COPING SKILLS – TYPES & INTEGRATION

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING
COPING SKILLS – TYPES & INTEGRATION

1. MAHARAJA SURAJMAL INSTITUTE
Affiliated to GGSIPU

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION PROGRAMME
2017-2019
COURSE TITLE: GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING.
COURSE CODE: BED214.
TOPIC : COPING SKILLS – TYPES & INTEGRATION.

STUDENT DETAILS :
NAME : Tiru goel.
ENROL. NO. : 07314902117
CLASS : B.ED Section – B
SEMESTER : Fourth.

2. COPING SKILLS : TYPES AND INTEGRATION
What is COPING?

To struggle or deal on fairly even terms or with some degree of success
or
to face and deal with responsibilities, problems or difficulties
successfully or in a calm or adequate manner
:In psychology, coping means to invest own conscious effort, to solve
personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to
master, minimize or tolerate stress and conflict.
The psychological coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping
strategies or coping skills. The term coping generally refers to adaptive
(constructive) coping strategies. That is strategies which reduce stress.

In contrast, other coping strategies may be coined as maladaptive, if
they increase stress. Maladaptive coping is therefore also described,
when looking at the outcome, as non-coping. Furthermore, the term
coping generally refers to reactive coping, i.e. the coping response
which follows the stressor.
The effectiveness of the coping effort depends on the type of stress,
the individual, and the circumstances. Coping responses are partly
controlled by personality (habitual traits), but also partly by the social
environment , particularly the nature of the stressful environment.

3. Types of Coping strategies:
 Appraisal-Focused (adaptive cognitive): directed towards
challenging personal assumptions.
 Problem-Focused (adaptive behavioral): reducing or eliminating
stressors.
 Emotion-Focused: changing personal emotional reactions.
 Occupation-Focused: directed towards lasting occupation which
generates positive feedback
Appraisal-focused strategies occur when the person modifies the way
they think, for example: distancing oneself from the problem. People
may alter the way they think about a problem by altering
their goals and values.

Problem-focused strategies try to deal with the cause of their problem.
They do this by finding out information on the problem and learning
new skills to manage the problem. Problem-focused coping is aimed at
changing or eliminating the source of the stress.
The three problem-focused coping strategies identified by Folkman
and Lazarus are: taking control, information seeking, and evaluating the
pros and cons.

Emotion-focused strategies involve:
 releasing pent-up emotions
 distracting oneself
 managing hostile feelings
 meditating
 using systematic relaxation procedures.

4. Emotion-focused coping is oriented toward managing the emotions
that accompany the perception of stress.
The five emotion-focused coping strategies identified by Folkman and
Lazarus are:
 disclaiming
 escape-avoidance
 accepting responsibility or blame
 exercising self-control
 and positive reappraisal.
Emotion-focused coping is a mechanism to remove stress by
minimizing, reducing, or preventing, the emotional components of a
stressor.

This mechanism can be applied through a variety of ways, such as:
 seeking social support
 reappraising the stressor in a positive light
 accepting responsibility
 using avoidance
 exercising self-control
 and distancing.
The focus of this coping mechanism is to change the meaning of the
stressor or transfer attention away from it.

For example, finding a more positive meaning of the cause of the stress
in order to reduce the emotional component of the stressor. Avoidance
of the emotional distress will distract from the negative feelings
associated with the stressor.
Emotion-focused coping is well suited for stressors that seem
uncontrollable (ex. a terminal illness diagnosis, or the loss of a loved
one).

5. Positive emotion-focused mechanisms, such as seeking social support,
and positive re-appraisal, are associated with beneficial outcomes.
Typically, people use a mixture of several types of coping strategies,
which may change over time. All these methods can prove useful, but
some claim that those using problem-focused coping strategies will
adjust better to life
.

Problem-focused coping mechanisms may allow an individual greater
perceived control over their problem, whereas emotion-focused coping
may sometimes lead to a reduction in control
.
Positive techniques (adaptive coping).
One positive coping strategy, anticipating a problem, is known
as proactive coping. Anticipation is when one reduces the stress of
some difficult challenge by anticipating what it will be like and
preparing for how one is going to cope with it.
Two others are : Social coping, such as seeking social support from
others, and Meaning-focused coping, in which the person concentrates
on deriving meaning from the stressful experience.
Adequate nutrition, exercise, sleep contribute to stress management,
as do physical fitness and relaxation techniques such as progressive
muscle relaxation.
Humor used as a positive coping strategy may have useful benefits to
emotional and mental health well-being. By having a humorous outlook
on life, stressful experiences can be and are often minimized. This
coping strategy corresponds with positive emotional states and is
known to be an indicator of mental health.

For example, laughing may reduce muscle tension, increase the flow of
oxygen to the blood and produce good hormones in the body.Using
humor in coping while processing through feelings can vary depending
on life circumstance and individual humor styles. It is also possible that

6. humor would be used by people to feel a sense of control over a more
powerless situation and used as way to escape a feeling of
helplessness. It is a sign of positive adjustment as well as drawing
support and interaction from others.

While dealing with stress it is important to deal with your physical,
mental, and social well being. One should maintain one's health and
learn to relax if one finds oneself under stress.
Mentally it is important to think positive thoughts, value oneself,
demonstrate good time management, plan and think ahead, and
express emotions. Socially one should communicate with people and
seek new activities.

Negative techniques (non-adaptive coping)
While adaptive coping methods improve functioning, a non adaptive
coping technique will just reduce symptoms while maintaining and
strengthening the disorder. Non-adaptive techniques are more
effective in the short term rather than long term coping process. These
coping strategies interfere with the person's ability to unlearn, or break
apart, between the situation and the associated anxiety symptoms

Some of the non-adaptive behavior strategies include :
1. Dissociation is the ability of the mind to separate thoughts,
memories, and emotions. This is often associated with post traumatic
stress syndrome.(PTSS) .
2. Sensitization is when a person seeks to learn about fearful events in
a protective effort to prevent these events from occurring in the first
place.

7. 3. Safety behaviors are demonstrated when individuals with anxiety
disorders come to rely on something, or someone, as a means of coping
with their excessive anxiety.
4. Anxious avoidance is when a person avoids anxiety provoking
situations by all means. This is the most common strategy.
5. Escape is closely related to avoidance. This technique is often
demonstrated by people who experience panic attacks or have phobias.
These people want to flee the situation at the first sign of anxiety.

Gender differences in coping :
Gender differences in coping strategies are the ways in which men and
women differ in managing psychological stress. There is evidence that
males often develop stress due to their careers, whereas females often
encounter stress due to issues in interpersonal relationships.


In general, such differences indicate that women tend to employ
emotion-focused coping and the “tend-and-befriend”response to
stress, whereas men tend to use problem-focused coping and the
"fight-or-flight" response, perhaps because societal standards
encourage men to be more individualistic, while women are often
expected to be interpersonal.


Physiological basis in coping :
Hormones also play a part in stress management. Cortisol, a stress
hormone, was found to be elevated in males during stressful situations.
In females, however, cortisol levels were decreased in stressful
situations, and instead, an increase in limbic activity that is rise in
emotions and memories in brain was discovered.

8. References:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_(psychology)
 https://www.slideshare.net/JanethBuhawe/coping-strategies-ppt
 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ending-addiction-
good/201609/understanding-and-choosing-better-coping-skills
 Guidance And Counselling 2016 by Dr. G. Lokanadha Reddy and
Dr. T.C. Thankachan