Cognitive processes underlying coping flexibility: Differentiation and integration
Abstract
This study investigates how individuals formulate flexible coping strategies across situations by proposing differentiation and integration as two stress-appraisal processes. Results showed that participants who coped more flexibly adopted the dimensions of controllability and impact in differentiating among different stressful situations. They also deployed an integrated strategy: the deployment of more monitoring in situations perceived as controllable but less of this strategy in situations perceived as uncontrollable. Participants who coped less flexibly did not adopt any given dimensions and tended to use more monitoring regardless of situational characteristics. These results suggest that individuals with different extents of coping flexibility differ in the cognitive processes. Individuals who cope more flexibly display a greater extent of differentiation and integration than do those who cope less flexibly. These findings are translated into strategies for stress management workshops.
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Later experimental and prospective work has reproduced the advantage of flexibility over any single self-regulatory strategy configuration.
“These findings on the benefits of flexibility compared with any particular configuration of self-regulatory strategies have been replicated in subsequent experimental and prospective studies (e.g., Cheng, 2003; Cheng & Cheung, 2005).”
From Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health (2010) · cites this paper as Cheng & Cheung, 2005
Cites
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“Such flexibility in coping was unrelated to selfmonitoring, social desirability, and education levels ( Cheng, 2001, 2003 ).”
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Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health
Kashdan, T. B., & Rottenberg, J. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.001 · Cited by 3,054 · see citing works
“These findings on the benefits of flexibility compared with any particular configuration of selfregulatory strategies have been replicated in subsequent experimental and prospective studies (e.g., Cheng, 2003; Cheng & Cheung, 2005).”
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- Authors
- Cheng, C., & Cheung, M. W. L.
- Affiliations
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK)
- University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Corresponding author
- Cheng, Cecilia
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-05-04
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 859-886
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6494
- OpenAlex
- W1974825932
- Cited by
- 149
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 5.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Stress and Burnout Research
- Keywords
- coping flexibility, stress appraisal, differentiation, integration, controllability, cognitive appraisal, coping strategies, stress management
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Cognition, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Individuality, Internal-External Control, Life Change Events, Male, Models, Psychological, Personality, Personality Development, Personality Inventory, Problem Solving, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Desirability, Stress, Psychological
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