1. Coping Process
Chapter 4
February 11, 2014

2. Clarification
• What is the difference between COPING and
ADJUSTMENT?

3. Clarification
• COPING=>efforts to master, reduce, or
tolerate demands created by “stress”
• ADJUSTMENT=>psychological processes
through which people manage or cope with
the demands and challenges of everyday life.
• The stress response (physiological) requires
some behavior

4. Seesaw Metaphor
• Differently weighted bodies desire the
pleasure of seesawing
0000
00
__________________________
^
Adjusting=decision on where to sit
Coping=action of assuming position & riding

5. Overview of Coping
• When various needs are strong and
persistent, we experience heightened arousal
(stress)
• Meeting important needs tends to reduce
stress levels, momentarily, back to optimal
• Coping is about restoration of homeostasis

7. Recall Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• Physiological
Needs=>Air, Water, Food, Temperature
Regulation, Homeostasis (e.g., between rest and
activity), (sex)
• Social Needs=>Affiliation, Intimacy, Family, (sex)
• Having met needs, through coping behaviors, we
experience:
Satisfaction, Fulfillment, Safety, Homeostasis

8. Figure 2.15 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to Maslow, human needs are arranged in a hierarchy, and
individuals must satisfy their basic needs first, before they progress to higher needs. In the diagram, higher levels in
the pyramid represent progressively less basic needs. People progress upward in the hierarchy when lower needs are
satisfied reasonably well, but they may regress back to lower levels if basic needs cease to be satisfied.

9. Needs=>Coping
Behaviors=>Satisfaction
• Needs can be personality based
• Needs can vary in importance from time to time
• Needs can be related to need satisfaction in the
past or imagined future
• Needs tend to be cyclical
• Needs are ever present through life

10. Coping Strategies of Limited Value
• Giving Up=>”learned helplessness”
• Acting Aggressively=>cyber-bullying
• Indulging Yourself=>booze, carbs, drugs,
movies, internet addiction
• Blaming Yourself=>negative self talk
• Defensive Coping

11. Defensive Coping, fig. 4.3
• Defense Mechanisms for Coping:
Denial of reality
Fantasy
Intellectualization
Undoing
Overcompensation

12. Constructive Coping, fig. 4.4
• Appraisal Focused
-detecting & disputing negative self talk
*Problem Focused
-seek social support & impulse control
time management, better assertiveness
*Emotion Focused
-releasing pent up emotions, exercise
meditate

13. Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy
Albert Ellis (1913-2007)=>
-altering one’s patterns of irrational
thinking to reduce maladaptive
emotions and behavior
-Catastrophic thinking=>unrealistic
appraisals of stress that exaggerate
the magnitude of one’s problems

14. Altering Client’s Patterns of Irrational
Thinking

15. Ellis
A=>Activating event produces stress
B=>Belief system=> negative thinking,
catastrophic thinking, “musterbating”
C=>Consequences of negative thinking
results in emotional distress (anger,
outrage, anxiety, depression)=>
sympathetic ns overdrive=>coping
strategies of limited value

16. Ellis: The roots of catastrophic
thinking
• MUSTERBATING
-I must have acceptance and love from
certain people
-I must perform well in all endeavors
-others must behave the way I believe
-Events must go the way I like

17. Other roots of negative thinking
• Upbringing
• Life experiences
• Personality
• Inheritance

18. Problem-Focused Constructive Coping
• Clarify the problem=>break it down into
simple components (ex., how many
stressors do I have), prioritize, plan
*Generate alternative course of action=>
“plan A,” “plan B,” “plan C”
*Evaluate alternatives and select a course of
action
*Take action while maintaining flexibility

19. Emotion-Focused Constructive Coping
Emotional Intelligence=>the ability to
perceive, regulate, use and express emotion
(love, sadness, fear, anger, joy)
Forgiveness
Exercise
Meditation/Relaxation
Spirituality

20. Self-Actualized People Cope in Healthy
Ways (fig 2.18)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clear perception of reality
Spontaneity, simplicity and naturalness
Problem centered (“PASSION”)
Detachment and need for privacy
Autonomy (avoid “herd” thinking only)
Continued freshness of appreciation
Mystical peak experiences
Feeling of kinship (one with human race)
Strong friendships (but limited in number)
Democratic character structure (egalitarian)
Ethical distinction between means and ends
Philosophical, non-hostile sense of humor
Balance between polarities in personality

21. Mindfulness and Coping, 3 minute
meditation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDflnqo0TQ
s

22. • Meditation (10-20 min, 1x daily)
1. Breath Watching
2. Exhale Pause Watching:
Inhale (“I”), Exhale (“AM”), Pause
(Very..Relaxed..And..At..Peace..
Right..Now)
3. Mantra
4. Mind Watching (use monitoring words @
every 5 seconds like “image,” “words,”
“quiet.”

