold in public spaces of the city. This paper builds on such understandings by conceptualising whiteness as a force that exerts affective pressures on bodies of colour who are hypervisible in public spaces. I show that these pressures have the potential to wound, numb and immobilise bodies affecting what they can do or what they can become. This paper argues, however, that affective energies from human and non-human sources are productive forces that are also sensed in public spaces such as the suburban beach. These energies entangle sensuous bodies with the richness of a more-than-human world and have the potential to offer new insights into exploring how racially differentiated bodies live with difference. The paper draws on ethnographic research conducted in Darwin, a tropical north Australian city at the centre of politicised public debates on asylum seeker policy, migrant integration and Indigenous wellbeing. My attention to affective pressures and affective energies contributes to understanding how bodies with complex histories and geographies of racialisation can inhabit a world of becoming. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The application of an etiological model of personality disorders to problem gambling

Problem gambling is a significant mental health problem that creates a multitude of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and social difficulties. Recent empirical evidence suggests that personality disorders, and in particular borderline personality disorder (BPD), are commonly co-morbid with problem gambling. Despite this finding there has been very little research examining overlapping factors between these two disorders. The aim of this review is to summarise the literature exploring the relationship between problem gambling and personality disorders. The co-morbidity of personality disorders, particularly BPD, is reviewed and the characteristics of problem gamblers with co-morbid personality disordersare explored. An etiological model from the more advanced BPD literature—the biosocial developmental model of BPD—is used to review the similarities between problem gambling and BPD across four domains: early parent–child interactions, emotion regulation, co-morbid psychopathology and negative outcomes. It was concluded that personality disorders, in particular BPD are commonly co-morbid among problem gamblers and the presence of a personality disorder complicates the clinical picture. Furthermore BPD and problem gambling share similarities across the biosocial developmental model of BPD.Therefore clinicians working with problem gamblers should incorporate routine screening for personality disorders and pay careful attention to the therapeutic alliance, client motivations and therapeutic boundaries. Furthermore adjustments to therapy structure, goals and outcomes may be required. Directions for future research include further research into the applicability of the biosocial developmental model of BPD to problemgambling.