Families and Change Coping With Stressful Events and Transitions 5th Edition Test Questions

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No matter how great your life may be, you will eventually bargain with disappointments, setbacks, failures, and even loss and trauma.

Everyone must face up difficult situations, and everyone must come up up with effective ways to deal with and bounce back from these situations.

This is why coping mechanisms are a vital function of homo beliefs; they are necessary for successfully navigating through the challenging and often murky obstacle grade that is life.

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What Is Coping? A Working Definition

Yous likely already have an idea of what coping is – it's a common concept in the general public. Withal, like most concepts and constructs, there is a definition of coping as it is understood in psychological literature that you may not know.

According to Carver (2013):

"Coping is efforts to prevent or diminish threat, damage, and loss, or to reduce the distress that is ofttimes associated with those experiences."

This is a good offset, although to fully sympathize coping nosotros probably need to expand what we think of equally "threats."

In the case of coping, threats are not the simply situations in which we are in concrete danger, but also situations in which a slice of our self is in danger. The ego is frequently the piece in danger, along with our sense of self, our very identity, our worldview, and our inner beliefs or faith (Markus & Herzog, 1991).

These threats manifest in a wide range of situations, from dealing with a romantic rejection to dealing with the loss of your spouse. The more serious the threat, the more constructive the coping must be.

Renowned stress and coping researcher Richard Lazarus works off of a slightly different definition of coping:

"Coping refers to cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage (main, reduce, or tolerate) a troubled person-environs relationship."

(Folkman & Lazarus, 1985, p. 152)

This definition of coping is a more comfortable one for psychologists. Instead of unpacking the concept of "threats," we can simply view coping as something that follows a stressful, or "troubled" situation.

Taking elements from both definitions, we can apply the following common agreement of coping:

"Coping refers to cognitive and behavioral strategies that people use to bargain with stressful situations or difficult demands, whether they are internal or external."

The internal/external distinction is an important one to make.

Sometimes we need to cope with things that happen to us, and other times we must cope with things that happen inside usa. Some events may require united states of america to deal with both internal and external demands.

For example, losing your job would be an external demand. Something difficult or stressful has happened to you, and you find means to cope with the challenges that losing your job brings.

On the other manus, dealing with low would be an internal demand. While at that place is no traumatic external outcome to deal with, you lot have to address the internal challenges presented by depression.

Luckily, coping skills are generally not segregated past internal vs. external demands. Adept coping skills can comprehend a broad range of challenges!

One concluding thing to note near coping skills or coping mechanisms: they are not the same thing every bit defense mechanisms.

Coping mechanisms are used to manage or deal with stress, while defense mechanisms are mostly unconscious processes that people are unaware they are using (Cramer, 2015). For case, project is a defence force mechanism that involves seeing unsavory aspects of yourself in others.

Types of Coping Skills

Speaking of coping skills, in that location are a few things to note before we move on to the bodily skills yous can use to deal with life'south challenges.

Non all coping skills are created every bit!

One of the distinctions betwixt unlike kinds of coping skills is based on your primary focus or chief business organization during coping.

There are ii coping strategies based on the unlike areas of focus (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984):

Problem-Focused Strategy
Those using a problem-focused coping strategy volition focus on the trouble itself, attempting to tackle the root cause of distress. Examples include analyzing the situation, working harder, applying what y'all have already learned in your daily life, and talking to someone that has a direct impact on the situation.[be]
Emotion-Focused Strategy
Those using an emotion-focused coping strategy will focus their energy on dealing with their feelings rather than the trouble itself. In this instance, you may apply mechanisms like brooding, imagining or magical thinking, avoiding or denying, blaming, or seeking social support.

It may seem like the emotion-focused strategy is only ignoring the problem, but this strategy is an important one. Sometimes we are not able to change our situation or influence the trouble nosotros are experiencing, and in these cases, it is essential to focus on what nosotros can command – ourselves.

Another important distinction betwixt coping styles is the goal that is being worked towards.