23. RSA Breathing
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia
Inhale 3 seconds, exhale 7 (more PS)
Inhale 7 seconds, exhale 3 seconds (more S)
Inhale 5 seconds, exhale 5 seconds
(maintenance)

24. Part 2
• Self-indugence as a way of coping
• Methods of reducing addictive behavior

25. Self-Indulgence is a common “coping”
response to stress (Tice et al, 2001)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eating sweets and starches – rarely broccoli
Restricting food intake
Drinking alcohol
Getting high
Using other kinds of drug: opiates
Nicotine – smoking cigarettes, chewing
shopping
Gambling
Internet immersion

26. Forms of Internet addiction
•
•
•
•
•
•
shopping
online sex
pornography
online gaming
online gambling
social networks
• Global pattern of Internet use (Davis, 2001) –
global problem with addiction

27. Internet addiction
• Kimberly Young (1996, 1998):
• Internet addiction: spending an
inordinate amount of time on the
Internet and inability to control online
use
• Used as a coping strategy – immerse
oneself in online world

28. Signs of addiction: Young’s shortened Internet
addiction test
• Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous online activity
or anticipate next online session)?
• Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in
order to achieve satisfaction?
• Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop
Internet use?
• Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting
to cut down or stop Internet use?
• Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended?
• Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant
relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the
Internet?
• Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of
involvement with the Internet?
• Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of

29. Addictive behaviors: how are they alike?
• Do you feel preoccupied with __________________)?
• Do you feel the need to use ________with increasing amounts of
time in order to achieve satisfaction?
• Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut
back, or stop _____________use?
• Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when
attempting to cut down or stop __________ use?
• Do you participate in ________ longer than originally intended?
• Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of significant
relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because
of_____________________?
• Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the
extent of involvement with_______________?
• Do you use _____________ as a way of escaping from problems or
of relieving a dysphoric mood?

30. The Problematic and Risky Internet Use
Screening Scale (PRIUSS)
for Adolescents and Young Adults
• May affect between 4‐15% of adolescents and
young adults
• Average score of average users: 14 +/- 9.6
(1 S.D.)
• Average score of at-risk users: 21 +/- 12.1 (1 S.D.)
• If use <= 6 hours per day =average
• If use > 6 hours per day = high risk

31. In the news: almost recognized as a
real addiction
Video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtA-AmrbX4Q
-DSM 5: Both sex and Internet addictions are included in
appendix
-Internet has no boundaries
-like gambling you are looking for the
“hit” – the video or message that will be
exciting/interesting
-will power gets exhausted
-suggests limiting time on Internet

32. Signs of Internet addiction
• sense of being out of control with time
expended
• anxious, depressed or empty when not online
use is so excessive it interferes with work,
school, home life – disruption of time
• dysfunctional use leads to secrecy and hiding
dependence

33. Lauren Jelenchick, MPH Candidate
Adolescent Health Research Team, Department
of Pediatrics, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
Factor 1 – Social Consequences
• Problems with communicating face to face
• Experience increased social anxiety
• Fail to create real-life relationships
• Offline relationships suffer
• Choose to socialize online instead of in-person
• Skip out on social events

34. Lauren Jelenchick (2012, 2013)
Factor 2 – Emotional Consequences
• Feel anxious when away from internet
• Feel irritated when not using the internet
• Experience feelings of withdrawal when not
using the internet
• Feel angry when away from the internet
• Feel vulnerable when the internet isn't
available

35. Lauren Jelenchick (2012, 2013)
Factor 3 – Risky and Impulsive Internet Use
• Allow time on the internet to negatively affect your
school performance
• Lose motivation to do other things that need to get
done
• Neglect responsibilities
• Avoid other activities in order to stay online
• Put internet use in front of important, everyday
activities
• Lose sleep due to nighttime internet use
• Use the internet excessively

