A new understanding of the cognitive reappraisal technique: an extension based on the schema theory

Summary & key facts

This 2023 hypothesis paper says cognitive reappraisal — changing how we interpret events to change our feelings — often works in labs or therapy but may not carry over to real life. The authors explain this by comparing reappraisal to extinction learning, which creates new, context-dependent memories instead of erasing old ones. They propose adding schema theory and more real-world, bottom-up experiences to build and store new schemata so reappraisal is more likely to work across different situations.

Key facts:

• Cognitive reappraisal is defined as changing the personal meaning of a situation to alter emotional responses (antecedent-focused and done early in the emotion process).
• Gross’s view, cited in the paper, treats reappraisal as an often-effortless process that can occur before full emotion arousal and that does not necessarily use extra cognitive resources.
• A lab study cited (Troy et al., 2010) reported that about one-third of participants felt worse after trying cognitive reappraisal on standardized emotional tasks.
• Another study cited (Ford et al., 2017) found that nearly half of people who tried reappraisal for real-life negative events rated their success as “not at all” or “slightly” successful.
• The paper notes that incomplete or detached reappraisal can be ineffective or may cause distress, especially if it feels unreal or lacks factual basis.
• The authors compare reappraisal to extinction learning: it adds new inhibitory learning but does not erase the original negative association, and it often depends on context cues (for example, a safe lab or therapy room).
• The main proposal of the paper is to extend reappraisal practice with schema theory and dual-system ideas: provide bottom-up behavioral experiences that enrich schemata so new, adaptive interpretations are more likely to activate in varied
• The article is a hypothesis and theory piece published in 2023; it highlights gaps and uncertainties about how well therapy- or lab-induced reappraisal transfers to everyday situations and stresses individual differences in spontaneous reap

Abstract

Cognitive reappraisal is a widely utilized emotion regulation strategy that involves altering the personal meaning of an emotional event to enhance attention...

Topics

Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Memory and Neural Mechanisms Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Categories

Cognitive Neuroscience Life Sciences Neuroscience

Tags

Cognition Cognitive appraisal Cognitive psychology Cognitive reappraisal Computer science Distress Expressive Suppression Machine learning Neuroscience Psychology Psychotherapist Schema (genetic algorithms)