Coping with Negative Life Events: Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives PDF
Preview Coping with Negative Life Events: Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives
COPING WITH NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping Series Editor: Donald Meichenbaum, University oj Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Editorial Board: Bruce P. Dohrenwend, Columbia University Marianne Frankenhaeuser, University oj Stockholm Norman Garmezy, University oj Minnesota Mardi J. Horowitz, University oj California Medical School, San Francisco Richard S. Lazarus, University oj California, Berkeley Michael Rutter, University oj London Dennis C. Turk, University oj Pittsburgh Camille Wortman, University, oj Michigan COPING WITH LIFE CRISES An Integrated Approach Edited by Rudolf H. Moos COPING WITH NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives Edited by C. R. Snyder and Carol E. Ford DYNAMICS OF STRESS Physiological, Psychological, and Social Perspectives Edited by Mortimer H. Appley and Richard Trumbull A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher. COPING WITH NEGATIVE LIFE EVENTS Clinical and Social Psychological Perspectives Edited by C. R. Snyder University of Kansas Lawrence) Kansas and Carol E. Ford University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri Springer Science+B usiness Media, LLC Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Pub1ication Data Coping with negative life events. (The Plenum series on stress and coping) Includes bibliographies and index. 1. Life change events — Psychological aspects. 2. Adjustment (Psychology) I. Snyder, C. R. II. Ford, Carol E. III. Series. [DNLM: 1. Adaptation, Psychological. 2. Life Change Events. BF 335 C7828] BF637.L53C66 1987 155.9 87-2483 ISBN 978-1-4757-9867-8 ISBN 978-1-4757-9865-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4757-9865-4 First Printing—June 1987 Second Printing—October 1988 © 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Plenum Press, New York in 1987 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1987 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher This book is dedicated to the memory of Shirley Snyder for endless lessons in coping Contributors Robert M. Arkin, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri Ann H. Baumgardner, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia Jack W. Brehm, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Law rence, Kansas Sharon S. Brehm, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas Carol E. Ford, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Co lumbia, Missouri Jeff Greenberg, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tuc son, Arizona Robert N. Harris, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas Jill M. Hooley, Department of Social Relations, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts B. Kent Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas Lina Jandorf, Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, Department of Psychology, University of Mas sachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts John M. Neale, Department of Psychology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York vii viii CONTRIBUTORS Linda S. Perloff, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Chi cago, Illinois Tom Pyszczynski, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado Barry R. Schlenker, Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida C. R. Snyder, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Law rence, Kansas Arthur A. Stone, Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York Christine Timko, Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut Thomas Ashby Wills, Departments of Psychology and Epidemiology, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York Rex A. Wright, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, Co lumbia, Missouri Preface "Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters" The surge of current interest in the interface between clinical and social psychology is well illustrated by the publication of a number of general texts and journals in this area, and the growing emphasis in graduate programs on providing training in both disciplines. Although the bene fits of an integrated clinical-social approach have been recognized for a number of years, the recent work in this area has advanced from the oretical extrapolations of social psychological models to clinical issues to theory and research that is based on social principles and conducted in clinical domains. It is becoming increasingly common to find social psy chologists pursuing research with clinical populations and clinical psy chologists investigating variables that have traditionally been in the realm of social psychology. A major area of interface between the two disciplines is in research and theory concerned with how individuals respond to negative events. In addition to the trend toward an integrated clinical-social approach, the growing body of literature in this area reflects the explosion of cur rent interest in the area of health psychology; work by clinical and social psychologists on the topics of stress and coping has been one of the major facets of this burgeoning field. The purpose of the present volume is to provide a common forum for recent advances in the clinical and social literature on responses to negative life outcomes. In order to achieve this purpose, the book has been divided into six parts. In Part I, an introductory chapter examines the role of theoretical perspective in the analysis of coping with negative life events. Four case histories are described in this chapter in order to highlight how theoretical perspective influences the definition of nega tive life events and coping both for the insider (i.e., the person undergo- ix x PREFACE ing the negative life events) and outsiders (i.e., the observer in general, and mental health professional in particular). In order to give the reader a flavor of the common processes addressed by the chapters in the four major parts of the book, one case history is elaborated at the beginning of a section. In the next four parts of the book (Parts II, III, IV & V), chapters are grouped according to shared perspectives. For example, in Part II, there are four chapters involving the process of effort expendi ture in coping with negative life events. In Part III, there are three chapters involving control/mastery issues. Part IV contains two chapters describing social comparison perspectives, and Part V includes three chapters revolving around the image maintenance process. In Part VI, a final chapter presents conclusions regarding a possible taxonomy for this research area. Thanks are due to several people. First, our families and friends have patiently tolerated the extra hours that this project has necessitated. Our assistants, Judy Williams and Jane Niemeyer, have provided enthu siastic help at all phases. We also have had the privilege of working with Eliot Werner, senior editor at Plenum. Eliot and series editor Donald Meichenbaum provided excellent support for the completion of this project. Finally, the authors in this volume are to be congratulated for their continued good will and efforts at reaching the various deadlines. The subtitle of this preface borrows from Paul Simon's song of a similar name. In this song, the lyrics tell the story of a person who offers assistance ("the bridge") in helping a friend to deal with the difficulties of life ("troubled waters"). In a slightly different vein, however, the refrain of "like a bridge over troubled waters" also can be applied to the authors of the present volume. These authors are architects, builders of sorts, who offer bridges or structures for understanding how we cope with negative life events. C. R. SNYDER CAROL E. FORD
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