Psychology / Unit 8: Motivation and Emotion
8.6 Coping with Stress
Notes
- Problem-focused coping: directly dealing with the stressor (making a study plan, asking for help).
- Emotion-focused coping: managing feelings about the stressor (talking with a friend, relaxing).
- Helpful strategies: exercise, enough sleep, social support, time management, mindfulness, hobbies and breaks.
- Less helpful: avoidance, and using unhealthy substances.
- Locus of control: people with an internal locus believe they influence outcomes; this often goes with better coping.
- If stress feels overwhelming, talk to a trusted adult, school counselor or doctor.
Practice
Dylan feels overwhelmed by homework, so he makes a weekly schedule and breaks assignments into small steps. This is:
He is acting directly on the stressor.
Which coping approach is considered emotion-focused?
Emotion-focused coping manages feelings.
A person who believes "my effort affects what happens to me" has a(n):
Believing you control outcomes is an internal locus of control.
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