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Coping with Procrastination

Chrisoula Andreou

in The Thief of Time: Philosophical Essays on Procrastination

This chapter illustrates and analyzes an important coping strategy that has been neglected in the literature on procrastination: the leveraging strategy. Although one must know oneself quite well to ... More

This chapter illustrates and analyzes an important coping strategy that has been neglected in the literature on procrastination: the leveraging strategy. Although one must know oneself quite well to use it, it has some significant advantages and so is worth considering, particularly when other strategies are not working or are out of place. Its main advantages are that it can be used even when no external incentives or constraints are conveniently available, and it avoids the dangers associated with magnifying the significance of lapses by casting every relevant choice as a crucial test of one’s self-control. Theoretically, the strategy is initially somewhat puzzling, since it seems to rely on having a significant amount of self-control; but such self-control is, it seems, precisely what is lacking. The puzzle dissolves once one recognizes the possibility that self-control can figure as a local trait rather than a robust character trait.Less

Coping and Intervention

Kirby Deater-Deckard

in Parenting Stress

Adaptation and coping with parenting stress involve a number of psychological processes. This chapter evaluates the effectiveness of some coping strategies that may reduce parenting stress and ... More

Adaptation and coping with parenting stress involve a number of psychological processes. This chapter evaluates the effectiveness of some coping strategies that may reduce parenting stress and improve children's developmental outcomes. Some of these strategies include problem- and emotion-focused coping, cognitive approach strategy, and relationship-focused coping. The chapter also reviews intervention studies that promote adaptation and reduce parenting stress.Less

Coping and resilience: children's responses to online risks

Sofie Vandoninck, Leen d'Haenens, and Katia Segers

in Children, risk and safety on the internet: Research and policy challenges in comparative perspective

When exposure to online risks results in a negative experience, children respond in different ways to this feeling of being upset. This chapter investigates which children are more vulnerable, as ... More

When exposure to online risks results in a negative experience, children respond in different ways to this feeling of being upset. This chapter investigates which children are more vulnerable, as they feel upset more intensively. While online bullying provokes most harm, children seem less bothered seeing sexual images (content risk). Younger children and those with little self-efficacy or psychological problems feel more intensively upset, and girls are more sensitive to sexual risks. This chapter also looks into children's coping responses when they feel upset after exposure to online risks. The chapter distinguishes between fatalistic, communicative and proactive coping strategies. It concludes that children identified as more vulnerable are more likely to adopt a passive or fatalistic approach, while self-confident children seem to tackle the problem more proactively. Girls and younger children are more communicative. Children higher on the ladder of online opportunities will adopt more online proactive coping strategies such as deleting disturbing messages or blocking the sender. These results are an indication for a double jeopardy effect: children who experience difficulties offline seem to find it more difficult to cope with online risks.Less

Stress and Coping: Generational and Gender Similarities and Differences

Jane Lemaire, Jean E. Wallace, and Alyssa Jovanovic

in First Do No Self Harm: Understanding and Promoting Physician Stress Resilience

There are more women and a new generation of physicians entering the practice of medicine. This chapter presents pertinent literature on these two demographic shifts and on the topic of physicians’ ... More

There are more women and a new generation of physicians entering the practice of medicine. This chapter presents pertinent literature on these two demographic shifts and on the topic of physicians’ work-related stress and coping strategies in the context of these changes within the medical profession. The authors also present data from a large-scale study that helps explore how physicians’ work-related stress and coping strategies may be similar or different depending on their generation or gender.Less

Psychosocial Care

Donal Gallagher and Barbara Monroe

in Palliative Care in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: From diagnosis to bereavement, 2nd Edn

This chapter discusses psychosocial care, a collective responsibility of everyone working with those affected by ALS. Psychosocial care includes the giving of bad news, respecting and developing ... More

This chapter discusses psychosocial care, a collective responsibility of everyone working with those affected by ALS. Psychosocial care includes the giving of bad news, respecting and developing coping strategies, and acknowledging fears and maintaining hope. Psychosocial care is the core component of good palliative care; it plays an important role in determining how patients and families respond to the impact of the illness and aids in the coping with the experiences of loss and change as well as in expanding the sense of what is possible.Less

Negotiating the Demands of Membership at Faith Christian Center

Milmon F. Harrison

in Righteous Riches: The Word of Faith Movement in Contemporary African American Religion

This chapter focuses on the difficult positions faced by some people as they attempt both to live out the teachings of the Faith Message and to serve the needs of the ministry. It discusses four ... More

This chapter focuses on the difficult positions faced by some people as they attempt both to live out the teachings of the Faith Message and to serve the needs of the ministry. It discusses four coping strategies church members use to cope with the demands placed upon them: filtering, venting networks, break taking, and, leaving the church permanently. Filtering is the active, intentional practice of accepting certain parts of the pastor's interpretation of scripture (or definition of the situation in terms of practice) while consciously rejecting others. Venting networks emerged out of social interactions in which members — who may or may not be deemed “disgruntled” but who have something to say that may be interpreted by others as against the dominant view — are able to critique and to give voice to their disagreements or discontents concerning some aspect of their experiences in the church. Break taking involves members voluntarily removing themselves either from their position in the church as a worker for a period of time before returning at some later date or staying away from the ministry altogether for a period of time.Less

