cognitive coping

any strategy in which a person uses mental activity to manage a stressful event or situation. A variety of different forms exist, such as putting the experience into perspective, seeking to understand the causes of the situation, thinking about steps to resolve the situation, thinking about pleasant experiences instead of the current difficulty (positive refocusing), redefining the situation to emphasize potential benefits (positive reappraisal), exaggerating the negative consequences of the event (catastrophizing), blaming oneself or others for the occurrence of the event, dwelling on the negative emotions associated with the event (rumination), and minimizing the situation or its impact (cognitive avoidance). Some of these strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal, positive refocusing, putting things into perspective) generally are considered more effective than others, being associated with more positive psychological outcomes. Compare behavioral coping.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

March 17th 2025

dominance–subordination

a form of social relationship within groups with a leader or dominant member who has priority of access to resources over other, subordinate members of the community. Among nonhuman animals, dominance–subordination relationships are highly organized in troops of baboons, in which dominant males have more access to food resources and mates than do subordinate males and all males often appear to have dominance over females. In hyena groups, the relationship is reversed, with males subordinate to females.