Glossary / Lexicon

Coping is defined as the process of making efforts to manage distressing problems and emotions that affect the physical and psychological outcomes of stress.. In the stress and coping paradigm, it refers to any attempt to deal with stress. It is the general term for how people attempt to deal with traumas and go back to functioning effectively in life. It is the active efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands created by stress. Moreover, Coping also refer to strategies that individuals use to manage the distressing problems and emotions in their lives.

Description

Coping in psychology refers to the strategies individuals use to deal with stress, challenges, and difficult emotions. It involves managing external and internal stressors in order to maintain psychological well-being. Coping mechanisms can be adaptive or maladaptive, depending on their effectiveness in reducing distress. Effective coping strategies can help individuals bounce back from adversity and develop resilience. Coping may involve problem-solving, seeking social support, reframing negative thoughts, and engaging in self-care activities. It is a crucial aspect of mental health and can impact overall quality of life.

Application Areas

• Clinical psychology
• Counseling settings
• Workplace stress management
• Health psychology
• Education and school settings

Treatment and Risks

• Therapy (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy)
• Mindfulness practices
• Medication for underlying mental health conditions
• Risks include avoidance coping leading to prolonged distress
• Relying solely on maladaptive coping mechanisms

Examples

• Deep breathing exercises for stress relief
• Journaling to process emotions
• Talking to a friend or therapist for support
• Taking a break or engaging in a hobby to recharge

Similar Concepts and Synonyms

• Adaptation
• Coping strategies
• Resilience
• Stress management

Articles with 'Coping' in the title

• Adaptive Coping: Adaptive Coping in the context of psychology refers to the constructive and flexible strategies individuals employ to manage and respond to stress, challenges, or adversity
• Avoidance-oriented coping strategy: Avoidance-oriented coping strategy ((Endler & Parker, 1988) refers to one of the three (3) major (stress) coping strategies that reduces Stress by retreating into a different activity- , which however leads only to temporary relief
• Cognitive-relaxation coping skills training (CRCS): Cognitive-relaxation coping skills training: Cognitive-relaxation coping skills training (CRCS) : Cognitive-relaxation coping skills training (CRCS) refers to an intervention program designed to reduce anger, which involves teaching . . .
• Confrontative (vigilant) coping style: Confrontative (vigilant) coping style : Confrontative (vigilant) coping style refers to the tendency to cope with stressful events by tackling them directly and attempting to develop solutions
• Coping appraisal: Coping appraisal is a term used in protection motivation theory, that refers to the evaluation of one's ability to successfully avoid or cope with negative outcomes
• Coping model: Coping model: Coping model refers to an individual who demonstrates effective coping in a stressful situation, for example, preparing for a medical procedure or surgery
• Coping outcomes: Coping outcomes refer to the beneficial effects that are thought to result from successful coping- these include reducing stress, adjusting more successfully to it, maintaining emotional equilibrium, having satisfying relationships with . . .
• Coping questions: Coping questions: Coping questions are questions ask about successful experiences that individuals have had in dealing with the problem. They highlight the person’s ability to cope with problems
• Coping strategies: Coping strategies refer to conscious efforts to reduce anxiety in the face of a perceived threat. They are specific behavioral and psychological efforts that people use to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize stressful events
• Coping styles: Coping styles refer to the ways in which people react to stressful events- general predispositions to dealing with stress. Likewise, Coping styles are tools a person tends to use repeatedly in dealing with stress, traumatic events, . . .
• Coping with Loss: Coping with Loss: Coping with loss involves the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral processes that individuals use to manage the stress and pain associated with losing someone or something important
• Emotion-focused coping: Emotion-focused coping refers to a type of coping in which a person does not change anything about the situation itself, but instead tries to improve feelings about the situation
• Emotion-oriented coping strategy: Emotion-oriented coping strategy (Endler & Parker, 1988) refers to one of the three (3) major (stress) coping strategies which involves efforts to maintain hope and to Control one's e- motions
• Multidimensional Coping Inventory: Multidimensional Coping Inventory: Multidimensional Coping Inventory (MCI- Endler & Parker, 1988), an early version of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS- Endler & Parker, 1990c), is a 66 item, self-re- port . . .
• Problem-focused coping: Problem-focused coping refers to coping style in which the individual takes action to reduce stress by changing whatever it is about the situation that makes it stressful
• Ways of Coping: Ways of Coping refers to a measurement for coping strategies (Folkman &- Lazarus, 1980). The Ways of Coping was developed by Folkman, Lazarus, and their associates (Folkman, Lazarus, Dunkel-Schetter, DeLongis, &- Gruen, 1986)
• Coping strategy: Coping strategy refers to a planned response to external events which is usually unwanted or unplanned. Coping strategy is the particular approach used
• Avoidant coping: Avoidant coping refers to a form of coping where you focus more on emotions resulting from the
• Approach coping: Approach coping refers to type of coping sytle where a person actively attempt to solve his/her problems or address the
• Coping measures: Coping measures: Coping measures refer to any efforts by an individual to regulate negative feelings about changes in his or her environment.
• Avoidance coping strategies: Avoidance coping strategies: Avoidance coping strategies refer to coping strategies designed to distract people from thinking about the source of anxiety
• Avoidant (minimizing) coping style: Avoidant (minimizing) coping style : Avoidant (minimizing) coping style refers to the tendency to cope with threatening events by withdrawing, minimizing, or avoiding them- believed to be an effective short-term, though not an effective . . .
• Cognitive coping: Cognitive coping: Cognitive coping is the idea that beliefs play a central role in
• Constructive coping: Constructive coping is defined as efforts to deal with stressful events that are judged to be relatively healthful.
• Coping behavior: Coping behavior: Coping behavior refers to consciously planned behavior determined by the needs of a given situation and designed for a specifi c purpose, usually to bring about a change in one's environment
• Coping process: Coping process: Coping process refers to the process of reacting to a
• Coping statements: Coping statements: Coping statements refers to reassuring, self-enhancing statements that are used to stop self-critical thinking.
• Loss-oriented coping: Loss-oriented coping refers to to confronting one's pain, sadness, and the loss of a loved one and finding a place for the deceased loved one in one's thoughts and memories in order to achieve emotional health and cognitive functioning
• Proactive coping: Proactive coping refers to a coping strategy that involves anticipating a problem and taking steps to avoid it.

Summary

Coping in psychology involves the strategies individuals use to manage stress and challenges for maintaining psychological well-being and resilience. Effective coping mechanisms can help individuals bounce back from adversity while maladaptive coping can lead to prolonged distress. Understanding coping strategies and applying them in various areas of life can contribute to better mental health and overall quality of life.

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