Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in a High Performance Varsity Volleyball Team
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Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in a High Performance Varsity Volleyball Team by Tess Palmateer A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science Exercise Sciences University of Toronto © Copyright by Tess Palmateer 2016 Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in a High Performance Varsity Volleyball Team Tess Palmateer Masters of Science Exercise Sciences University of Toronto 2016 Abstract An instrumental case study approach was used to investigate the use of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) in high performance varsity female volleyball athletes. Athletes reported using a variety of emotion-improving (verbal/positive feedback, cueing teammates about emotions, humour and non-verbal strategies), and emotion-worsening IER strategies, in addition to choosing not to engage in IER in some instances. The factors that were found to influence IER included athletes’ roles, social norms, the volleyball context, athletes’ preferences for IER, and interpersonal factors (i.e., relationship quality, personality, and relatability). Athletes also discussed how they learned to regulate their teammates’ emotions, and the concept of ‘automaticity’ in which some IER behaviours become almost automatic or done out of habit. This study has theoretical implications regarding the distinction between emotion regulation versus affect regulation, athletes’ preferences and perceived effectiveness of IER, and the use of emotion worsening strategies in sport. ii Acknowledgments Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Katherine Tamminen, for all of her guidance and support over the last two years. I have learned so much about writing and the research process from her. The quality of this research project was also improved by the input from my committee members, Drs. Catherine Sabiston, Gretchen Kerr, and Mark Bruner. Next, I would like to thank my lab for their continuous encouragement and for making the last two years so enjoyable. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends, family, and boyfriend for their love and support. I would not be where I am today without you. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. vii List of Appendices ...................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2 Review of Literature ................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Review of Literature ..................................................................................................................3 2.1.1 Lazarus’ Core Emotions ..........................................................................................................3 2.1.2 Basic Emotions ........................................................................................................................5 2.1.3 Self-Conscious Emotions .........................................................................................................6 2.2 Emotion in Sport ........................................................................................................................8 2.2.1 Negative Emotions...................................................................................................................8 2.2.2 Positive Emotions ....................................................................................................................9 2.3 Emotion Regulation ................................................................................................................. 10 2.4 Emotion Regulation Research in Sport .................................................................................. 12 2.5 Individual Differences in Emotion Regulation ...................................................................... 14 2.5.1 Personality ............................................................................................................................. 15 2.5.2 Emotional Intelligence ........................................................................................................... 16 2.5.3 Gender ................................................................................................................................... 17 2.6 Interpersonal Emotion Regulation ......................................................................................... 18 2.6.1 Niven and Colleagues’ Theoretical Framework of IER ........................................................ 19 2.6.2 Zaki and Williams’ Theoretical Framework of IER .............................................................. 21 2.6.3 Van Kleef’s Theoretical Framework (EASI Model) ............................................................. 22 2.7 Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Research in Sport.......................................................... 24 2.8 Related Areas of Research ...................................................................................................... 29 2.8.1 Social Support ........................................................................................................................ 30 2.8.2 Emotional Contagion ............................................................................................................. 31 2.8.3 Team Cohesion ...................................................................................................................... 33 2.8.4 Roles ...................................................................................................................................... 34 2.8.5 Group Norms ......................................................................................................................... 35 iv 2.9 The Present Study .................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 3 Method ....................................................................................................................... 38 3.1 Case Study Methodology ......................................................................................................... 38 3.2 Paradigmatic Perspective ........................................................................................................ 38 3.3 Participants ............................................................................................................................... 39 3.4 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 40 3.4.1 Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 41 3.5 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 42 3.6 Ethical Concerns ...................................................................................................................... 43 3.7.1 Reflexivity Statement ............................................................................................................ 44 3.7.2 Reflexive Journal ................................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 4 Results ........................................................................................................................ 46 4.1 Overview of Results ................................................................................................................. 46 4.2 Case Description ....................................................................................................................... 46 4.3 Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Strategies ....................................................................... 49 4.3.1 Emotion-Improving Strategies ............................................................................................... 49 4.3.2 Emotion-Worsening Strategies .............................................................................................. 54 4.4 Not Using Interpersonal Emotion Regulation ....................................................................... 56 4.5 Factors Influencing Interpersonal Emotion Regulation ....................................................... 57 4.5.1 Athlete Roles ......................................................................................................................... 57 4.5.2 Social Norms ......................................................................................................................... 61 4.5.3 The Volleyball Context .......................................................................................................... 63 4.5.4 Athlete Preferences For Interpersonal Emotion Regulation .................................................. 65 4.5.5 Moving On ............................................................................................................................