The two coping styles based on goal are (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993):

Active Coping
This type of coping involves an awareness of the problem or situation causing stress and witting attempts to either reduce the resulting stress, eliminate the source of the stress, or both.
Avoidant Coping
Avoidant coping may or may non be accompanied by an awareness of the problem, but in that location are no active attempts to reduce stress or eliminate the problem. Instead, those engaging in avoidant coping will ignore or avert the problem altogether. They may be aware that there is a trouble or they may exist in deprival about the problem.

In this case, active coping is clearly the better strategy. However, there may exist situations where avoidant coping is helpful. It certainly helps the person deal with their stress in the short term, and can be a good selection if the person is at risk of being completely overwhelmed.

In the long term, avoidant coping will never be the best strategy for effectively dealing with stress. Coping methods like avoidant coping may work for a fourth dimension, but somewhen, they will become counterproductive or produce unintended consequences.

In addition to the previously noted distinctions, you can categorize different kinds of coping mechanisms by type (Changing Minds, northward.d.):

Adaptive Mechanisms
Mechanisms in these groups are positive mechanisms that help people finer deal with their stress.
Attack Mechanisms
These mechanisms attempt to displace the stress or discomfort a person is feeling onto another person or people.
Abstention Mechanisms
As the name implies, these mechanisms involve avoiding the issues that are causing stress.
Behavioral Mechanisms
Behavioral coping mechanisms are attempts to change what the person does in order to more effectively deal with their stress.
Cognitive Mechanisms
Unlike behavioral mechanisms, cerebral mechanisms involve a person trying to alter the way he or she thinks in order to bargain with stress.
Conversion Mechanisms
These coping mechanisms are attempts to change or transform the problem into something else (e.grand., focusing on the positive to make it a positive situation instead of a stressful one).
Defense Mechanisms
These refer to the original gear up of defense mechanisms outlined by Freud. Some of these mechanisms are generally agreed to be authentic descriptions of the mechanisms people use, while others take little evidence to support them.
Self-Impairment Mechanisms
These are the least effective of coping mechanisms, as they result in harm to ourselves.

Finally, the most important distinction betwixt coping mechanisms or styles is only whether they are healthy or unhealthy.

Unhealthy Coping

Unhealthy coping can fall into any of the categories or groups noted above, although unhealthy coping tends to autumn into the avoidant category and the attack, avoidance, defence force, or cocky-harm groups.

In general, unhealthy coping will actually create stress or anxiety and damage self-confidence (Dag, Yigitoglu, Aksakal, & Kavlak, 2015; Pirutinsky, Rosmarin, Pargament, & Midlarsky, 2011).

The website Changing Minds (n.d.) lists many coping styles and methods that are generally unhealthy or can exist unhealthy, including:

Acting out – not coping, but giving in to force per unit area to misbehave (especially in children)
Avoidance – mentally or physically avoiding potential sources of stress
Denial – refusing to acknowledge the problem
Deportation – shifting of intended action to a safer target
Dissociation – separating oneself from parts of your life
Distancing – moving away from the trouble
Emotionality – outbursts and farthermost emotion
Fantasy – escaping reality into a globe of possibility
Assist-Rejecting Complaining – request for help only rejecting it
Idealization – focusing solely on the positive aspects of something and ignoring its downsides
Intellectualization – avoiding emotion by focusing on facts and logic (can exist destructive if emotions are completely ignored)
Passive Aggression – fugitive refusal by passive avoidance
Performing Rituals – patterns that delay dealing with the real trouble
Projection – seeing your own unwanted feelings or characteristics in others
Provocation – getting others to react and so yous can retaliate
Rationalization – creating logical reasons for bad behavior
Regression – returning to a kid state to avoid problems
Repression – subconsciously hiding uncomfortable thoughts
Self-harming – intentionally physically damaging the body
Somatization – psychological bug turned into physical symptoms
Trivializing – making small what is really something large

These mechanisms may manifest every bit many different activities that practise not contribute to the salubrious and constructive management of one's bug. Some of these methods manifest in unhealthy habits like (Healthwise, 2019):

Drinking too much caffeine (due east.chiliad., energy drinks, coffee, etc.)
Smoking
Drinking to backlog
Compulsive spending
Emotional eating

