Through throughout our lives we experience critical situations. For some, stress — broken nail, for someone — hateful semolina for breakfast, and for another — collapsed Dow— Jones index. But the fact remains, stress is in everyone life, and it might not affect our behavior. In response, we perform certain actions. Their set and is called coping strategies. Why it is important to find your own strategy and how it will help in life, read in this article.
- What are coping strategies: understanding the term
- 7 examples of coping strategies: mechanisms visually
- How to choose the right coping strategy
What are coping strategies: understanding the term
Where did this concept come from, and why did it need to be classified in general? For the first time this term was proposed by L. Murphy, specializing in behavioral motives of children. It turns out that how a person copes with stress, what actions he takes in a given situation, can tell a lot about his personality type. And correcting post-stress behavior and developing new skills can improve the quality of life and increase self-esteem.
It is possible to determine which coping strategies are preferable for you without the help of psychologists. It is enough to pass the Lazarus test — a questionnaire of 50 questions (it can be easily found on the net, it is free). By the way, this test is sometimes passed at interviews. It helps to identify how the employee will react in stressful situations, and to weed out in advance alarmists and ostriches, hiding their head in sand.
Coping strategy — consciously or not — both small children and teenagers choose. Watching how the baby reacts to different situations, you can tell a lot about his future character. By gently correcting his behavior, changing his coping strategy, it is easy to make his psyche more stable, lay the foundations for easily overcoming teenage crises.
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7 examples of coping strategies: mechanisms visually
Specialists who study human behavior distinguish many types of coping strategies. This is not surprising, because even the same person can react differently to the same events. What can we say about the number of options in different social groups, among men and women, adults and children, etc. An analysis of the general signs of post-stress behavior made it possible to identify 7 main types of coping strategies.
Confrontation and aggression
This strategy is more typical for men. Characteristic features of such behavior — a sharp response to any action, the search for the guilty, the desire to resolve the situation here and now, using any methods.
Distancing
Completely the opposite behavior, when in a crisis situation a person closes in into himself and leaves solution. "I will think about it tomorrow" — a classic example of such a coping strategy.
Self-control
This tactic of behavior is chosen by people with iron nerves, who are in control of themselves, capable of bending their line in any situation with a straight face. At the same time, emotions are suppressed not only in the presence of others, but also in front of yourself.
Search for Support
A very common strategy that involves seeking help from others in any crisis situation. At the same time, help can mean not only specific actions, but also the attention of another person. If you s stress feel the need to talk to someone about what is happening, this is your coping strategy.
Search for positive
Looking for the good in — a good and mentally useful skill. It helps to get through hard times, grief, loss. But does not help in those cases when it is necessary to act quickly and decisively, and the there is there good in there is no no matter how look.
Planning
People with an analytical mindset, pragmatists, realists, in any situation immediately looking for a way out — this is how the adherents of this strategy can be characterized. If immediately after the alarm, you start to calculate the solutions with maximum benefit for yourself, then this behavior model is close to you.
Desire to accept responsibility
This strategy is chosen by natures with leadership qualities, ready to lead and order in any situation. Also, strange as it may seem, this same behavior is inherent in insecure people who cannot be in a state of turbulence», they urgently need to put everything in order "return it as it was».
In most cases, we choose a strategy of behavior unconsciously or follow the path of least resistance (choosing the one that will require the least effort). Such decisions are not always successful and productive. If you choose the right strategy — and to do this, you need to recognize and control emotions — you can make your life easier.
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How to choose the right coping strategy
Unfortunately, there is no and universal solution to overcome the crisis, and there cannot be Every situation is different and it is impossible to predict which behavior will be most effective. Just as it is impossible to impose a certain strategy on a person for whom such behavior is not typical. This can only aggravate the experience and internal tension.
Psychologists advise choosing a coping strategy consciously. Train yourself to think that all our actions are not it just happened”, but the result of our choice. Next, you need to analyze whether brings the strategy results. Can at work solve problems by taking responsibility? Or does it all lead to the fact that other people's "jambs" are being imposed on you? Is it possible to quarrel less with your beloved, stubbornly keeping silent on his remarks? Or is it better to talk about the sore and find out what why worries him?
In any situation that is stressful for you, you need to take a couple of minutes, exhale and ask yourself a few questions. Am I doing the right thing? Can can do it differently? Is my behavior effective, will I achieve the desired result? At first it will be difficult, emotions will force you to act impulsively. But with time you will be able to take control over them, and it will turn out that the crisis situation can be lived with the least moral losses. And can turn it to your favor. Don don try on various coping strategies, the more techniques you have against stress, the less space it will take up in your life.
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