University Honors

Emotion expression and regulation between children and parents is a highly researched topic within the field of psychology. The topic is important to study, as a greater understanding provides valuable insight into the developmental processes of divulging feelings. This literature review examines the different factors that may contribute to emotion sharing, including home environment, emotion regulation strategies, reactions to expressed emotion, and attachment style. The goal of this paper is to outline the complex nature of parent–child dynamics, identifying many possible explanations for parent–child dyadic emotion behavior. I review prior research to answer the primary research question: What is known about emotion expression and regulation in parent–child dyadic conversation contexts? The reviewed set of studies emphasizes the importance of a child’s upbringing and early life experience, parenting behavior, and the closeness of a parent and their child. Research also acknowledges the importance of parents’ education level and upbringing, suggesting that their sharing of emotion is closely related to their child’s. Future research is needed regarding populations outside of the United States, culture-specific phenomena, and more longitudinal and adoption study designs.