International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 5(4), 392–405, 2012 © 2012 International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy 392 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to John H. Riskind, George Mason University, Department of Psychology, MSN 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444; E-mail: jriskind@gmu.edu. Looming Cognitive Style and Emotion Regulation Riskind and Kleiman Looming Cognitive Style, Emotion Schemas, and Fears of Loss of Emotional Control: Two Studies John H. Riskind and Evan M. Kleiman George Mason University We examined links between looming cognitive style (Riskind, Williams, Gesner, Chrosniak, & Cortina, 2000) and aspects of dysfunctional emotional regulation, and particularly fears of loss of emotional control. In study 1 we used a cross- sectional design to determine the associations between looming cognitive style and a battery of measures related to fears of loss of emotional control and associated emotional schemas. Consistent with predictions, looming cognitive style was as- sociated with fears of loss of emotional control (Williams, Chambless, & Ahrens, 1997) and with dysfunctional emotion schemas and beliefs (Leahy, 2002). In study 2, we examined whether looming cognitive style predicted increases in fears of los- ing emotional control over time. Results were consistent with the assumption that the sense of threat created by looming cognitive style produced increased fears of losing control over emotions. Conversely, results indicated a partial reciprocal effect such that fears of losing control over anxiety and positive emotions appeared to predict increases in looming cognitive style. Results also indicated that in contrast to looming cognitive style, which predicted increases in fears of losing control over anxiety as well as other emotions, worry predicted a decline in fears of loss of con- trol over anxiety. These findings are consistent with the assumption that looming cognitive style is a factor in some aspects of emotion dysregulation and that it func- tions differently than worry. In addition, the findings suggest looming style and fears of loss of emotional control can influence one another through a vicious cycle. Despite the recent surge of interest in cognitive threat overestimation or misappraisal (e.g., Clark & Beck, 2010) and emotion regulation processes (e.g., Gross, 1998a), there has been surprisingly little empirical work to determine whether they are linked. Nonetheless, it can be inferred from several theoretical perspectives that cognitive misappraisals could have an impact on emotion regulation. For example, Gross’s emo- tion process model (Gross, 1998b) distinguishes between antecedent processes that generate emotional responses (e.g., events and subjective appraisals) and subsequent