In bis essay in tbis volume, Tbompson discusses several defining features and important components of emodon reguladon. One of tbese addresses tbe adaptive nature of emotion regulation: tbe notion tbat emotions can be regulated as an adapdve means, a strategy, to acbieve one's goals witbin a given context. Given tbat, according to attacbment tbeory (Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1973, 1980), a centrally important, biologically based goal of the cbild is maintaining proximity to tbe attacbment figure, tben, following Tbompson's position, cbildren would be expected to regulate tbeir emotions in order to acbieve tbis goal.

My aim bere is to examine ways in wbicb individual differences in emotion regulation may be influenced by cbildren's attacbment experiences. Tbrougbout, tbree tbemes central to Thompson's definidon of emotion regulation will be considered:(a) tbat emotion regulation involves botb tbe suppression and tbe beigbtening of emotions;(b) tbat emotion regulation involves tbe regulation of attention; and (c) tbat emotion regulation involves factors botb intrinsic (eg, temperament) and extrinsic to tbe cbild (particularly tbe cbild's relationsbips witb parents). I begin witb a brief tbeoretical discussion of tbe ways in wbicb attacbment tbeory converges witb Tbomp-