Coping

Chapter 5:

Human AdjustmentJohn W. Santrock

© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

McGraw-Hill

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Chapter Outline

Exploring Coping

Strategies of Coping

Coping with Emotions

Stress Management

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Learning Goals

1. Describe what coping is, types of coping, and the role of contexts in coping.

2. Discuss specific coping strategies.

3. Summarize factors involved in coping with emotions.

4. Explain stress management.

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What Is Coping?

Coping involves:–managing taxing circumstances

–expending effort to solve problems

– seeking to master or reduce stress

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Coping Classifications

Richard Lazarus proposed two types of coping:–Problem-focused coping - the cognitive strategy of

squarely facing one’s troubles and trying to solve them

–Emotion-focused coping - responding to stress in an emotional manner, especially by using defense mechanisms

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Coping Classifications

Over the long term, problem-focused coping is usually more effective than emotion-focused coping

Meaning-making coping involves drawing on beliefs, values, and goals to modify the meaning of a stressful situation

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5-7Active-Cognitive, Active-Behavioral, and Avoidance Coping Strategies

Another classification consists of:–Active-cognitive strategies (actively thinking about a

situation to adjust more effectively)

–Active-behavioral strategies (taking some type of action to improve a problem situation)

–Avoidance strategies (keeping stressful circumstances out of awareness)

Active-cognitive and active-behavioral strategies are more effective than avoidance strategies

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Coping and Contexts

Coping is influenced by the demands and resources of the environment

A particular coping strategy may be effective in one context but not another, depending on the extent to which the situation is controllable–The ability to modify coping strategies to fit the context

greatly enhances efforts to manage stress

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STRATEGIES OF COPING

Think positively and optimistically

Increase self-control

Seek social support

Use proactive coping

Engage in enjoyable activities and use humor

Use multiple coping strategies

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Think Positively and Optimistically

Thinking positively and optimistically facilitates our efforts to cope with stress

–Cognitive restructuring can help individuals think more positively and optimistically

Cognitive restructuring = process of replacing thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that maintain an individual’s problems

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Think Positively and Optimistically

Self-talk (or self-statements) = the soundless, mental speech people use when they think about something, plan, or solve problems

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5-12Adjustment Strategies

for Self-Talk

1. Fine-tune your self-talk2. Use uncomfortable emotions or moods as cues for listening to your self-talk3. Capitalize on situations you anticipate might be difficult4. Compare your self-talk predictions with what actually takes place5. Enlist the help of a friend, partner, or therapist6. Find out which self-statements help you to cope more effectively

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Positive Self-illusion

Having either mildly inflated positive illusions or a reality orientation may benefit our efforts to cope with stress

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Figure 5.3 Reality and Self-Illusion

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Developing an Optimistic Outlook

Martin Seligman - having optimistic outlook is a wise coping strategy and in many cases optimists have better physical and mental health than pessimists

Optimism - how a person explains causes of bad events–Optimists explain bad events as result of external,

unstable, and specific causes–Pessimists explain bad events as due to internal, stable,

and global causes

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5-16Adjustment Strategies

for Becoming More Optimistic

1. Identify thoughts and feelings you have after something unpleasant happens

2. Become aware of your pattern of thinking when you experience unpleasant events

3. Distract yourself from your pessimistic thoughts

4. Dispute your pessimistic thoughts

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Increase Self-Control

Engaging in self-control is an effective coping strategy

Components of self-control include:– internal locus of control

–high self-efficacy

–ability to delay gratification

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Increase Self-Control

Empowerment - assisting individuals to develop skills they need to control their lives

Thought stopping = self-control strategy in which individual says “Stop!” when an unwanted thought occurs and then immediately replaces it with a more pleasant thought

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Seek Social Support

Social support involves information and feedback from others that one is:– loved and cared for

–esteemed and valued

– included in network of communication

– Included in network of mutual obligation

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Seek Social Support

Having social support helps people cope with stress

Social support may provide us with:– tangible assistance

– information

–emotional support

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Proactive Coping

Multiple strategies may be required for coping to be successful

Proactive coping = coping in advance to prevent or mute the influence of events that are potential stressors in the future

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Proactive Coping

Proactive coping includes:–building a reserve of resources

– recognizing potential stressors, initial appraisal of stressors, preliminary coping efforts

– seeking and using feedback about the success of one’s efforts

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Humor and Coping

Engaging in enjoyable activities may bring us positive emotions and make us laugh

Laughing can release pent-up emotions and help us redefine stressful circumstances in a less threatening way

Humor can dampen stress and strengthen the immune system

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Coping and Positive Emotion

Positive emotion can occur with relatively high frequency even in the most stressful circumstances and can be present when depression and distress are elevated

Experiencing positive emotions in stressful circumstances can benefit coping

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COPING WITH EMOTIONS

Emotional Approach Coping

Emotion Regulation

Emotional Intelligence

Coping and Positive Emotion

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Emotional Approach Coping

Emotion-focused coping is associated with higher distress–Processing emotion might be adaptive in the short term

–Over time it may result in rumination, which is related to increased symptoms of depression

Emotional approach coping = strategy of actively processing emotion and expressing emotion

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Emotion Regulation

–more effective when used early in emotional experiences

Emotion regulation = process of influencing which emotions we experience, when we experience them, and how we experience and express them

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Emotion Regulation

Strategies of emotional regulation include:–appraisal (changing the way one thinks about a situation to

dampen its emotional impact)

–suppression (inhibiting outward signs of emotion)

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Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence = ability to perceive and express emotion, understand emotion, and regulate emotion

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Emotional Intelligence

Goleman (1995) believes that being emotionally intelligent includes:–developing emotional awareness (separate feelings from

actions)

–managing emotions (control anger and anxiety)

– reading emotions (taking perspective of others)

–handling relationships effectively (cope effectively with relationship problems)

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

Exploring Stress Management

Meditation and Relaxation

Biofeedback

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Exploring Stress Management

Stress management programs teach individuals:–how to appraise stressful events

–how to develop skills for coping with stress

–how to apply these skills in everyday life

Some stress management programs are broad in scope, teaching a variety of techniques, while others focus on a specific technique, such as meditation

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Meditation

Meditation = system of mental exercises that help the individual to attain bodily or mental control and well-being, as well as enlightenment

Transcendental meditation (TM) = the most popular style of meditation used in the United States, involves using a mantra

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Meditation

Meditation and relaxation bring physical and psychological benefits, but debate continues about whether meditation has superior effects to relaxation

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Biofeedback

Biofeedback can reduce migraine headaches and chronic pain

Relaxation is believed to be a key aspect of how biofeedback works

Biofeedback = process in which muscular or visceral activities are monitored by instruments; then the information from the instruments is given (fed back) to the individuals so that they can learn to voluntarily control their physiological activities