The Effect of Parents' Meta-Emotion Philosophy and Helicopter Parenting on Millennials' Emotion Regulation

As human beings, we encounter a myriad of emotionally arousing experiences each and every day (Gross, Richards, & John, 2006). We may feel joy when we win on an instant lottery ticket, sadness when we have a disagreement with a close friend, or annoyance when someone cuts us off in traffic on our way to work. Each emotion lends itself to an infinite array of potential responses, some of which are more adaptive than others given the particular sociocultural context of the situation and the individual's personal goals (Zeman, Cassano, Perry-Parrish, & Stegall, 2006). In fact, how we effectively manage - or regulate - our emotions as we move through life is said to be a cornerstone of psychological well-being and adaptive functioning (Sheppes, Scheibe, Suri, Radu, Blechert, & Gross, 2014; Tamir, 2011). For example, dysregulated emotions have been linked to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems (Bariola, Gullone, & Hughes, 2011; Shortt, Stoolmiller, Smith-Shine, Eddy, & Sheeber, 2010; Yap, Allen, & Sheeber, 2007), psychopathology (Bariola, Gullone, & Hughes, ., 2011; Han & Shaffer, 2013), and limited social competence (Eisenberg & Valiente, 2004; McDowell, Kim, O'Neil, & Parke, 2002). In addition, these negative behavioral patterns often persist throughout adulthood (Shortt, Capaldi, Dishion, Bank, & Owen, 2003). On the other hand, adaptive emotion regulation development is associated with less anxiety, better social skills, academic success, and fewer externalizing behaviors (Dunsmore, Booker, & Ollendick, 2013). Given these findings, it is no surprise that studies on emotion regulation have increased exponentially over the past two decades.