Аннотация:The article gives a theoretical explanation and empirical verification of a conceptual model of Emotion Regulation (ER), developed in the theoretical and methodological context of Cultural-historical activity theory. A universal hypothesis concerning ER as a system including psychological and physiological levels has been verified empirically. The psychological level may be subdivided on motivational and operational-technical levels, ruled by such psychological mechanisms as reflection and symbolic mediation. It has been proven that motivational peculiarities determine the manifestation of other analyzed components of the ER system. This is true not only for healthy subjects, but also for three groups of cardiovascular diseases patients: (1) mitral valve prolapse patients; (2) patients with "Classical" Essential Hypertension, and (3) “Hypertension at Work” patients. The significance of reflection and symbolical mediation in the system of ER has been determined. It has been proved that ER in patients with presented forms of cardiovascular diseases differs from that of healthy subjects, highlighted by a very strong conflict of goal-achieving and fail-avoiding motives, lack of personal reflection and distortion of symbolical mediation, and very limited resources of ER.
Keywords: higher mental functions (HMF); cultural activity paradigm; emotion regulation; emotion regulation strategies; essential hypertension, mitral valve prolapse; emotional stress.