|
...in the current literature, including major theoretical inconsistencies (Levin Chatters, 1998) and lack of integration with contemporary personality theory (Emmons, 1998). One possible model that may address these limitations is Endler's (1997) interactive model of personality. The current paper first discusses the importance of religious coping, then previous research on the predictors of coping; next, it introduces Endler's model and explains why it is a useful concept for this research. Finally, we outline our predictions for the study, present our research findings and discuss the implications of the research.
Religious coping
The awareness that religion can be used as a coping resource has been growing in the past decade, with interest in religious coping gaining momentum in the mainstream of psychiatry (e.g. Fallot, 2001) and psychotherapy (e.g. Walters & Bennett, 2000). While more mental health professionals are becoming aware that religious coping may help promote good health (e.g. Fallot, 2001), it is becoming clear that some types of religious coping are more helpful than others (Pargament, 1997). Multiple empirical studies have shown that religious coping can be categorized into positive and negative constructs (e.g. Bush et al., 1999; Pargament, 1997; Pargament, Koenig, & Perez, 2000; Pargament, Smith, Koenig, & Perez, 1998). Positive religious coping includes a variety of methods that generally involve aspects of social support and positive cognitions and usually result in beneficial outcomes--examples include turning to God or fellow parishioners for support and strengthening one's religious convictions. Negative religious coping, on the other hand, is generally associated with negative attributions, cognitions, and outcome--examples include becoming discontented with God or claiming that the stressful event is the work of the devil.
Previous research on the predictors of coping
Research on personality and the predictors of coping has also found it helpful to think of positive and negative constructs (e.g. Gable, Reis, & Elliot, 2003). For instance, Hofstee (2001) has suggested that personality dispositions can be divided into two main categories: those that are more socially acceptable or are positively valued, and those that are less socially acceptable or are negatively valued. For instance, personality dispositions such as positive affectivity, optimism and hope are considered socially desirable and adaptive, whereas negative affectivity, pessimism and trait anxiety are considered socially undesirable and maladaptive. (1) Research shows that while positive affectivity, optimism and hope are theoretically and empirically distinct, they are closely related variables; similar relationships exist among negative affectivity, pessimism and trait anxiety (Chang, Maydeu-Olivares, & D'Zurilla, 1997; Marshall, Wortman, Kusulas, Hervig, & Vickers, 1992; Snyder, Sympson, Michael, & Chambers, 2001; Watson & Clark, 1984). These findings suggest construct validity for Hofstee's (2001) hypothesis.
A variety of literature has found relationships between personality dispositions and coping. For instance, previous research has found that optimism is associated with more adaptive coping mechanisms, such as active coping, planning and acceptance (Scheier & Carver, 1985; Scheier, Weintraub, & Carver, 1986). Optimism has also been found to be related to positive religious coping, and hope inversely associated with negative religious coping (Ai, Peterson, & Huang, 2003). On the other hand, pessimism has been found to be related to more negative styles of coping such as disengagement and denial (Scheier & Carver, 1985; Scheier et al., 1986). Similarly, trait anxiety has been linked to negative coping such as self-blame and wishful thinking (Smith, Pope, Rhodewalt, & Poulton, 1989). Trait anxiety has been found to be correlated significantly with a number of problematic types of religious coping, including religious apathy, belief in the concept of God's punishment, religious conflict, religious doubts and anger at God (Pargament, Zinnbauer et al., 1998).
While personality dispositions appear to influence choice of coping, ample research has shown that they also indirectly influence coping through perceptions of the situation (e.g. Lazarus & Folkman, 1984; for a review, see Roesch, Weiner, & Vaughn, 2002). Someone who is higher in trait anxiety may perceive a situation to be more dangerous, thereby engendering more anxiety about the situation and the use of more negative forms of coping (Endler, 1997). Various studies support such indirect relationships. For instance, positive personality qualities are generally related to less perceptions of distress, even in difficult situations (e.g. Florian, Mikulincer, & Taubman, 1995; Folkman & Moskowitz, 2000), and positive affectivity has been found to be related to positive situational appraisals (Folkman & Moskowitz, 2000). Previous research has found negative affectivity and pessimism to be related to high levels of event-related anxiety (Showers & Ruben, 1990; Watson & Clark, 1984). Appraisals of a stressful situation, including perceived threat, severity, loss and control, have been consistently found to be related to levels of state anxiety (Endler, Edwards, Vitelli, & Parker, 1989) and coping outcome (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980; Mattlin, Wethington, & Kessler, 1990; McCrae, 1984). Also, situational anxiety has been found to be related to increased use of all types of religious coping (Pargament et al., 1999; Thompson & Vardaman, 1997). The current study seeks to tie these independent findings together by examining the relationships among them in one structural equation model.
Research has indicated that choice of coping also depends on the nature of the situation in which coping occurs (Folkman, Lazarus, Gruen, & DeLongis, 1986; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Types of situations that require coping range widely, both in their objective severity and in the way in which they are perceived by an individual (Mattlin et al., 1990). For example, the death of a loved one might evoke different types of coping than solving a practical problem, such as finding a new job. In particular, research indicates that the amount of control involved in a situation interacts with personality variables to affect the type of coping utilized (Zakowski, Hall, Cousino Klein, & Baum, 2001). Research has shown that people tend to utilize religious coping to deal with situations where they have little control, compared with situations over which they have high control (Pargament, 1997). Religion serves a particular function in that it can help people create meaning out of their experience while coping with uncontrollable situations such as personal illness (Gall & Cornblat, 2002). The current study sought to compare the influences of personality dispositions on choice of coping in two types of situations: those that are characterized by low control and those characterized by high control.
Endler's interactive model of personality
Endler's (1997) interactive model of personality provides a theoretical framework within which to understand the relationships between personality dispositions and coping. According to Endler's model, dispositional traits such as trait anxiety, cognitive style and biology interact with elements of stressful situations, leading to perceptions of danger and changes in state anxiety. In addition, dispositional personality traits directly influence behavioural and cognitive responses that individuals use to cope with their anxiety. Over time, coping is believed reflexively to affect dispositional traits; in other words, coping methods not only have an influence on situational outcome, but also have a cumulative effect on personality.
Initial research has shown empirical support and construct validity for several aspects of Endler's interactional model (e.g. Endler et al., 1989; Endler & Parker, 1990a, 1990b; Flett, Endler, & Fairlie, 1999; Trotter & Endler, 1999). For instance, dispositional variables such as depression and trait anxiety have been found to be related to coping styles (e.g. Endler & Parker, 1990a, 1990b; Trotter & Endler, 1999). In addition, both trait anxiety and perceived situational threat have been found to be related to situational anxiety (Flett et al., 1999). While these studies have provided some empirical evidence for Endler's theory, they have typically focused on only components of the theory often with bivariate analytic techniques. The interactional model has not yet been tested with more powerful statistical techniques such as structural equation modelling, which allow for the examination of both direct and indirect structural effects of disposition on coping. Also, Endler's model has not been examined in relation to religious coping. Endler's model may help provide answers to the lack of integration of religious coping research and contemporary personality research (as noted by Emmons, 1998), in that it combines personality, situational, appraisal, coping and outcomes into a single model.
Predictions
The present study applied Endler's (1997) theory to religious coping using structural equation modeling (see Figure 1). First, positive disposition (positive affectivity, optimism and hope) and negative disposition (negative affectivity, pessimism and trait anxiety) were hypothesized to predict positive religious coping (e.g. constructive ways of using religion...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from British Journal of Psychology
Do people with autistic spectrum disorder show normal selection for at..., November 01, 2006
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
%20integrative%20personality%20theory.%20%20&position=1)