Health Psychology Week 9: Coping, Emotion Regulation, and Social Support

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering coping mechanisms, emotion regulation strategies and motives, and categories of social support.

Coping

Thoughts and actions used to manage stressful situations.

Coping style

Your usual way of dealing with stress.

Approach coping

Facing the stressor and related thoughts and feelings (e.g., going to therapy).

Avoidance coping

Escaping or turning away from the stressor and related feelings (e.g., procrastinating).

Problem-focused coping

Managing or changing the actual source of stress (e.g., making a study schedule).

Emotion-focused coping

Managing the feelings caused by the stressor (e.g., deep breathing or sitting with your feelings).

Emotion regulation

Influencing which emotions you have, when you have them, and how you experience or express them.

Modal model of emotion

The sequential order in which emotions unfold: Situation > Attention > Appraisal > Response.

Hedonic motive

A motive for emotion regulation directed at changing how you feel.

Prohedonic regulation

Regulating emotions to feel pleasure or feel better.

Contrahedonic regulation

Regulating emotions to experience unpleasant feelings.

Instrumental motive

A motive for emotion regulation focused on using emotions to reach another goal.

Performance motive

An instrumental motive for emotion regulation aimed 'to do'.

Epistemic motive

An instrumental motive for emotion regulation aimed 'to know'.

Social motive

An instrumental motive for emotion regulation aimed 'to relate'.

Eudaimonic motive

An instrumental motive for emotion regulation aimed 'to be' and support meaning and identity.

Situation selection

An emotion regulation strategy that involves choosing which situations to enter or avoid (e.g., choosing a quiet place to study).

Situation modification

An emotion regulation strategy that involves changing a situation you are already in (e.g., asking people to lower their voices).

Attentional deployment

An emotion regulation strategy that involves changing what you focus on (e.g., focusing on the question instead of the clock).

Cognitive change

An emotion regulation strategy that involves changing how you think about a situation (e.g., thinking a quiz is a chance to show what you know).

Response modulation

An emotion regulation strategy that involves managing your reaction once the emotion occurs (e.g., slowing your breathing when nervous).

Reappraisal

Changing the meaning of a situation to reduce its emotional impact; connected with better outcomes.

Suppression

Holding back the outward expression of an emotion; connected with worse outcomes because hiding an emotion does not necessarily remove the feeling.

Emotional support

A form of social support providing care, comfort, and understanding (e.g., a friend listening when you are upset).

Instrumental support

A form of social support providing practical help (e.g., someone giving you a ride).

Informational support

A form of social support providing advice or information (e.g., someone explaining an assignment).

Perceived support

Believing help will be available if needed; identified as the stronger predictor of positive outcomes.

Enacted support

Help that is actually provided, which can sometimes have negative effects.

Dependency paradox

The phenomenon where receiving help can sometimes make someone feel less capable, dependent, or helpless.

Visible support

Direct help that the person notices.

Invisible support

Indirect help that the person may not recognize as support.