ERQ: Emotion Regulation Assessment

What is ERQ

ERQ (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) is a psychological questionnaire designed to measure a person's ability to regulate their emotions. It was developed by James J. Gross and colleagues and is an important tool in the field of emotion psychology and emotional regulation research.

The questionnaire consists of two main scales:

• Suppression. This scale measures the tendency to suppress the expression of emotions. Suppression is an emotional regulation strategy where a person tries not to show their emotional reactions to others. This may involve controlling facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice.
• Reappraisal. This scale assesses how often a person uses reappraisal as an emotional regulation strategy. Reappraisal involves changing the way one thinks about a situation before it triggers an emotional response. It is a way to reinterpret the situation to alter its emotional impact.

The goal of ERQ is not only to identify which emotional regulation strategies a person prefers but also to understand how these strategies relate to various psychological outcomes, including well-being, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. Research using the ERQ has shown that these two strategies correlate differently with psychological well-being; for example, reappraisal is generally associated with more positive outcomes than suppression.

ERQ Procedure

The ERQ procedure is straightforward but requires attention from both participants and researchers or psychologists administering the assessment. Here is an overview:

1. Clarify the purpose of the questionnaire (clinical assessment, research, personality diagnostics).
2. Explain the study’s aims, procedures, possible risks and benefits to participants; obtain consent.
3. Provide the ERQ to participants either on paper or electronically.
4. Give clear instructions on how to complete the questionnaire honestly.
5. Allow sufficient time to answer the questions using a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).
6. Analyze collected questionnaires to calculate scores for suppression and reappraisal scales.
7. Interpret results in the context of the research or clinical goals.
8. Provide feedback to participants as appropriate.

Instructions

This questionnaire is designed to study how you regulate your emotions. Below are statements about different ways you might manage your emotions. Please rate each statement based on how well it describes your usual behavior, using the following scale:

• 1 – Strongly disagree
• 2 – Disagree
• 3 – Somewhat disagree
• 4 – Undecided
• 5 – Somewhat agree
• 6 – Agree
• 7 – Strongly agree

Please answer honestly and do not overthink each response. It is important that your answers reflect your usual feelings and behavior as accurately as possible.

1. I try to change my perspective on circumstances to improve my mood.
2. To control my feelings, I try not to show them outwardly.
3. In stressful situations, I try to reframe my attitude to stay calm.
4. I change how I think about what is happening around me to better manage my emotions.
5. To lift my spirits or feel joy, I switch my thoughts to something else.
6. If I feel positive emotions, I make sure not to display them openly.
7. To overcome negative emotions, I change how I perceive the situation.
8. I tend to keep my emotional experiences to myself.
9. When feeling negative emotions, I try my best to keep them unnoticed.
10. To cope with negative emotions like sadness or anger, I focus on alternative thoughts.

Interpreting the Results

Interpretation of ERQ results depends on how participants respond to questions related to the two main emotional regulation strategies: suppression and reappraisal. Here’s how to interpret them:

Suppression:

• High scores indicate frequent use of suppression to manage emotions. This means the person tends to restrain emotional expression in front of others. While useful in some situations, excessive suppression may lead to stress buildup and negatively affect relationships and well-being.
• Low scores suggest less frequent use of suppression, indicating more openness in expressing feelings and potentially better emotional regulation.

Reappraisal:

• High scores reflect frequent use of reappraisal as a strategy. The person actively changes their perception of a situation to lessen its emotional impact. Reappraisal is considered an adaptive strategy associated with better psychological well-being and relationships.
• Low scores show infrequent use of reappraisal, which may suggest difficulties in adaptively managing emotional reactions.

General Recommendations:

• Individual differences. High or low scores don’t necessarily indicate problems. Different regulation strategies may be adaptive in different contexts.
• Context and cultural factors. The context in which regulation strategies are used and cultural influences play a significant role in their effectiveness.
• Opportunities for development. Results may highlight areas for personal growth and improving emotional regulation skills, such as through therapy or training.

It is important to remember that the ERQ is one tool among many to study emotional regulation, and its results should be interpreted alongside other relevant personal information for a full understanding of emotional functioning.

By the way, SurveyNinja already offers a ready-made template (without scoring) for emotional regulation questions.