Definition
Avoidance coping is one of the major types of coping that allows an individual to deal with the extrinsic and intrinsic sources of stress ranging from life’s daily hassles to major events. Avoidance coping is particularly distinguished from problem-focused mechanism as this is aimed at quelling the immediate experiences of distress through the utilization of both cognitive and behavioral techniques (Folkman and Moskowitz 2004). Such efforts are “oriented toward denying, minimizing, or otherwise avoiding dealing directly with stressful demands” (Holahan et al. 2005, p. 2). These efforts, therefore, are not meant to address the cause of the problem head on but, instead, are intended to allow the distraught person to live on in the midst of a difficult situation.
Introduction
A holistic appreciation of avoidance coping requires a brief overview of the broader notion of coping. According to...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Cronkite, R. C., & Moos, R. H. (1995). Life context, coping processes, and depression. In E. E. Beckham & W. R. Leber (Eds.), Handbook of depression (pp. 569–587). New York: Guilford Press.
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R. S. (1980). An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 219–239.
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychologist, 55, 647–654.
Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., & Bonin, L. (1999). Social context and depression: An integrative stress and coping framework. In T. Joiner & J. Coyne (Eds.), The interactional nature of depression: Advances in interpersonal approaches (pp. 39–63). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Holahan, C. J., Moos, R. H., Holahan, C. K., Brennan, P. L., & Schutte, K. K. (2005). Stress generation, avoidance coping, and depressive symptoms: A 10-year model. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 658–666.
Krohne, H. W. (2001). Stress and coping theories. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences (pp. 15163–15170). Oxford: Elsevier.
Penley, J. A., Tomaka, J., & Wiebe, J. S. (2002). The association of coping to physical and psychological health outcomes: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 6, 551–603.
Roth, S., & Cohen, L. (1986). Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist, 41, 813–819.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Balmores-Paulino, R.S. (2018). Avoidance Coping Strategies. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_645-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_645-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences