3.Stress, Proactive coping and General perceived self-efficacy

However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?- Buddha
My research work- 3


General self-efficacy is the belief in ones own competence to deal effectively with stressful demands. Proactive coping emphasizes the individual’s effort to takes initiative rather than reacting to it. Study findings revealed that beliefs about one’s own competence help the person to take initiative (proactive) to stressors instead of reacting to it and also perceive less stress. 

Now, I have been developing a training manual to enhancing proactive coping skills. This will help the person to develop and use their personal and social resources more effectively which will help the person to learn to use their every day stress for their personal growth. 

All my research works submitted to various journals. However you can get by sending mail to me if you want to learn more about it. My sincere thanks to the authors, who are all, contributed the theories and tools for my research. 

Further reading and Web resources

1.Zweig & Webster: What are we measuring? An examination of the relationships between the big-five personality traits, goal orientation, and performance intentions, Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 36, Issue 7, Pages 1693-1708, May 2004.
2.Schwarzer, R. (1998). General Perceived Self-Efficacy in 14 Cultures.{On-line}. Available: http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~health/lingua5.htm.

3. Greenglass, E. R., Schwarzer, R., & Taubert, S. (1999). The Proactive Coping Inventory (PCI): A multidimensional research instrument. [On-line publication. Available at: http://www.psych.yorku.ca/greenglass/].

The Personal Style Inventory (PSI) Learning Kit encourages you to achieve greater flexibility and integration in your use of the rational versus intuitive ways of being in the world. 

http://www.the-intuitive-self.org/scripts/frameit/intro.cgi?/website/introduction/assess/psi_learning_kit.html

2.Stress coping and cognitive styles

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. -Buddha

My research work- 2

People differ in their relative preferences for ‘logical’ and ‘intuitive’ ways of dealing with situation, they have widely use four types of coping viz, approach, avoidance, emotional regulation and reappraisal. I have found that the cognitive styles have significantly influence on their ability to cope up with stress.
Logical describes an individual who makes judgments based on reason and focuses on specific details.
Intuitive describe an individual who makes judgments based on feelings and adopts a global approach (big picture-holistic).

Findings revealed that intuitive thinking leads to positive approach oriented coping whereas logical thinking leads to avoidance and emotional focused coping. Integration of both logical and intuitive thinking leads to reappraisal coping. According to transactional approach and meaning making cognitive reappraisal are central in determining whether a situation is potential threatening, harmful or challenging and cognition determine both the perception of stress and the individual’s reaction to it. Much of our thinking left to itself biased, distorted, partial and prejudiced. When we encounter uncertain or uncontrollable events only our logical thinking may not be helpful and leads to emotional reaction and avoidance coping. We need to develop integration of both logical and intuitive thinking to promote cognitive reappraisal (big picture – holistic) and to deal with stressful situation more effectively.

1.Stress coping skills and goal orientation

"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself" - Jim Rohn

My research work- 1

My personal interest is to find out why people differ so greatly in their response to stress, and how can I help them to develop appropriate coping skills. Here I am presenting some of my research works. To avoid technical jargon I have simply presents the important conclusions.

Stress coping play a major role which determines how students approach and engage learning activities.

Stress coping skills that makes the students to seek to develop their skills,
1.Resourcefulness
2.Ability to relax
3.Ability to access situation
4.Self-reliance
5.Adaptability and flexibility
Students who focuses in their ‘process of learning’ wants to learn something from their complex task but they don’t focus on their end result.

Stress coping skills that makes the students to approach their task to demonstrate their ability and competence,
1.Resourcefulness
2.Ability to relax
3.Ability to Access situation
4.Proactive attitude

If missing the above skills, students may simply

avoid the learning task. Learning coupled with approach orientation will be helpful to the students to achieve something.