Coping Chapter 5: Human Adjustment John W. Santrock © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 5-8 Active-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

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 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 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 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

McGraw-Hill ©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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 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 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 Figure 5.3 Reality and Self-Illusion

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

McGraw-Hill ©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Adjustment Strategies for Improving Self-Control 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 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 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 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

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

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

McGraw-Hill ©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved 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 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 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 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 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 STRESS MANAGEMENT Exploring Stress Management Meditation and Relaxation Biofeedback

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

McGraw-Hill ©2006 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Review - Learning Goal 4 – What is stress management? – What is involved in meditation and relaxation? – What is biofeedback and what are its outcomes?