[Ch.4] Coping Processes

Question 1

Define coping

Answer 1

Refers to efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands created by stress

Question 2

[n/a] What are the different coping strategy categories (6)

Answer 2

• Problem-focused vs. Emotion-focused
• Engagement vs. Disengagement
• Meaning-focused
• Proactive

Question 3

What is coping flexibility

Answer 3

The ability to use multiple coping strategies - it’s more adaptive to use a variety of strategies

Question 4

Seligman (1974)

Answer 4

Developed a model of giving-up syndrome that sheds light on its causes.

Study - animals subjected to electric shocks they couldn’t escape, then given opportunity to learn a response that would allow them to escape, many didn’t even try to learn - lost hope, gave up

Question 5

What is learned helplessness

Answer 5

Passive behaviour produced by exposure to unavoidable aversive events

Question 6

What is catharsis

Answer 6

The release of emotional tension

Question 7

Bushman (2001)

Answer 7

He found that playing violent videogames was associated with increased aggression, physiological arousal, aggressive thoughts, as well as decreased prosocial behaviours

Question 8

What are defence mechanisms

Answer 8

Largely unconscious reactions that protect a person from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and guilt

Question 9

What are the five most frequently used defenses

Answer 9

Denial, Fantasy, Intellectualisation, Overcompensation, Undoing

Question 10

Denial

Answer 10

Refusal to acknowledge the stressor/unpleasant realities of one’s life

Question 11

Fantasy

Answer 11

Fulfilling wishes/impulses in one’s imagination

Question 12

Intellectualisation

Answer 12

Dealing with difficulties by looking at them in a detached, abstract way - suppressing one’s emotions

Question 13

Overcompensation

Answer 13

Making up for real or imagined deficiencies by focusing on or exaggerating desirable characteristics

Question 14

Undoing

Answer 14

Attempting to counteract feelings of guilt through acts of atonement

Question 15

Optical margin of illusion

Answer 15

Baumeister (1989) theorised that extreme self-deception is maladaptive, but small illusions may often be beneficial

Question 16

Define constructive coping

Answer 16

Refers to efforts to deal with stressful events that are judged to be relatively healthful/beneficial

Question 17

What are the three categories of constructive coping

Answer 17

Appraisal-focused, Problem-focused, Emotion-focused

Question 18

Appraisal-focused coping strategies

Answer 18

Aimed at changing one’s interpretation of stressful events

• Detecting and disputing negative self-talk
• Rational thinking
• Using positive reinterpretation
• Finding humour in the situation

Question 19

Problem-focused coping strategies

Answer 19

Aimed at altering the stressful situation itself

• Active problem-solving
• Seeking social support
• Enhancing time management
• Improving self-control
• Becoming more assertive

Question 20

Emotion-focused coping strategies

Answer 20

Aimed at managing potential emotional distress caused by the stressful event

• Releasing pent-up emotions
• Distracting oneself
• Managing hostile feelings and forgiving others
• Exercising
• Meditating
• Using systematic relaxation procedures

Question 21

Rational-emotive behaviour therapy

Answer 21

Focuses on altering clients’ patterns of irrational thinking to reduce maladaptive emotions and behaviours, changing irrational thoughts to rational ones

Question 22

What is catastrophic thinking

Answer 22

Unrealistic appraisals of stress that exaggerate the magnitude of one’s problems

Question 23

Ellis’s A-B-C model

Answer 23

A. Activating event
B. Belief system
C. Consequence

Question 24

How does humour reduce the effects of stress and promote wellness

Answer 24

• Makes appraisal more positive
• Increases positive emotions
• Facilitates positive social interactions

Question 25

Positive reinterpretation

Answer 25

Recognising that “things could be worse”

Question 26

What are the three main types of problem-focused coping

Answer 26

• Systematic problem solving
• Seeking help
• Improving time management

Question 27

Systematic problem solving (steps)

Answer 27

1) Clarify the problem
2) Generate alternative courses of action
3) Evaluate your alternatives and select a course of action
4) Take action while maintaining flexibility

Question 28

Define emotional intelligence

Answer 28

The ability to perceive, express, and regulate emotions

Question 29

Components of emotional intelligence

Answer 29

• Ability to perceive emotions in self and in others
• Awareness of how emotions shape thinking, decision-making
• Ability to understand and analyse one’s own emotions
• Ability to manage one’s own emotions

Question 30

Define hostility

Answer 30

Occurs when people feel ‘wronged’ and the natural inclination to seek revenge or avoid further contact

Question 31

Define forgiveness

Answer 31

Counteracting the natural tendencies to seek vengeance and releasing a person from further liability

Question 32

Define meditation

Answer 32

A family of mental exercises which involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques

Question 33

What are the four critical factors for the “relaxation response” to occur

Answer 33

• Quiet environment
• Mental device (or focal point)
• Passive attitude
• A comfortable position