how do adolescents define depression? - cIRcle - University of ...

Chapter 11: Literature Review
(Harris & Olthof, 1982; Terwogt & Stegge, 2001). Little is known about differentiating emotions
in relation to depressive symptomatology.
At the second level, social emotions become mechanisms of spontaneous self-control,
requiring the fulfillment of several prerequisites. The latter include awareness of the standards of
conduct, an obligation to regulate behavior with respect to these standards, and an ability to
recognize discrepancies between one's own behavior and these internalized standards (Ausubel,
1955). Guilt and shame are among the so-called social emotions, because social norms and
values play a critical role in their experience (Terwogt & Stegge, 2001). Guilt and shame are also
characteristics experienced in adolescent depression; they are used as diagnostic criteria for
depression in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000).
The third level of emotion, the regulation of emotion, is self-management of emotional
expression. The disposition to regulate one's emotions (emotional intelligence) has been
associated with lower levels of depression (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995).
Emotionally competent or intelligent behavior calls for regulating emotions: making emotional
adjustments in the service of personal or social norms (Terwogt & Stegge, 2001). Clore et al.
(2001) posit that affect tends to be experienced as relevant to whatever is currently in
consciousness. The informational value of feelings depends on the focus or attention of the
individual and his or her goals in the situation (Clore & Martin, 2001). The affect-as-information
hypothesis states that feelings may directly affect both judgment and information processing.
Whatever the origins of their problems, adolescents must consider the feelings of others when
showing their own emotional reactions; otherwise, they will most likely harm the quality of their
social interactions (Terwogt & Stegge, 2001).
Research is just beginning to explore how adolescents manage sadness or anger. Anger
can be linked to irritability, a state that is used as diagnostic criteria for depression in DSM-IV-
TR (APA, 2000). Understanding and finding ways to manage sadness and anger has important
implications for helping adolescents who exhibit maladaptive forms of emotional expression.
Because regulation of emotion is intertwined with cognitive processes in private mental states,
the interaction of these processes may affect individual conceptions of depression.
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