36. In the news: almost recognized as a
real addiction
Video clip: In 2008, China began to list Internet addiction as a clinical
diagnosis category
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqctG3NnDa0
China’s Web Junkies 1:30-7:00 minutes
Internet Addiction Treatment Center near Beijing
-DSM 5: Both sex and Internet addictions are included in appendix
-Internet has no boundaries
-like gambling you are looking for the
“hit” – the video or message that will be exciting/interesting
-will power gets exhausted
-suggests limiting time on Internet

37. China’s Web Junkies (New York Times
1/14)
youtube commentary:”this is completely retarded treating people
like this, just limit their usage, learn how to set the router for limited
use. The only thing you accomplish by doing this to your children is
turning them into mental cases”

38. Problem-focused constructive coping:
reducing addictive behaviors
The process of change: problem =>motivation
to change =>method of change
Problems are there to be solved.

39. 4 steps in systematic problem solving
• “Systematic Problem Solving” is a step-bystep technique for tackling problems (pp. 113
in text)
1. clarify the problem – often people do not
know what, exactly, is causing stress.
2. generate alternative courses of action –
use “brainstorming” to generate ideas.
3. evaluate your alternatives and select a
course of action.
4. take action while maintaining flexibility

40. Chapt. 4: Coping and hoping to change
• Most people with stress and coping problems
know they need to change but…………..
• most people don’t change, e.g., Internet
addiction, eating disorders, alcohol anddrug
dependency, procrastination, poor time
management, etc.
• Why not?
• inspirations and barriers to change

41. Why not change if person admits there is a
problem?
When addicted/dependent - motivation to
change varies
Person:
• may be perceive self to be weak and incapable
• usually ambivalent – pros and cons
• sees recovery or change as a distant dream or
fantasy
• motivation fluctuates

42. 3 methods of reducing
addictive behavior
• Contingency management: one of
largest effect sizes with
addictions=>based on behavior
therapies
• Motivational interviewing
• CBT =>cognitive behavior therapy

43. Motivational interviewing
What can we do to increase
motivation to change and improve
coping?
2 ways to increase motivation:
1. Increase internal motivation
2. Focus on the positives for staying
the same

44. five types of motivation: Self-Determination
Theory (Vansteenkiste et al, 2005)
Type of
motivation
amotivation
introjected
external
motivation motivation
identified
motivation
intrinsic
motivation
Motivational
Force
discourage
-ment and
helplessness
expectations/
rewards/
punishments
from others
&
environment
guilt,
shame,
guiltinducing
internal
pressures
personal
values/
Commitment
external
internal
enjoyment,
pleasure,
interest,
satisfying,
fun
internal
Locus of impersonal external
causality

45. Motivation to give up internet
addiction or alcohol?
Intrinsic motivation?
Identified motivation (personal values)?
Introjected (from someone else) motivation?
External motivation? (Expect reward or
punishment from outside self)

46. Decisional balance sheet applied to
addiction
(Miller and Rollnick, 2002)
Positives for
staying the same
Negatives of
change
It is the positives
for staying the
same that keep
people stuck
Negatives for
staying the same
Positives of
change

47. Young’s solution: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
CBT is effective treatment for compulsive disorders
Thoughts
• monitor thoughts
• identify trigger thoughts: “Life is unfair to
me.”
• learn to respond with new coping skills:
Behavior
 establish baseline of compulsive behaviors
 moderate/eliminate dysfunctional behaviors
 enhance non-online computer life
(social, occupational)

48. Optional slides about applying
decisional balance sheet to eating
disorders

49. Motivating people: pros and cons
example - pros and cons of eating disorders
(Gale et al, 2006)
Goal: acknowledge, with patient, ways in which
eating disorders are either adaptive (friend) or
problematic (enemy)
How are ED’s adaptive?
• In the Gale study (roughly 200 Ss) , the more the
pros endorsed and the fewer the cons or
negatives endorsed the more positively people
feel about remaining with ED

50. Decisional balance sheet
(Miller and Rollnick, 2002)
Positives for staying the same:
weight management skill to
feel good about
Negatives of change: possible
weight gain
It is the positives
for staying the
same that keep
people stuck
Negatives for staying the
same: continued bone loss
Positives of change: more
time spent on other activities

51. pros for anorexia (Gale et al, 2006)
safe and structured:
-makes me feel safe
-gives structure to my life
-helps keep control
-organizes world
-gives purpose
-feel protected
-secure
-get me through life
-dependable/consistent
skill/special:
-something I am good at
-ED a skill
- in ED, I am an expert
-I can do at least one thing
better than others
-lifts me up above others