1. Chapter 4
Coping
Feb. 13, 2104

2. 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 and drug
dependency, procrastination, poor time
management, etc.
• Why not?
• inspirations and barriers to change

3. 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

4. 3 methods of reducing
addictive behavior
1. Contingency management: one of
largest effect sizes with
addictions=>behavior therapies: reward
and punishment
2. Motivational interviewing
3. CBT =>cognitive behavior therapy

5. 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

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

7. 2. Focus on positives for staying the same: use
Decisional Balance Sheet:
(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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. Video-Resilience in Children

11. Facts about Annette Rutues’ life
circumstances (p.112)
• Moved from 5 bedroom house, orginially twoparent household, family income was
$70’s, moved to Homeless Shelter twice
• Annette is single with three children:
-14 y/o Kelly – private school, B+ ave.
- 11 y/o Justin A ave.
- 6 y/o Andrew
• Annette has cancer

12. Ann Masten, Developmental
Psychologist, U. of Minnesota:
studies resilience in children
• Resilience = ability overcome risk and adversity
that could have otherwise negatively altered life
in significant ways
• Qualities Andrew has that allow him to overcome
adversity:
1. good attention skills
2. ability to follow instructions
3. effortful control: can control themselves
during a task and switch rules during task

13. Summary of Masten’s protective
factors that promote resilience
• Protective, competent, car
ing adult
•
-optimistic
-talk to children, don’t talk •
at them
-let children grow, don’t
over-control
• Community factors:
school, teachers
Spiritual experiences
Personal qualities:
- optimistic
- good learning skills
-good attention skills

14. Coping Processes
Part 2

15. Meyers Briggs Profile
This Class, Last Class & National
ISTJ
ISFJ
INFJ
INTJ
ISTP
ISFP
INFP
INTP
ESTP
ESFP
ENFP
ENTP
ESTJ
ESFJ
ENFJ
ENTJ
NN
11.6%
13.6%
1.46%
2.1%
5.4%
8.8%
4.4%
3.3%
4.3%
8.5%
8.1%
3.2%
8.7%
12.3%
2.5%
1.8%
LCN
1%
7%
12%
10%
1%
0%
1%
0%
0%
3%
5%
1%
8%
18%
24%
7%
CN
3%
5%
8%
12%
0%
3%
5%
3%
1%
5%
3%
4%
9%
13%
18%
8%

16. Hope to Cope
Changes come and changes go
To stay cool be in the know
At your best there will be stress
Causing you to feel oppressed
To get out you’ve got to cope
But cope through hope and leave the dope

17. Psych of Adj: Raising Consciousness
Along With Credit
What is the status quo with regard to
coping, among college students as well as
general population
-status quo not usually based upon
empirical understanding of coping
-how to overcome coping of limited value
-most empirical studies in psychology
use college students as subjects

18. Stress Revisited
“The Nature of Stress”
• Stress
-a special stimulus-response transaction
in which one feels threatened or
experiences loss or harm (Carver, 2007;
McEwen, 2000)
-viewing stress and stressor combined
allows for individualizing our
considerations of stress

19. Stress Relationally Considered
• A LESS REDUCTIONIST VIEW OF STRESS
Stressor=>not separate from response
elicited in the person
Stress=>not separate from the
troubling external or internal event

20. Remember Heart Rate Variability
• Enhanced by relaxation, mindfulness and
meditation
• Enhanced by RSA and many other forms of
breathing exercise
• Enhanced by exercise
• Enhanced by peaceful joining with nature
• Enhanced by tapping pressure points
• Enhanced by I-Doser? (based on binaural beats)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6Cq9y4qRCQ

21. Three General Forms of Coping
Behaviors
1.
FIGHT
2.
FLEE
3. FREEZE

22. Giving Up
(Freezing)
• Learned Helplessness=>passive behavior
produced by exposure to unavoidable aversive
events (Seligman, 1974, 1992)
-Shutting down/Isolating
-Associated with emotional reactions of
sadness & dejection

23. Acting Aggressively
(Fighting)
• Aggression=>any behavior intended to hurt
someone, either physically or verbally
-Some people chronically angry (gene, abuse)
-Anger=>an empowering/useful emotion
-Displacement (Freudian defense)
-Vents frustration, but at the expense of another
-Media violence desensitizes=>current increase
in violent acts (Bartholow, Bushman & Sestir, 2006)

24. Indulging Yourself
(Fleeing)
• Stress can=>reduced impulse control
• Id can become stronger under stress=>
Reptilian Brain vs. Executive Functions
*overeating *over-drinking *over-interneting
(gambling, surfing, face book, porn, etc)
*over-cleaning *over-thinking *over t.v.ing *drugs
*over-socializing
PROCRASTINATION!!

26. Blaming Yourself
(Fleeing)
• Catastrophic thinking: “I am unlovable, and
will never find anyone to love me.”
• Negative self talk (Beck, 1976; Ellis, 1973): “I
am a disappointment to my parents and
family;” “I am the cause of my parent’s
unhappy marriage;” “I don’t know why I was
born.”
Sets the stage for irresponsible behavior

27. Using Defensive Coping
(Fleeing)
• Defense mechanisms=>unconscious or
conscious reactions that protect a person from
unpleasant emotions such as guilt and anxiety
*Denial *Fantasy *Intellectualization *Undoing
*Overcompensation
Works through self-deception

28. The Nature of Constructive Coping
• Constructive coping=>efforts to deal with
stressful events that are judged to be
relatively healthful
1. Constructive coping=>dealing with stress by
directly & realistically evaluating options and
acting (e.g., taking advantage of T.A.s and
professor availability if dissatisfied with an
exam result)

29. The Nature of Constructive Coping
2. Constructive coping=>reasonable appraisal
of stress and coping resources
(e.g., examining course-load, extra-curricular
activities, social/relationship demands
against what level of resilience one has)
3. Constructive coping=>learning to manage
potentially disruptive emotional reactions to
stress (e.g., psychotherapy)

30. The Nature of Constructive Coping
4. Constructive coping=>learning to exert
control over potentially harmful or destructive
habitual behaviors (e.g., nicotine & AOD
addictions, harmful food restricting or binge
eating, procrastination tendencies, etc.)

31. The Nature of Constructive Coping
• Categories of constructive coping
1. Appraisal-focused coping=>changing interpretation
of stressful events (e.g., acceptance/diffusion)
2. Problem-focused coping=>altering stressful
situation (e.g., changing a major)
3. Emotion-focused coping=>managing emotional
distress (e.g., raising one’s threshold for handling
stress=>exercise, diet, rest, healthy
friends, meditation, diversion, etc.

32. Emotion-Focused Constructive Coping
*Changing how we fee about others
-minimize anger, contempt, hatred
*Changing how we feel about ourselves
-minimize negative self talk
-enhance confidence through “pose”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

33. • 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.”

34. Mind Watching with Monitoring
Words: Becoming the Observer
Classify 3-4 types of thoughts
Image
Words
Quiet
Your challenge is to have an empty or QUIET mind. About
every 5 seconds mentally say the type of thought you are
having IMAGE, WORDS or QUIET (absence of thought).
Build up gradually to 20 minutes. There may be points
where you are unaware of NOTHING but PURE AWARENESS

35. 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)