Other unhealthy coping methods may be acted out through (Boyes, 2013):

Avoiding actions that trigger painful memories from the past.
Trying to "stay under the radar" to go along their "defects" from being found.
Avoiding reality testing your thoughts, especially if you're scared of the results.
Trying to avoid the potential for people being mad at you because y'all are anxious about rejection.
The tendency to end working on a goal when an anxiety-provoking thought comes up (like "This is likewise hard.").
Avoiding feeling bad-mannered whenever you can, to the betoken of pathologically fugitive awkwardness.
Fugitive starting a task if you don't know how y'all're going to finish it.
Avoiding certain concrete sensations, particularly to avoid panic attacks.
Fugitive entering certain situations that may trigger thoughts like "I'm not the all-time – other people are amend than me".

Finally, this web page on coping and student success lists some of the other means people may cope in destructive ways (Anspaugh, Hamrick, & Rosato, 1997):

Acting violently
Yelling at someone
Overeating
Not eating for long periods of time
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Drinking lots of coffee
Smoking tobacco
Kicking something
Throwing something
Driving besides fast in a car (or another vehicle)
Pacing up and downwardly
Biting your fingernails
Taking tranquilizers
Taking Valium or other drugs

These coping mechanisms are all distinct ways to bargain with i's bug, but they all consequence in added stress, pain, or difficulty. Some of them may help in the brusk-term, but practiced over a long period of time, they will not assistance the individual finer deal with their problems or reduce their stress.

Positive Coping

On the flip side, positive coping refers to coping styles or mechanisms that upshot in less stress, increased wellbeing, and effective handling of one'due south problems.

Oftentimes, positive coping involves changing 1's perspective or reframing the state of affairs to view it equally an opportunity instead of a problem (Changing Minds, n.d.). Positive coping more often than not requires a certain level of maturity and an ability to accept one's own faults without resorting to self-blame.

It is possible to come out of stressful and difficult situations with greater ability to deal with stress and enhanced capacity for turning the negative into the positive – and positive coping is how this tin be accomplished.

Positive coping styles include:

Immediate problem-solving, to prepare the immediate cause of the stress
Root-crusade solving, or seeking to fix the underlying problem for good
Benefit-finding, or looking for the adept amidst the bad
Spiritual growth, finding ways to turn the trouble into a way to grow spiritually or emotionally (Irresolute Minds, n.d.)

Mechanisms that can contribute to this positive coping include:

Adaptation – the human ability to adapt to different situations
Aim Inhibition – lowering ane's sights to what seems more achievable
Altruism – helping others to help the self
Compartmentalization – suppressing thoughts and emotions to avoid mental discomfort
Compensation – overplaying strengths in 1 surface area to make upwardly for one's weaknesses
Conversion – hidden conversion of stress into concrete symptoms
Crying – tears of release and seeking comfort
Identification – copying others to accept on their characteristics
Mail service-Traumatic Growth – using the energy of trauma for good
Sublimation – channelling psychic free energy into acceptable activities
Commutation – replacing one matter for another

Non all of these mechanisms are necessarily positive, but they can be used in either positive or negative ways, and using them in positive ways may outcome in effective coping and personal growth.

Good for you Coping Mechanisms and Tools

You may exist looking at these coping methods and styles and thinking, "But how exercise I translate these into activities that really relieve stress?"

Luckily, there are many ways to put these methods and styles for effective employ.

A great source of positive coping ideas comes from this web page dedicated to student success, which includes learning how to positively and effectively cope.

