Coping Strategies

Coping is the way individuals manage either the stressors or themselves. A person sensing stressor, either consciously or unconsciously chooses a way to react to it. This happens through a secondary cognitive appraisal process, which is different from the primary cognitive appraisal in which one becomes aware of the stressor.

• Problem Solving Function: We may try to change the environment stressor on our own Behavior.
• The second function of coping is to manage the physiological and emotional reactions to stress “so that they do not get out of hand and do not damage or destroy morale and social functioning”. Basically, this means managing one’s emotions. Lazarus suggests several different coping strategies:

Information seeking: It is trying to find out what the stressors are and what causes them. Because uncertainty is a property of stress, information seeking can be productive if the result is reduced. Stress was found to be higher for employees who actively sought and obtained information about a major organizational change which might have had negative effects on them.

Direct action: It may take several forms. When experiencing  job stressors, you may work harder, take pills, change jobs or change the environment in some way. Another form of direct action is to seek and develop social support. Acceptance and help from others buffer the effects of the stressors to well help you find more constructed solutions. If you are experiencing stress because of conflicting demands from your boss, you might seek out an older colleague with whom you can discuss the problem and come up with a solution that helps.

Restraining action: These are times when the best way to deal with stress is not to act, especially when taking actions might lead to other, less desirable outcomes. Waiting before taking other courses of action is probably a more effective way to cope with such stress.

Psychological modes: Psychological coping reactions are quite common response to stress.

Emotions and often subsequent Behavior, are determined in part by situation, and other defence mechanisms may change the perceptions of the objective environment, so much that the perceived environment is one in which the person can operate more comfortably, at least in the short run.

When psychological coping modes alter reality and are used extensively, this signifies a poor adaptation to stress. For example: if a person, who always has a difficult time performing a job but reject the failure or attributes it to wrong causes, may continue to stay in a negative situation. In the long run, this may reduce self-esteem.

Because people will have different cognitive appraisal of the situation, they will use different coping strategies. The choice of which is influenced by personality. Personality effects on coping strategies were showcased in a study of new plant start-up workers, who were impatient, aggressive and precise, decide on direct action strategies of working harder at the new job. Those with low self-esteem reported that, they psychologically become absent from the jobs. Those who considered work a central factor in their life structure tended to complain about the work situation and sought help in learning and doing the job.