The link between stress and coping is the key that clarifies the impact of behavior such as bullying. The relationship between stress and coping is best viewed in terms of experiential versus action processes. Stress is the experiential component of behavior, the feeling that one’s resources are being taxed or exceeded, whereas coping is the active component that is used to change this feeling.
The bullying behavior is the stress with which the child tries to cope. Similar to models of stress, there are several models of coping each with its specific focus. Traditional approaches to the concept of coping include the animal model and the psychoanalytic ego psychology approach. The animal model involves the concept of drive reduction or arousal. In this model, coping is defined as behavioral acts that control aversive environmental conditions (such as bullying), thereby lowering psychophysiological disturbance. The psychoanalytic ego psychology model is more complex and introduces the process of cognition. In this model, coping is defined as thoughts and acts that solve problems and reduce stress.
Coping is viewed as a trait of the individual that predisposes him/her to react in certain ways in given classes of situations. Four limitations have been cited for the animal model and the ego psychology model of coping. The first is the failure of both models to distinguish coping from automatized behavior. To define coping in such a way as to encompass both reflexive and adaptive behavior renders the term useless. Essentially it accounts for every person-environment interaction. The second and third criticisms are somewhat related. The second is that the models confound coping with outcome. In other words, coping is equated with adaptation success. In order to truly understand the full spectrum of coping, definitions must include efforts to manage stressful demands regardless of the outcome. The third limitation is the equation of coping with mastery over the environment.
The problem here is that not all sources of stress are amenable to mastery. To only consider mastery undermines the functions of coping which include the management of emotion, the maintenance of self-esteem, and the maintenance of a positive outlook in the face of adversity. The fourth criticism is specific to the ego psychology model and this is the treatment of coping as a structured trait. This conceptualization clearly underestimates the complexity and variability of actual coping efforts. Another model of stress and coping from the psychodynamic framework is the approach-avoidant model. The emphasis in this model is on the conscious and unconscious cognitive and emotional activity of the individual while coping with a stressful event.
Approach behaviors involve actively making changes in the situation to reduce the impact of the stressor. Avoidant behaviors involve orienting one’s actions away from the stressful event. People typically use a combination of approach and avoidant behaviors but a preference for one over the other exists. The difficulty with this model is accurately measuring the impact of the unconscious forces in the approach-avoidant behavior.