Positive coping activities include (Anspaugh, Hamrick, & Rosato, 1997):

Meditating
Stretching
Engaging in progressive muscle relaxation
Listening to music
Aerobic practice
Watching television set
Going to the movies
Reading
Working on puzzles or playing games
Going for a leisurely walk
Going to a health society
Relaxing in a steam room or sauna
Spending time alone
Going line-fishing or hunting
Participating in some form of recreational activity yous relish
Doing some thousand work
Socializing with friends
Sitting outside and relaxing
Engaging in a hobby you enjoy

In improver to these positive coping mechanisms, self-care is a valuable method of coping with stress. There are many ways to practice cocky-care, just some of the near pop types of self-intendance activities include (Markway, 2014):

Sensory self-care
o Getting a breath of fresh air
o Snuggling under a cozy blanket
o Listening to running h2o
o Sitting outdoors by a burn down pit
o Taking a hot shower or a warm bath
o Getting a massage
o Cuddling with a pet
o Paying attention to your breathing (practicing mindfulness/meditation)
o Burning a scented candle
o Walking through tall grass in bare anxiety
o Staring up at the heaven
o Lying down where the afternoon sun streams in through a window
o Listening to music
Pleasure
o Taking yourself out to eat
o Being a tourist in your ain metropolis
o Gardening
o Watching a movie
o Making art, or doing a craft project
o Journaling
o Walking your dogs (or going to a shelter to walk dogs without a family)
o Going for a photograph walk (taking photos on your walk)
Mental / Mastery
o Cleaning out a junk drawer or a closet
o Taking activity (one modest step) on something yous've been avoiding
o Trying a new activity
o Driving to a new place
o Making a list
o Immersing yourself in a crossword puzzle
o Doing a word search
o Reading something on a topic you usually wouldn't
Spiritual
o Attending church
o Reading poetry or inspiring quotes
o Lighting a candle
o Meditating
o Writing in a journal
o Spending fourth dimension in nature
o Praying
o Listing five things you're grateful for
Emotional
o Accepting your feelings / being okay with your feelings
o Writing your feelings down
o Crying when you need to
o Laughing when yous can (laughter yoga may help!)
o Practicing self-compassion
Physical
o Trying yoga
o Going for a walk or a run
o Dancing
o Stretching
o Going for a cycle ride
o Ensuring y'all go enough sleep
o Taking a nap
Social
o Going on a dejeuner date with a good friend
o Calling a friend on the telephone
o Participating in a book club
o Joining a support grouping

Finally, this list of positive coping strategies from ReachOut (northward.d.) includes some great means to bargain with stress, peculiarly stress relating to mental wellness issues:

Request a trusted friend or family member for help and support, or sharing your thoughts with someone you lot trust.
Writing down or journaling how you feel.
Prioritizing cocky-care (like exercising, meditating, and listening to music).
Taking time out from situations that brand you feel stressed or angry.
Using positive self-talk to overcome negative idea patterns.
Reducing your load, whether that load is physical, mental, or both.
Considering the big picture – will the situation yous're dealing with actually affair in the long run?
Learning to forgive, which will help you move on from negative feelings similar resentment, injure, and anger.
Honing your advice skills to halt conflict from escalating.
Building your optimism to focus on the positive.
Practicing gratitude, fifty-fifty if information technology's simply 5 minutes a mean solar day to identify three good things from your day.

While this section has provided dozens of different means to positively cope with your issues, it is hardly an exhaustive list. You know yourself better than anyone else could, and you lot know what activities or practices would help you when you're feeling overwhelmed or especially blue.

Maybe you enjoy working out, in which instance there are dozens of dissimilar ways to work on your fettle. Peradventure yous are more of an intellectual type – luckily, at that place are more books in the world than anyone could read in a hundred lifetimes. If you're a social butterfly, try any number of activities that are done in groups.

There are nearly space ways to help you bargain with your stress and pain, it's only a matter of finding which ones work for you, and in which situations they are most effective.

A Take-Abode Message

In this piece, we defined coping, described unlike kinds of coping styles and methods, and listed dozens of examples of means to positively address your stress.

My hope is that at least a few of these coping mechanisms are new additions to your coping skill repertoire. While dealing with stress, pain, and suffering is unavoidable in this life, being dragged downwardly by these situations is not.

Believe in your ain ability to deal with stress, give a couple of these coping mechanisms a try, and encounter if you can plow a negative situation into an opportunity for positive growth.

What are your thoughts on coping? Did we miss any valuable coping mechanisms? Which ones work best for you? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and happy coping!

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