PSYC 2301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Viktor Frankl, Ethology, Big Five Personality Traits
15 Jun 2020
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Coping with Stress
• Coping
o Definition: The process by which people try to manage the perceived discrepancy
between the demands and resources they appraise in a stressful situation
o Coping involves either : Can alter the problem OR regulate the emotional response.
o may manage by correcting or mastering the problem, or by changing perception of it
▪ ii. involves transactions with the environment – back and forth process
o 2. Coping process not a single event
▪ a. involves a dynamic series of appraisals and reappraisals of the person and the
environment
▪ b. reevaluation influenced by transactions that preceded it and affect
subsequent coping efforts
▪ Something we have to keep working on until the discrepancy is gone
o 2 things to do: change the problem or change how you feel about it (emotional
response)
• Emotion – focused coping
o Attention is directed at minimizing the distress triggered by the stressor
▪ Instead of changing the problem itself we try ti change how we feel
o Wide variety of cognitive and behavioural techniques:
▪ E.g., self-soothing, expression, distraction, focus on positive
▪ Behavioral – engaging in specific behaviors to change how we feel about the
problems (e.g. drugs and alcohol)
▪ Cognitive – changing how we think about the event.
o Rarely ideal when used exclusively
▪ Because it does not address the problem at hand
▪ Except in inescapable or traumatic stress – situations that cannot be changed.
o “When we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change
ourselves” -Viktor Frankl
o SO when the situation is unchangeable this technique is effective.
• Problem focused coping
o Attention directed at the stressor itself, steps to remove, evade, or diminish its impact
o Involves directly changing the stressful situation – reducing the damand or increasing
our resources
o E.g. you are stressed about an exam so you study more for it, increasing your resources
to deal with that stressor thus reducing the level of stress experienced.
• Coping methods
o Are there better & worse ways to cope?
▪ Engagement vs. disengagement
• Engagement – launching yourself at the problem directly
• Disengagement – avoiding the problem, distracting yourself, withdrawal
▪ Problem focused coping are generally better
▪ Generally engagement works better than disengagement
o Most promising:
▪ Engaging positive emotions
• Trying to use positive emotios to deal with the problem
• E.g. going for a walk, makes you feel positive, can help
▪ Finding benefits or meaning
▪ Engaging in emotional approach
• Trying to process what is going on, and express how we feel about it.
▪ Accommodating to a stressor
• Something that is unchangeable (e.g. chronic pain, permanent injuries)
• Changing one’s resources, not the stressor.
• What affects how you cope?
o Internal resources
▪ Personality
▪ History, what you’re used to
o External resources
▪ Tangibles – more money = being able to afford help with certain stressors
▪ Social support
• Socio-economic status (SES) and coping
o People with higher SES tend to use problem-focused coping strategies more often
(Billings & Moos, 1981).
o Why do people who have lower SES use problem-focus coping strategies less often than
those with high SES?
▪ Perhaps people with low SES have less sense of personal control over their
situations
▪ The kind of stressors that people with lower SES encounter are actually less
controllable (e.g. not having enough money to buy food)
▪ Cogntive abilities – possible lower in low SES
• Moderators of stress: personality
o How personality can influence stress
o What do we mean by ‘personality’
o Relations between common aspects of personality and stress
• How can personality influence stress?
o It can influence our exposure to stress
▪ Sre you someone who will encounter a lot of stress throughout youre life
o Reactivity
▪ How do you react – feak out or remain calm
o Recovery
▪ How our body unwinds
o Restoration
▪ How we let our bodies recover
▪ E.g. sleep, working less
• What is personality?
o Set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are relatively
enduring and that influence interactions with the environment
Document Summary
Emotional stability: mnemonic: o. c. e. a. n, measured on a continuum, openness, openness to experience, openness to experience, appreciation for art, adventure, curiosity, distinguishes imaginative people from down-to-earth, conventional people, high level of openness: linked to. Intellectually curious: nonconforming, daring, appreciative of art, aware of feelings, unconventional beliefs, conscientiousness, tendency to show a preference for planned behavior; influences control, regulation, and direction of impulses, more self disciplined, has goals, well planned. Less impulsive, organized: high levels of conscientiousness, dependable, productive, purposeful, high achievement, persistent, extraversion, characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others. Like being around other people: high levels of extraversion, talkative, sociable, affectionate, high energy/activity levels, note: introverts" lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression. Interpret ordinary situations as threatening: emotionally reactive, vulnerable to stress, anxious. Insecure: self-conscious, freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings.
