1. Emotion regulation in extreme events
Andy Lane,
School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure
University of Wolverhampton 1

2. Emotion regulation Emotion regulation is defined as:
“the process of initiating, maintaining, modulating, or changing the occurrence, intensity, or duration of internal feeling states” (Eisenberg, Fabes, Guthrie & Reiser, 2000, p. 137).

3. Intrapersonal and interpersonal: Emotion Regulation
Intrapersonal emotion regulation:
Targeted at the person’s own feeling states
Interpersonal emotion regulation:
Targeted at another person’s feeling states

4. Target of regulation (Niven et al., 2009)
Own emotion
Others emotion
Improve
emotion
Intrinsic emotion
improving
Extrinsic emotion
improving
Regulatory motives
Intrinsic emotion
worsening
Extrinsic emotion
worsening
Worsen
emotion

5. Dysfunctional emotion regulation intended to improve
I hid my feelings to try to improve how I felt
I avoided thinking about things to try to make myself feel better
I wished I was someone else, to try to improve the way I felt
I took my feelings out on others to try to improve how I felt
I dwelt on thoughts and feelings to try to make myself feel better

6. Expected events and intense emotions
Performing in front of large audiences e.g., musicians and dancers, (Petrides et al., 2006)
Tasks with potentially dangerous consequences e.g., armed forces (Tenenbaum et al., 2008)
Competitive sports (Beedie et al., 2000).
Are you using Baumeister and Hanins work here to discuss emotion regulation leading up to and during expected events or are you saving that for slide 5?

7. Unexpected events and intense emotions
People also have to regulate intense emotions in response to unexpected events
Witnessing a frightening scene
Being the target of anger
Performing challenging tasks in extreme environments
E.g., solo polar expedition, channel swimming, ultra-endurance sport
Water-ski across the English Channel
You could make the point that the unexpected can occur during familiar events, the following dialogue although not focused on emotions indicated that people perceive they experience more intense emotions with unexpected events (Netball players … as you would expect!). I don’t know if it is of use to you:
Anna (U19 player) explained, “I think if you’ve got expected stressors then you kind of prepare yourself for it … so when it happens you can respond to it, there’s no need to be stressed about it ‘cause you’re ready.” Conversely, some players felt unexpected stress prevented anticipatory and preventative coping. For example, Louise (U19) suggests “when it’s just there it’s just your initial reaction whatever that might be, you’ve got no time to think about how you would react to something”.
Within focus group 3, two players believed their reactions to unexpected stress were more extreme than they would otherwise be with an expected stressor. Kirsty (U17): “Straight away you get madder quicker
Bethany (U19): Yeah I think you get an extreme reaction to it because, I guess you just weren’t planning on it happening”.

8. Recent research findings: Emotional regulation strategies and emotions
Recent research shows strategies to enhance own emotions is helpful during potentially stressful situations
Runners (Lane et al,, 2010)
Dyads (Devonport & Lane, 2010)
Athletes (Davis, Lane, & Devonport, 2009)
Strategies intended to worsen associate with unpleasant emotions
Dysfunctional strategies trigger other regulation strategies and unpleasant emotion

9. Aims
This presentation focuses on emotion regulation strategies and emotions during extreme events
Polar exploration
Ride of Across America Cycle race

10. Story of an explorer: North and South Pole Expeditions
Female explorer, aged 43
South Pole expedition (Pedlar et al., 2007; Lloyd et al., 2007).
44 day expedition
North Pole expedition
(Devonport et al., 2010)
84 day and 525 kilometers

11. Methods
Explorer completed emotion diary daily using the Brunel Mood Scale (Terry et al., 2003)
Open-end responses
Post-expedition interviews conducted to explore coping and emotional responses

12. Results: Extreme fluctuations in emotions

13. Results: Use of emotion regulation strategies
Frequent use of strategies intended to enhance own emotions
Awareness of how interaction with others influences own emotion and other emotions
Awareness of potential damaging effects of:
Strategies to worsening own emotion;
Dysfunctional emotion regulation

14. Training strategies to manage emotions
Anticipating feelings during extreme conditions and training in the cold (performance accomplishments, Bandura, 1997)
“I was being prepared very realistically to react to certain situations, it wasn’t always the serenity of the gym…it was in the dark, in the cold or basically uncomfortable, when one wasn’t in the mood or feeling tired because that was how it was going to be. I had to prove to myself that I could do that and not lose focus on the end goal

15. Improving own emotions
Caring about yourself like a dear friend: coping with front bite:
“I pretended it wasn’t my foot, but I was very fond of that foot so I always treated it with great affection and care, and that helped me disembody myself from the nastiness”.

16. Regulating Others and Own emotions
Enhancing own and others emotions
“I spoke to my partner several times which I’ve never done on an expedition before because I didn’t want that emotional tug back all that time”.
“We had to talk practicalities because of the support team problems arising”.

17. Avoiding use of dysfunctional and worsening strategies
“you must be careful not to slip into a victim mentality’.
“both had a voice in our head that would go ‘why me’ ‘why me’ you know, and you remembered all the pictures of more recent expeditions and they didn’t seem to have it like you’d had it”.

18. Take home message
Proactive effort to engage in strategies intended to enhance own emotions
Conscious rationalisation of potentially negative effects of using strategies intended to worsen emotion

22. Method
Riders (N = 4) and support crew (N = 14) completed measures of emotions and emotional intelligence before RAAM
Riders data collected after each ride (3 hour or 6 hour block)
Rider completed retrospective measures of emotion and regulation strategies used post-event.

23. Baseline data
High tension, vigour and moderate anger associated with best performance.
Higher anger associated with poor performance

24. Rider 1: Emotional intelligence
Relatively low scores for belief that he can manage and use own emotions

25. Emotional changes during riding
Positive emotional profile reported on day 1, 3, & 4
High scores for high arousal unpleasant emotions (days 2, 6 & 7)
Days

26. Performance related emotions
“My first big decent downhill in California - 25miles of hairpin madness”
“62 miles per hour - lost the support vehicle behind - overtook 30 cars on the wrong side of the road” –
no pedalling - flat out pure joy –
so much gravel on the road almost went down once - very scary, in fact the closest I have ever come to death without exaggeration -
Just magic!!

27. Unpleasant emotions from relationships with crew
“From my experience in the Army, I am very used to brash and uncompromising people, however, you must believe that the individual you are following is making the right decisions”.
“I resented that fact that some of the crew had done this before and I had to accept that their opinion was gospel.”

28. Emotional profile of Person X

29. Emotional intelligence of person X

30. Unpleasant emotions from relations with sport scientists
YYY had organised behind my back letters to be written by WIFE and BABY, so that he could give them to me at certain times throughout the race.
Whilst the other riders liked this, I fxxxx hated it. It was bad enough that I spend enough time away from home, to be reminded about that fact that my wife and Baby are at home alone whilst I gallivant around America made me feel incredibly guilty and sad.
I felt pure anger towards YYY for doing this behind my back. When I go away I put my wife and kids to the back of my mind until I can focus on them properly - how dare he do this when I am f****d and trying to cope with the task in hand.

31. Take Home message
Rider prepared for emotional response to riding event and task related challenges but not relationship challenges
Social support from people who have developed a solid relational footing was treated negatively.

32. Conclusion Performing in extreme conditions requires emotional control
Anticipating the range of potential stressors and considering was to positively respond is desirable
Engaging in strategies to raise emotions are desirable

33. Thank-you for listening