How Do the Better Educated Do It? Socioeconomic Status and the Ability to Cope with Underlying Impairment

David M. Cutler and Mary Beth Landrum

in Developments in the Economics of Aging

This chapter examines how elderly people in different socioeconomic groups cope with disability in performing basic personal care activities, including dressing, bathing, and getting around inside, ... More

This chapter examines how elderly people in different socioeconomic groups cope with disability in performing basic personal care activities, including dressing, bathing, and getting around inside, and activities required to live independently, such as preparing meals, grocery shopping, and managing money. It considers two primary issues. It shows that while the majority of socioeconomic differences in disability can be attributed to differences in underlying functioning—the better off have much less difficulty with these measures even in the absence of help—coping is important as well. In other words, the better educated are less likely to have functional disabilities in the first place, and cope with them better when they occur. The second part of the study analyzes how people cope with impairments, how coping strategies vary by education, and whether the use of personal help and technological aids are important for successful coping. On these issues, the study finds that better-educated people use substantially more assistive technology and are more likely to use paid help than people with less education.Less

Relating online practices, negative experiences and coping strategies

Bence Ságvári and Anna Galácz

in Children, risk and safety on the internet: Research and policy challenges in comparative perspective

This chapter focuses on the presence of multiple risks in children's lives, using a complex approach that also takes account of the complex characteristics of the different coping strategies employed ... More

This chapter focuses on the presence of multiple risks in children's lives, using a complex approach that also takes account of the complex characteristics of the different coping strategies employed to obviate potential harm. Using multivariate analysis the results suggest evidence for the support of both usage and risk migration hypotheses in the case of risk, and for the vulnerability hypothesis in the case of harm. By analysing coping strategies the chapter suggests that only a small minority of children choose a single coping strategy. Most adopt more than one solution, which means that they mix the theoretically separate types of action in responding to harm. The results show that a sole passive type of coping is very rare among children, thus confirming the previous findings which indicate that children's responses are generally positive: most children feel empowered to seek social support or act on their own.Less

Communication about coping as a survivor

Linda E Carlson and Barry D Bultz

in Handbook of Communication in Oncology and Palliative Care

As medical cancer treatments become more and more successful, a growing cohort of cancer survivors is emerging. Maintaining effective communication with survivors poses a host of new challenges that ... More

As medical cancer treatments become more and more successful, a growing cohort of cancer survivors is emerging. Maintaining effective communication with survivors poses a host of new challenges that have not received much attention in the literature to date. This chapter covers a number of areas relevant to enhancing communication with survivors including: various definitions of who is considered a cancer survivor; prevalence of survivors; key issues faced by cancer survivors; coping strategies, including the use of care plans and clinical practice guidelines; communication challenges with cancer survivors; models for survivorship care and details about communication techniques in the survivorship consultation. It examines the issues that are important for ongoing care and communication with cancer patients who will go on to live post-treatment and require continuity of care for many years.Less

Psychosocial Adaptation of Children and Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease

Lamia P. Barakat and Laurie A. Lash

in Comprehensive Handbook of Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Disease: A Biopsychosocial Approach

Sickle cell disease (SCD), a chronic genetic disorder, can produce a host of potentially life-threatening complications that may have an impact on the physical integrity and psychosocial adaptation ... More

Sickle cell disease (SCD), a chronic genetic disorder, can produce a host of potentially life-threatening complications that may have an impact on the physical integrity and psychosocial adaptation of the affected child or adolescent. The nature of SCD presents many risk factors, particularly for those children with the most severe form, sickle cell anemia (hemoglobin [Hb] SS). Most common and significant is that SCD involves recurrent, unpredictable pain that can interfere with daily functioning, including social activities and school attendance. Treatment for SCD varies in intensity and invasiveness depending on severity of complications. It may involve daily management (i.e., hydration, restrictions on activities, prophylactic antibiotics, and pain management) as well as preventive follow-up care. Regular blood transfusions are required for children who have had stroke, are at risk for stroke, or experience severe pain crises. Alternative solutions for those with the most severe disease include hydroxyurea and bone marrow transplant. Children with SCD experience pain episodes that vary in severity, duration, and frequency (Brown, Doepke, & Kaslow, 1993). In children with SCD, intense pain episodes often result in repeated hospitalizations and absences from school (Brown, Doepke, et al., 1993). In addition, some forms of pain management, including limitation of physical activity, may interfere with children’s ability to participate in sport activities or to engage in peer relations when they are experiencing a pain crisis. Moreover, the occurrence of cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) or stroke can have an impact on academic achievement and long-term occupational outcomes (Lemanek, Buckloh, Woods, & Butler, 1995). Although comparisons to other pediatric populations may be useful for understanding processes involved in adaptation, there are aspects of the lives of children and adolescents with SCD, and of their disease, that require a specifically modified approach to the investigation of psychosocial adaptation and application of the current pediatric literature. These issues include the genetic nature of this life-threatening and life-shortening disease, the high prevalence of the disease in African American individuals in the United States, and the multiple stressors faced by children and adolescents with SCD. Less

