From Regulation to Support: Centering Humans in Technology-Mediated Emotion Intervention in Care Contexts

2025-04-17

AI Summary

This study addresses critical concerns in affective interventions within nursing technologies—namely, implicit value judgments, suppression of affective diversity, and erosion of user agency. Through a scoping review informed by Critical HCI theory, we systematically analyzed 53 empirical HCI studies on emotion interventions. Our analysis identified three novel intervention mechanisms: generative artificial caregiving, reconceptualization of power dynamics in intervention design, and adaptive behavioral scaffolding. Critically, we propose a paradigm shift from “emotion regulation” to “emotional support” as a foundational design framework. We formally define emotional support by three core principles: non-judgmentality, identity respect, and care-centeredness—thereby reorienting the ethical and value foundations of technological engagement with emotional well-being. The resulting theoretical framework and actionable design principles advance the development of care technologies that honor affective complexity while safeguarding human agency and identity autonomy.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Emotional Intelligence
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Affective Computing
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Bias, Fairness & Equity

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Fairness and ethical considerations in crowd work and in human-in-the-loop AI systems

Abstract

Enhancing emotional well-being has become a significant focus in HCI and CSCW, with technologies increasingly designed to track, visualize, and manage emotions. However, these approaches have faced criticism for potentially suppressing certain emotional experiences. Through a scoping review of 53 empirical studies from ACM proceedings implementing Technology-Mediated Emotion Intervention (TMEI), we critically examine current practices through lenses drawn from HCI critical theories. Our analysis reveals emotion intervention mechanisms that extend beyond traditional emotion regulation paradigms, identifying care-centered goals that prioritize non-judgmental emotional support and preserve users' identities. The findings demonstrate how researchers design technologies for generating artificial care, intervening in power dynamics, and nudging behavioral changes. We contribute the concept of"emotion support"as an alternative approach to"emotion regulation,"emphasizing human-centered approaches to emotional well-being. This work advances the understanding of diverse human emotional needs beyond individual and cognitive perspectives, offering design implications that critically reimagine how technologies can honor emotional complexity, preserve human agency, and transform power dynamics in care contexts.

Problem

• Examining human-centered emotion intervention in care contexts
• Critiquing current emotion regulation technologies in HCI
• Proposing emotion support as an alternative to regulation

Innovation

• Artificial care generation through technology
• Intervening in power dynamics emotionally
• Nudging behavioral changes supportively