Coping With Stress Direct Coping Confrontation Attacking the

Coping With Stress

Direct Coping • Confrontation • Attacking the problem head-on by trying hader, enlisting help or learning new skills • Expressions of anger- can be effective if done correctly • ex- Grandma crossing the street

Compromise • Settle for a solution that is less than optimal but still ok • Ex- Denied a promotion but given a raise or vice versa

Withdrawal • Can be a positive and realistic response if your adversary is more powerful than you are, you can’t change a situation, compromise or aggression won’t work • It can become a habit though and must be used judiciously

Defensive Coping • Using defense mechanisms to avoid dealing with problems

Denial • Refusal to acknowledge a painful or threatening reality

Repression • Forgetting painful thoughts or memories • Can indicate that a person is struggling with impulses that conflict with their sense of values

Projection • When we attribute our own repressed motives, ideas or feelings to others.

Identification • Reverse of projection • We take on characteristics of someone so we can vicariously share in their triumphs so we feel less inadequate • Ex- Tennis Dads, Stage Moms, Sports Fanatics

Regression • Reverting to childlike behavior to avoid dealing with stressful situations • Can also be a form of manipulation

Intellectualization • A form of denial whereby we view our feelings analytically as if they belonged to other people • Ex- A person dealing with a parent’s terminal disease by studying textbooks on it.

Reaction Formation • When you express the opposite of what you feel with exaggerated intensity • Ex- You see your ex boyfriend at prom with his new chippy and say “You look so Beautiful”