“There was probably a tear in my eye”: emotion regulation as an individual and interpersonal phenomenon

Emotion regulation (ER) refers to the control we are able to exert over our emotions and is often constructed as a skill that an individual has (or has not) to varying degrees. In medical practice, unregulated emotions impact on doctor and patient well-being. In teachers, such negative emotions (e.g. anger, frustration), increase students' negative emotional experiences. For both groups, unregulated, or inappropriately regulated, emotions can lead to lack of motivation and is associated with mood and anxiety disorders, depression and burnout. In this seminar Lynn will report on the findings from a study examining junior doctors’ emotional regulation as part of a larger GMC-funded programme of research investigating medical graduates’ preparedness for practice. Although participants narrated a range of strategies of how they personally managed work-related negative feelings, with different patterns of regulation being identified by the researchers, participants also narrated times when the wider team rallied around to help them manage their emotions during and following difficult events. Similarities and differences between how emotions are regulated within educational and clinical settings will be explored with the audience.