🔑 Key Definitions
Coping: Cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage stress demands
Problem-Focused Coping: Directly addressing the source of stress
Emotion-Focused Coping: Managing emotional response to stress
Avoidant Coping: Ignoring or withdrawing from the stressor
Problem-Focused Coping: Directly addressing the source of stress
Emotion-Focused Coping: Managing emotional response to stress
Avoidant Coping: Ignoring or withdrawing from the stressor
👤 Important Figures
- Lazarus & Folkman - Developed the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping
🧠 Two Main Coping Strategies
- Problem-Focused Coping: Take action to solve or reduce the problem
- Planning
- Information seeking
- Taking direct action
- Emotion-Focused Coping: Regulate emotional distress
- Seeking social support
- Positive reframing
- Acceptance
- Denial or avoidance
📊 Cognitive Appraisal Process
- Primary Appraisal: "Is this situation threatening to me?"
- Secondary Appraisal: "What resources do I have to cope?"
- Reappraisal: Changing evaluation based on new information
💡 Exam Tips
- Problem-focused = Change the SITUATION; Emotion-focused = Change your FEELINGS
- Neither coping style is always "better" - depends on controllability of stressor
- Primary appraisal comes FIRST (threat assessment), then secondary (resources)
- Lazarus & Folkman = Transactional Model (know this pairing!)