Psychology: Substance Abuse and Expressive Suppression

Substance Use

• Substance use refers to consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, drugs, or medicines to numb thoughts, emotions, and/or physiological arousal.
• Habitual use of alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism is linked to negative consequences in both mental and physical health.

Expressive Suppression

• Expressive suppression is when an individual inhibits the behavioral expression of unwanted emotions, such as hiding one's anger.
• This strategy is common in various psychological disorders, but it rarely changes the negative emotional experience and may even decrease positive emotion.
• Expressive suppression increases sympathetic activation of the cardiovascular system, which may explain why it decreases well-being and increases vulnerability to cardiovascular diseases.

Emotion Sharing

• Emotion sharing is the act of communicating one's emotions to others through socially shared language.
• Sharing emotions can have beneficial effects on mental health through the indirect effects of reinforcing social bonds and transferring warmth and affection.

Aggression

• Aggression, whether verbal or physical, is a strategy employed to release bodily tension caused by an emotional situation.
• Research indicates that aggression can lead to amplified cardiovascular reactivity when responding to provocative stressors, as well as an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease.
• Aggression significantly damages social relationships.

Prosocial Emotion Regulation

• Prosocial emotion regulation involves modifying one's emotions and expressions to fit social norms and expectations.
• This type of regulation helps individuals avoid negative consequences, such as hurting others' feelings or damaging relationships.

Self-Protection Motive

• Self-protection motive involves suppressing or displaying an emotion that is not genuinely felt to safeguard one's own safety or to elicit assistance from others.
• Examples include regulating anger to avoid negative outcomes at work or expressing fake embarrassment to seek forgiveness.

Impression Management Motive

• Impression management motive involves regulating emotions to avoid being judged negatively by others.
• This motivation is based on knowledge of norms that dictate what emotions are suitable in a particular situation.

Test your knowledge on substance abuse and expressive suppression in psychology. Learn how excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs, or medicines can negatively impact mental and physical health, and how inhibiting emotional expression can affect individuals. Get ready to assess your understanding of these psychological concepts!