حالت استفاده از رسانه خاص و تنظیم احساسات: الگوها و تفاوت های فردی

The present study examines moods in which individuals are most likely to utilize various forms of entertainment media and the emotion regulation tendencies that are associated with such preferences. Results of a questionnaire study (n = 229) show that mood specific media use may be captured by three factors: turning to media in a positive mood, in a negative mood or in a bored mood. Findings also show that various forms of difficulty regulating emotion (e.g., feeling out of control when upset) predict media use in negative or bored moods only. More specific analyses show that music use in negative moods is predicted by both positive indices (e.g., reflection tendencies) and negative indices of emotion regulation (e.g., rumination tendencies), while television use in negative moods is only predicted by negative indices of emotion regulation. Results are discussed in light of the psychological needs that selective media use may serve.

As media content and forms continue to diversify and become more portable, individuals are increasingly able to tune their use of entertainment media to their perceived social and emotional needs. Indeed, researchers in both communication and psychology have documented the capacity of entertainment media to facilitate negotiation of both positive and negative moods (Larson, 1995 and Moskalenko and Heine, 2003). Scholars have also begun to identify individual differences in the capacity to regulate mood and emotion successfully (Gratz and Roemer, 2004, Gross and John, 2003 and Trapnell and Campbell, 1999). The diverse ways in which individuals make sense of and respond to their emotional experiences have powerful implications for mental health and well-being (Gross & Muñoz, 1995). However, to date we know very little about how these kinds of individual differences map onto mood specific media use. Clarifying who uses which media in what kind of mood state is a first crucial step toward understanding whether media use may serve a therapeutic or self-defeating function for those with increased difficulty managing their moods and emotions. The present study uses a self-report questionnaire to explore how existing differences in emotion and cognitive regulation tendencies predict media consumption patterns across positive and negative mood states. Further, we investigate media forms (movies, television, music, magazines and video games) that are frequently utilized in positive and negative mood states, and take a closer look at the individual differences that predict negative mood specific use of television and music in particular.