Emotional regulation

Emotional self-regulation, also known as Emotion Regulation or simply ER, is being able to properly regulate one's emotions. It is a complex process that involves the initiating, inhibiting, or modulating the following aspects of functioning :
 * 1) internal feeling states (i.e. the subjective experience of emotion),
 * 2) emotion-related cognitions (e.g. thought reactions to a situation),
 * 3) emotion-related physiological processes (e.g. heart rate, hormonal, or other physiological reactions), and
 * 4) emotion-related behavior (e.g. actions or facial expressions related to emotion).

Developmental psychology
The emergence of emotional regulation is a slow gradual process over the course of development. At first, the child relies heavily on mediation from external parties, such as the primary caregiver, to co-regulate his or her emotions, such as when an upset infant requires the attentive mother to calm them down. By 6 months of age, researchers believe infants show the first signs of emotional self-regulation, likely as a result of "downloading", or internalizing, their caregivers' emotional regulation "programs". At this age, they can self-soothe and also self-distract to avoid what has upset them. Between ages 1–2, children distract themselves from distressing stimuli by averting attention more and more. Over the years, children increasingly manage negative emotions by talking with others and negotiating ways to resolve situations, showing sophistication in emotion regulation.

It has been suggested by some that neurological changes confer such maturity in regulation over the course of development, particularly maturation of the frontal lobes, thought to be essential for managing attention and inhibiting thoughts and behaviors.