Which coping approach involves altering the stressor itself, such as changing jobs to reduce stress?

Which coping approach involves altering the stressor itself, such as changing jobs to reduce stress?

• A. Alter the stressor
• B. Adapt to the stressor
• C. Avoid the stressor
• D. Denial

Answer: (A)

Problem-focused coping targets the source of stress by actively changing the situation itself. When the stressor is controllable, altering it often leads to the greatest reduction in stress because you remove or lessen the cause rather than just managing your reaction to it. In the example, changing jobs to reduce stress is exactly that—you modify the environment to prevent the stress from happening in the first place. Adapt to the stressor, by contrast, is about adjusting your feelings or accepting the situation rather than changing it; it’s more about emotional adjustment. Avoiding the stressor means staying away from the source, which can provide short-term relief but doesn’t resolve the underlying issue. Denial is a defense mechanism that involves ignoring or minimizing the stressor, which also fails to address the problem.

Problem-focused coping targets the source of stress by actively changing the situation itself. When the stressor is controllable, altering it often leads to the greatest reduction in stress because you remove or lessen the cause rather than just managing your reaction to it. In the example, changing jobs to reduce stress is exactly that—you modify the environment to prevent the stress from happening in the first place.

Adapt to the stressor, by contrast, is about adjusting your feelings or accepting the situation rather than changing it; it’s more about emotional adjustment. Avoiding the stressor means staying away from the source, which can provide short-term relief but doesn’t resolve the underlying issue. Denial is a defense mechanism that involves ignoring or minimizing the stressor, which also fails to address the problem.