a stress-management strategy in which a person absolves himself or herself of responsibility for managing a stressor and instead relinquishes control over its resolution to external resources, such as other people and environmental factors. Individuals who cope passively often withdraw from interpersonal relationships and instead engage in such activities as hoping, praying, or avoiding the stressor. This type of coping strategy generally is considered maladaptive, having been associated with increased depression, poorer psychological adjustment, and other adverse consequences. It is similar to the earlier conceptualization of emotion-focused coping but distinguished by its focus on external factors and abdication of personal responsibility. Compare active coping. [identified in 1987 by Gregory K. Brown and Perry M. Nicassio (1947– ), U.S. clinical psychologists]