An Analysis of the Socio-Economic Logics Underpinning Formal and Informal Strategies for Coping with Economic Hardships in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Maïté le Polain and Nyssens Marthe

in Securing Livelihoods: Informal Economy Practices and Institutions

This chapter aims to analyse the strategies used by vulnerable inhabitants of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to cope with economic hardships. The analysis is based on exploratory ... More

This chapter aims to analyse the strategies used by vulnerable inhabitants of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to cope with economic hardships. The analysis is based on exploratory qualitative research conducted in June 2011. Economic hardships are understood as financial pressures on the household that result from sudden emergencies or life-cycle events. We first describe commonly reported sources of economic hardships and then risk management and coping strategies. Strategies are grouped into three categories: individual strategies such as self-insurance and income diversification, collective informal, and collective formal strategies. The socio-economic logics underpinning these strategies are then examined through the lenses of the Polanyi framework, which distinguishes between four types of economic integration principles: market, redistribution, reciprocity, and householding. Our research results indicate a plurality of economic logics in strategies used by respondents as well as the predominance of reciprocity and householding principles.Less

Risk, Security, and Coping Mechanisms in Contexts of Violent Conflict: Evidence from Rwanda and Burundi

Philip Verwimp and Olivia D’Aoust

in A Micro-Level Perspective on the Dynamics of Conflict, Violence, and Development

Households in developing countries are exposed to a number of risks, including negative shocks to their health, nutrition, or income. These shocks can be related to poor living conditions or ... More

Households in developing countries are exposed to a number of risks, including negative shocks to their health, nutrition, or income. These shocks can be related to poor living conditions or exogenous events such as natural disasters. In conflict-prone environments, political shocks add insecurity to an already volatile economic context. In the absence of functioning insurance and credit markets, these adverse events can trap households into poverty. This chapter presents research performed as part of MICROCON on the risks faced and the security and the coping mechanisms used by households and individuals in Rwanda and Burundi, two conflict-affected countries in central Africa. The authors present insights on poverty dynamics, health, nutrition, and mortality, as well as on social, risk, and time preferences.Less

The Economic Impact of Earthquakes on Households: Evidence From Japan

Yasuyuki Sawada

in The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters

Japan is vulnerable to a wide variety of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, landslides and avalanches. Of these natural disasters, earthquakes are ... More

Japan is vulnerable to a wide variety of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, landslides and avalanches. Of these natural disasters, earthquakes are the most serious and frequently occurring. In this chapter, after reviewing the two contrasting cases of the Kobe and Chuetsu earthquakes, we discuss the role of public policy in facilitating risk management at the household level in the case of natural disasters. The Kobe earthquake hit the urban centre, where industries and residence are densely located, while the Chuetsu earthquake occurred in mountainous and remote farming areas. A comparison of Kobe and Chuetsu earthquakes shows differences in income, consumption, and other household level socio-economic variables that help us to identify the effectiveness of formal and informal insurance mechanisms.Less

‘The slippery slope’

Denise Tanner

in Managing the ageing experience: Learning from older people

The ‘slippery slope’ conveys participants’ perceptions of their tenuous hold on ‘coping’ and the implied threat of a time when they would no longer be able to manage. The chapter explores the ... More

The ‘slippery slope’ conveys participants’ perceptions of their tenuous hold on ‘coping’ and the implied threat of a time when they would no longer be able to manage. The chapter explores the resources and threats that comprise ‘the slippery slope’ of later life and influence older people’s capacity to withstand or negotiate successfully the difficulties they encounter. Key factors for participants when giving an account of the nature and level of difficulties they experienced and their strategies for addressing them are their health and abilities, financial resources, previous life experiences, own perspectives, and social relationships. The wider community may also pose threats to old people’s coping strategies which impedes them in managing difficulties. These include the availability and the level of service available or provided, and community services which appeared to undermine efforts to preserve independence.Less

Coping with the Threat of Terrorism

in Democracy at Risk: How Terrorist Threats Affect the Public

During times of collective crisis — in particular, terrorist threat — individuals may experience heightened distress, anxiety, hopelessness, loss of control, worry, fear, and anger. By their very ... More

During times of collective crisis — in particular, terrorist threat — individuals may experience heightened distress, anxiety, hopelessness, loss of control, worry, fear, and anger. By their very nature, collective crises create conditions in which solutions remain out of the reach of individual decisions or actions. Reacting to conditions of terrorist threat, people may adopt one or more coping strategies that affect how they perceive and treat fellow individuals, their political leaders, and other nations. This chapter discusses three such strategies. The first coping strategy is the expression of increased distrust and authoritarianism in one's assessments of other individuals. The second is coping via strong leadership and charisma, and searching for a heroic political leader whose status is elevated and protected in order to increase one's feelings of efficacy and/or safety. The third strategy is an increased preference for dual foreign policy objectives whereby individuals seek to “lock down” the homeland while at the same time engage abroad. The chapter concludes by considering the ways in which conditions of terrorist threat may (or may not) place democracy at risk.Less