Abstract: It has long been appreciated that emotion regulation (ER) is essential for individuals to adapt to their environment. According to the dominant process model proposed by Gross in 1988, the defining feature of ER was that individuals adopt a certain strategy to achieve their primary goal in a particular context, and its effect depended on the combination of strategy and context. Although the Gross’ model has consistently emphasized the role of context, in practice subsequent studies have focused primarily on the utilization of specific ER strategy in a fixed situation, specifically focusing on the primacy of putatively adaptive or maladaptive strategies. Until recently, several empirical studies discovered that the context moderated the outcome of the implementation of specific strategy, thus switching to scrutinize the flexible implementation of different strategies in multiply varying situations instead of single constant situation, which highlighted the role of ER flexibility. In order to examine the current status and future prospects of ER flexibility, this review was arranged as follows: In the first section, we distinguished three fundamental elements (changes in the strategy, changes in the environment, synchronous changes between strategy and environment) through analyzing conceptualizations of ER flexibility constructed in prior studies. Therefore, we defined ER flexibility as the variability of synchronous changes between strategy and environment (including internal and/or external situations). In the second section, we overviewed two models of ER flexibility. Firstly, considering the three different time scales (micro scale, meso scale, and macro scale) involved in ER flexibility, Hollenstein, Lichtwarck-Aschoff and Potworowski classified three types of ER flexibility (dynamic flexibility, reactive flexibility, and trait/developmental flexibility). Secondly, allowing for the three sequential components (context sensitivity, repertoire, and feedback) of ER flexibility, Bonanno and Burton assumed three essential abilities of ER flexibility (evaluate demands and opportunities, select regulatory strategy, monitor and modify as needed) correspondingly. In the third section, based on the above mentioned three key elements of ER flexibility, we differentiated six sub-types of ER flexibility: (1) Objective changes in the environment; (2) Subjective changes in the environment; (3) Autonomous changes in the strategy; (4) Controlled changes in the strategy; (5) Absolute synchronous changes between strategy and environment; (6) Relative synchronous changes between strategy and environment. Subsequently, we elaborated experimental diagrams under these conditions respectively. In the fourth section, with regard to neurobiological underpinnings implicated in ER flexibility, few preliminary studies to date showed that ER flexibility related to not only dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), thalamus, caudate, and precuneus, but also the inverse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) - amygdala functional connectivity. In the fifth section, we discussed about whether the ER flexibility is inherently adaptive. While the minority of researchers assumed that ER flexibility is inherently adaptive, the majority of researchers believed that its adaptiveness should be validated by follow-up empirical studies rather than presumed by pre-existing theoretical assertions. In the final section, we discussed several limitations of previous studies and pointed out some promising directions for future research accordingly.

Key words: emotion regulation, emotion regulation flexibility, changes in the strategy, changes in the environment

摘要： 情绪调节是个体适应现实的主要方式之一。由于情境和策略均会影响情绪调节效果，近期研究不仅关注个体在特定情境下使用特定的情绪调节策略，而且更加关注个体在变化情境下灵活地使用不同的情绪调节策略，即强调情绪调节灵活性的作用。通过文献梳理，本文认为情绪调节灵活性是个体随着情境的改变而同步改变策略。据此，本文回顾了情绪调节灵活性的三水平模型和三成分模型；区分了情绪调节灵活性的六类研究范式；介绍了情绪调节灵活性的生理机制；讨论了情绪调节灵活性及其适应性，并指出了未来值得深入的研究方向。

关键词: 情绪调节, 情绪调节灵活性, 情境改变, 策略改变