A Self-Presentational View of Coping with Stress

  • Lothar Laux
Chapter
Part of the The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping book series (SSSO)

Abstract

Among the many stress situations people encounter, those involving social stress seem to be the most frequent. Social stress situations refer to the evaluation of personal adequacy (e.g., being interviewed for a job or giving a speech). The interpersonal evaluation inherent in these situations is usually appraised as a threat to self-esteem. To cope with such threatening situations, people often attempt to present themselves in a particular way. Consider the following excerpt of an interview from my own research on test anxiety. A young female teacher described her coping efforts in an examination, in which she had to teach in front of the class and the examiners, as follows: “Compared to the written examination this performance was much more important to me since I could present my personality. I attempted to appear self-confident. The examiners should not notice my weaknesses. I wanted to save my face.”

Keywords

State Anxiety Test Anxiety Impression Management Coping Process Expressive Behavior 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Google Scholar
  2. Averill, J. R. (1980). A constructivist view of emotion. In R. Plutchik & H. Kellermann (Eds.), Emotion: Theory, research, and experience (Vol. 1, pp. 305–339). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
  3. Bandura, A. (1978). The self-system in reciprocal determinism. American Psychologist, 33, 334–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Baumeister, R. F. (1982). A self-presentational view of social phenomena. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 3–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Biggs, S. J. (1983). Choosing to change in video feedback: On common-sense and the empiricist error. In P. W. Dowrick & S. J. Biggs (Eds.), Using video. Psychological and social applications, (pp. 211–226). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  6. Cofer, C. N., & Appley, M. H. (1964). Motivation: Theory and research. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  7. Dowrick, P. W., & Biggs, S. J. (Eds.) (1983). Using video. Psychological and social applications. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
  8. Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1974). Detecting deception from the body or face. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 288–298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Glanzmann, P. (1985). Anxiety, stress, and learning. In B. D. Kirkcaldy (Ed.), Individual differences in performance (pp. 89–113). Lancaster, England: MTP Press.Google Scholar
  10. Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
  11. Grawe, K. (1982). Implikationen und Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der vertikalen Verhaltensanalyse für die Sichtweise und Behandlung psychischer Störungen [Implications and possibilities of use of the Vertical Behavior Analysis for the interpretation and treatment of emotional disturbances]. Research Reports from the Department of Psychology, University of Bern.Google Scholar
  12. Jones, E. E., & Berglas, S. (1978). Control of attributions about the self through self-handicapping strategies: The appeal of alcohol and the role of under-achievement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 4, 200–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Kagan, N., Krathwohl, D. R., & Miller, R. (1963). Stimulated recall in therapy using video tape—A case study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 10, 237–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs (Vol. 1). New York: Norton.Google Scholar
  15. Krippendorff, K. (1980). Content analysis. An introduction to its methodology. London: Sage, 1980.Google Scholar
  16. Laux, L. (1976). The multitrait-multimethod rationale in stress research. In I. G. Sarason & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Stress and anxiety. (Vol. 3, pp. 171–181). Washington: Hemisphere.Google Scholar
  17. Laux, L., & Vossel, G. (1982). Paradigms in stress research: Laboratory versus field and traits versus processes. In L. Goldberger & S. Breznitz (Eds.), Handbook of stress. Theoretical and clinical aspects (203–211). New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
  18. Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
  19. Lazarus, R. S. (1983). The costs and benefits of denial. In S. Breznitz (Ed.), The denial of stress (pp. 1–30). New York: International Universities Press.Google Scholar
  20. Lazarus, R. S., & Cohen, J. B. (1978). Environmental stress. In J. Altman & J. F. Wohlwill (Eds.), Human behavior and the environment (pp. 89–127) New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
  21. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
  22. Lazarus, R. S., & Launier, R. (1978). Stress-related transactions between person and environment. In L. A. Pervin & M. Lewis (Eds.), Perspectives in interactional psychology (pp. 287–327). New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Liebert, R. M., & Morris, L. W. (1967). Cognitive and emotional components of test anxiety: A distinction and some initial data. Psychological Reports, 20, 975–978.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Lippa, R. (1976). Expressive control and the leakage of dispositional introversion-extraversion during role-playing teaching. Journal of Personality, 44, 541–559.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Magnusson, D., & Endler, N. S. (1977). Interactional psychology: Present status and future prospects. In D. Magnusson & N. S. Endler (Eds.), Personality at the crossroads: Current issues in interactional psychology (pp. 3–35). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
  26. Meichenbaum, D. T., & Butler, L. (1980). Cognitive ethology. Assessing the streams of cognition and emotion. In P. Blankstein, P. Pliner, & J. Polivy (Eds.), Assessment and modification of emotional behavior: Vol. 6. Advances in the study of communication and affect (pp. 139–163). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
  27. Metcalf, J. T. (1931). Empathy and the actor’s emotion. Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 235–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Pervin, L. A. (1968). Performance and satisfaction as function of individual-environment fit. Psychological Bulletin, 69, 56–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Roskies, E., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). Coping theory and the teaching of coping skills. In P. Davidson (Ed.), Behavioral medicine: Changing health life styles (pp. 38–69). New York: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
  30. Sarason, I. G. (Ed.) (1980). Test anxiety: Theory, research, and applications. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
  31. Schlenker, B. R. (1980). Impression management; The self-concept, social identity, and interpersonal relations. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
  32. Schlenker, B. R. (1985). The self and social life. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
  33. Schlenker, B. R., & Leary, M. R. (1982). Social anxiety and self-presentation: A conceptualization and model. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 641–669.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. Smith, T. W., Snyder, C. R., & Handelsman, M. M. (1982). On the self-serving function of an academic wooden leg: Test anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 314–321.PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  35. Snyder, C. R., & Smith, T. W. (1982). Symptoms as self-handicapping strategies: The virtues of old wine in a new bottle. In G. Weary & H. L. Mirels (Eds.), Integrations of clinical and social psychology (pp. 104–127). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
  36. Snyder, M. (1979a). Cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal consequences of self-monitoring. In P. Pliner, K. R. Blankstein, & I. M. Spigel (Eds.), Perception of emotion in self and others: Vol. 5. Advances in the study of communication and affect (pp. 181–201). New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
  37. Snyder, M. (1979b). Self-monitoring processes. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 12, pp. 85–128). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
  38. Spielberger, C. D. (1972). Anxiety as an emotional state. In C. D. Spielberger (Ed.), Anxiety. Current trends in theory and research (Vol. 1, pp. 23–49). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
  39. Spielberger, C. D., Gonzales, H. P., Taylor, C. J., Algaze, B., & Anton, W. D. (1978). Examination stress and test anxiety. In C. D. Spielberger & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Stress and anxiety (Vol. 5, pp. 167–191). Washington: Hemisphere.Google Scholar
  40. Spielberger, C. D., Gorsuch, R. L., & Lushene, R. E. (1970). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
  41. Tedeschi, J. T. (1981). Impression management theory and social psychological research. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
  42. Tedeschi, J. T., & Norman, N. (1985). Social power, self-presentation, and the self. In B. R. Schlenker (Ed.), The self and social life (pp. 293–322). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
  43. Tetlock, P. E., & Manstead, A. S. R. (1985). Impression management versus intrapsychic explanations in social psychology: A useful dichotomy? Psychological Review, 92, 59–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Yablonsky, L. (1976). Psychodrama: Resolving emotional problems through role playing. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Plenum Press, New York 1986

Authors and Affiliations

  • Lothar Laux
    • 1
  1. 1.Lehrstuhl PersonlichkeitspsychologieUniversität BambergBambergFederal Republic of Germany

Personalised recommendations