Human Adjustment
John W. Santrock
Chapter 5:
Coping
McGraw-Hill
© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-2
Chapter Outline
Exploring Coping
Strategies of Coping
Coping with Emotions
Stress Management
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-3
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.
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-4
EXPLORING COPING
What is Coping?
Coping Classifications
Coping and Contexts
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-5
What Is Coping?
 Coping involves:
– managing taxing circumstances
– expending effort to solve problems
– seeking to master or reduce stress
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-6
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-7
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Active-Cognitive, Active-Behavioral, and
Avoidance Coping Strategies
5-8
 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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-9
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-10
Review - Learning Goal 1
– What is coping?
– What are major categories of coping strategies?
– How is coping linked with contexts?
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-11
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-12
Think Positively and Optimistically
 Thinking positively and optimistically facilitates our
efforts to cope with stress
Cognitive restructuring = process of replacing
thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that maintain an
individual’s problems
– Cognitive restructuring can help individuals think more
positively and optimistically
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-13
Think Positively and Optimistically
Self-talk (or self-statements) = the soundless,
mental speech people use when they think about
something, plan, or solve problems
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Adjustment Strategies
for Self-Talk
5-14
1. Fine-tune your self-talk
2. Use uncomfortable emotions or moods as cues for
listening to your self-talk
3. Capitalize on situations you anticipate might be
difficult
4. Compare your self-talk predictions with what actually
takes place
5. Enlist the help of a friend, partner, or therapist
6. Find out which self-statements help you to cope
more effectively
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-15
Positive Self-illusion
 Having either mildly inflated positive illusions or a
reality orientation may benefit our efforts to cope with
stress
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-16
Figure 5.3 Reality and Self-Illusion
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-17
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Adjustment Strategies
for Becoming More Optimistic
5-18
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-19
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-20
Increase Self-Control
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
 Empowerment - assisting individuals to develop skills
they need to control their lives
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Adjustment Strategies
for Improving Self-Control
5-21
1. Specify your problem in a concrete way
2. Make a commitment to change
3. Collect data about your behavior
4. Design a program following one of several strategies
5. Maintain your gains and improvement
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-22
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-23
Seek Social Support
 Having social support helps people cope with stress
 Social support may provide us with:
– tangible assistance
– information
– emotional support
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-24
Proactive Coping
Proactive coping = coping in advance to prevent or
mute the influence of events that are potential
stressors in the future
 Multiple strategies may be required for coping to be
successful
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-25
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-26
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-27
Review - Learning Goal 2
– How are thinking positively and optimistically involved in
coping effectively?
– What aspects of self-control are linked with effective
coping?
– What role does social support play in coping?
– What is proactive coping?
– How is engaging in enjoyable activities involved in coping?
– How might engaging in multiple coping strategies benefit
individuals?
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-28
COPING WITH EMOTIONS
Emotional Approach Coping
Emotion Regulation
Emotional Intelligence
Coping and Positive Emotion
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-29
Emotional Approach Coping
Emotional approach coping = strategy of actively
processing emotion and expressing emotion
 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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-30
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation = process of influencing which
emotions we experience, when we experience
them, and how we experience and express them
– more effective when used early in emotional experiences
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-31
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)
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-32
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence = ability to perceive and
express emotion, understand emotion, and
regulate emotion
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-33
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)
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-34
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-35
Review - Learning Goal 3
– What characterizes emotional approach coping?
– What is emotional regulation and how is it involved in
coping?
– What is emotional intelligence?
– What role does positive emotion play in coping?
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-36
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Exploring Stress Management
Meditation and Relaxation
Biofeedback
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-37
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-38
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
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-39
Meditation
 Meditation and relaxation bring physical and
psychological benefits, but debate continues about
whether meditation has superior effects to relaxation
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Adjustment Strategies
for Practicing Meditation
5-40
1. Find a quiet place to sit
2. Pay attention to your breathing
3. Repeat a single word silently to yourself
4. Practice meditation regularly
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-41
Biofeedback
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
 Biofeedback can reduce migraine headaches and
chronic pain
 Relaxation is believed to be a key aspect of how
biofeedback works
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
5-42
Review - Learning Goal 4
– What is stress management?
– What is involved in meditation and relaxation?
– What is biofeedback and what are its outcomes?
McGraw-Hill
©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.