This task will obviously be complex and require substantial resources. If researchers could agree upon a common definition, methods to elicit emotions and assess emotion regulation strategies, and means through which the causal effect of emotion regulation on psychopathology could be investigated, then available resources could be pooled, findings from various work groups could be compared, and coordinated research activities could be initiated. If these activities consider the specific characteristics of emotion regulation in a clinical context, and if this research is conducted with the necessary scientific vigor, the emotion regulation paradigm will have an even greater heuristic value for research on mental health, psychopathology, and psychotherapy.