Coping with climate emotions : an experiment investigating the impact of emotion-focused coping on defensiveness, collective action intentions and policy support
Wullenkord, Marlis LU
; Mosbacher, Mara
and Landmann, Helen
(2026)
Self-Determination Theory Conference
- Abstract
- Based on self-determination theory and coping research, we argue that people employ different emotion-focused coping strategies to handle threatening information about climate change, which are differently associated with the satisfaction of psychological needs and have different consequences for climate action. To test the causal effects of two emotion-focused coping strategies, we conducted a pre-registered experiment with a convenience sample in Germany (N = 336). Participants received instructions for emotional integration (i.e., observing and understanding their own emotions), emotional distancing (i.e., distancing themselves from their own emotions), or no instruction before they watched a video about the detrimental consequences of... (More)
- Based on self-determination theory and coping research, we argue that people employ different emotion-focused coping strategies to handle threatening information about climate change, which are differently associated with the satisfaction of psychological needs and have different consequences for climate action. To test the causal effects of two emotion-focused coping strategies, we conducted a pre-registered experiment with a convenience sample in Germany (N = 336). Participants received instructions for emotional integration (i.e., observing and understanding their own emotions), emotional distancing (i.e., distancing themselves from their own emotions), or no instruction before they watched a video about the detrimental consequences of climate change. Participants in the emotional distancing condition reported less intense negative emotions and, while watching the video, they were less motivated to support increasing prices of climate-damaging products and less motivated to support tightening environmental requirements for products, technologies, and services compared to participants in the emotional integration or control conditions. We further showed that general tendencies to engage in such emotional distancing to deal with one’s emotions were associated with basic psychological need frustration, while integrating emotions was associated with basic psychological need satisfaction. These findings support the claim that emotional distancing is a relevant factor that prevents more consistent climate policies. Training community members in emotional integration may mitigate this effect. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/ca379d78-a7e3-4561-8e5d-daa4986b7d69
- author
- Wullenkord, Marlis
LU
; Mosbacher, Mara
and Landmann, Helen
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-07
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- in press
- subject
- keywords
- Self-determination theory, Emotion regulation, Climate emotions, Climate anxiety, Distancing, Integrative emotion regulation, Pro-environmental behavior, Policy support, Experiment
- conference name
- Self-Determination Theory Conference
- conference location
- Geneva, Switzerland
- conference dates
- 2026-06-30 - 2026-07-03
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- ca379d78-a7e3-4561-8e5d-daa4986b7d69
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-26 10:42:38
- date last changed
- 2026-08-31 08:57:13
@misc{ca379d78-a7e3-4561-8e5d-daa4986b7d69,
abstract = {{Based on self-determination theory and coping research, we argue that people employ different emotion-focused coping strategies to handle threatening information about climate change, which are differently associated with the satisfaction of psychological needs and have different consequences for climate action. To test the causal effects of two emotion-focused coping strategies, we conducted a pre-registered experiment with a convenience sample in Germany (N = 336). Participants received instructions for emotional integration (i.e., observing and understanding their own emotions), emotional distancing (i.e., distancing themselves from their own emotions), or no instruction before they watched a video about the detrimental consequences of climate change. Participants in the emotional distancing condition reported less intense negative emotions and, while watching the video, they were less motivated to support increasing prices of climate-damaging products and less motivated to support tightening environmental requirements for products, technologies, and services compared to participants in the emotional integration or control conditions. We further showed that general tendencies to engage in such emotional distancing to deal with one’s emotions were associated with basic psychological need frustration, while integrating emotions was associated with basic psychological need satisfaction. These findings support the claim that emotional distancing is a relevant factor that prevents more consistent climate policies. Training community members in emotional integration may mitigate this effect.}},
author = {{Wullenkord, Marlis and Mosbacher, Mara and Landmann, Helen}},
keywords = {{Self-determination theory; Emotion regulation; Climate emotions; Climate anxiety; Distancing; Integrative emotion regulation; Pro-environmental behavior; Policy support; Experiment}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{Coping with climate emotions : an experiment investigating the impact of emotion-focused coping on defensiveness, collective action intentions and policy support}},
year = {{2026}},
}