Carver 1989 - Assessing Coping Strategies - a Theoretically Based Approach

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Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of personality and social psychology, 56(2), 267.

Summary

When goal-directed behavior encounters an obstacle, people will either renew their efforts or give up, both of which are referred to as coping. Coping is a response to stress. Lazarus (1966) says stress has 3 processes: 1) primary appraisal (perceiving the threat to self), 2) secondary appraisal (thinking of a response to the threat), and 3) coping (implementing that response). There are 2 types of coping, problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused coping regards attempts to solve the problem or obstacle. Emotion-focused coping deals with attempts to reduce the emotional distress associated with a problem. There are several dysfunctional coping methods as well. This paper showcases a popular inventory, derived by the authors, used to assess multidimensional coping. As a side note, this scale was developed from a theoretical standpoint, rather than an empirical one (as is many times the case).

Problem-focused coping includes active coping, planning, suppression of competing activities, restraint coping, and seeking of instrumental social support. Active coping is when one actively takes steps to resolve a problem. Planning is part of the secondary appraisal of stress. Suppression of competing activities minimizes distraction. Restraint coping refers to waiting until the right time to act. Seeking of instrumental support is seeking advice, assistance, or information.

Emotion-focused coping can consist of seeking emotional support, positive reinterpretation, acceptance, denial, and seeking religion. Seeking emotional support involves moral support, sympathy, and understanding. Positive reinterpretation frames a problem positively. Denial can actually be useful (though denial at later stages can prohibit moving on). Acceptance can be viewed as an active adaptation.

Dysfunctional coping methods include focusing on and venting of emotions, denial, behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement, and alcohol-drug disengagement. Focusing on and venting of emotions can actually be a functional coping method, but continued use of this method is dysfunctional. Behavioral disengagement refers to reducing effort to solve a problem or giving up. Mental disengagement is seeking activities as distraction.

Application

This is an extremely popular scale, especially useful for research in coping-related areas. It serves as an interesting checklist that can be used for both self-analysis and when evaluating actions of employees. The theory-based approach to scale development seems particularly useful as well.