problem-focused coping
a stress-management strategy in which a person directly confronts a stressor in an attempt to decrease or eliminate it. This may involve generating possible solutions to a problem, confronting others who are responsible for or otherwise associated with the stressor, and other forms of instrumental action. For example, a student who is anxious about an upcoming examination might cope by studying more, attending every class, and attending special review sessions to ensure he or she fully understands the course material. It has been proposed that problem-focused coping is used primarily when a person appraises a stressor as within his or her capacity to change. Compare emotion-focused coping. [identified in 1984 by Richard S. Lazarus and Susan Folkman (1938– ), U.S. psychologists]