Rigid and flexible modes of coping: Related to coping style?

Abstract

This study examined dispositional and situative antecedents of vigilant and avoidant coping behavior. Seventy-two subjects were classified in coping style on the basis of their responses to the vigilance and cognitive avoidance scales of the Mainz Coping Inventory (MCI, Krohne, 1989), and alternatively, on their trait anxiety and defensiveness scores (cf. Weinberger, Schwartz, & Davidson, 1979). In a subsequent laboratory task, subjects were exposed to various conditions of predictability of an aversive event. In anticipation of an aversive loud tone, coping behavior was operationally defined as choosing to listen either to a warning channel (i.e., vigilance) or instead to music (i.e., avoidance). Probability of occurrence of a warning signal while listening to the warning channel varied across trials, being either 0%, 33%, 66%, or 100%. Subjects were exposed to each level and were informed about the respective probability in advance. In general, listening to the warning channel increased with an increase in the probability of the warning signal. However, four groups of subjects who differed in their pattern of coping behavior across trials were observed: rigid-avoidant copers (always listening to music), rigid-vigilant copers (always monitoring the warning channel), flexible copers (switching from music to warning channel with increasing probability of warning), and inconsistent copers (vacillating between music and warning channel regardless of probability of warning). Coping style classifications did not show substantial associations with coping behavior. However, subjects demonstrating the inconsistent coping pattern scored high on trait anxiety.

Key Words:

• Avoidant coping behavior
• consistency
• flexibility
• predictability
• trait anxiety
• repression