Crafting as a Means of Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Emotions and emotion regulation skills are part of everyone’s life. From the perspective of psychological well-being and the smooth functioning of everyday life, individuals are required to possess the ability to recognise, process, and regulate different emotions. Creative activities, included in fields such as visual arts, music, and crafts, have been shown to evoke a wide range of emotional reactions and to provide opportunities for emotion regulation through various strategies. This article examines crafting as a means of emotion regulation from the perspective of hobbyists’ experiences. The data consist of responses from 56 craft hobbyists to an online questionnaire with open-ended questions, which were analysed using data-driven and theory-guided content analysis, drawing on Gross’s process model as well as Fancourt’s classification of approach, avoidance, and self-development strategies. The results indicate that crafting offers adults diverse, flexibly applicable ways to regulate their emotions. Hobbyists described crafting particularly as an approach strategy for encountering, structuring, and calming emotions, but also as a means of temporarily setting aside burdensome emotions in accordance with an avoidance strategy. In addition, crafting strengthened identity, self-efficacy, and self-compassion, reflecting its significance as a self-development strategy. The findings contribute to existing understanding of emotion regulation by demonstrating how multiple regulation strategies are intertwined within a single creative everyday practice and support adults’ emotional learning and self-regulation.