Explain key causes of individual and group stress and theories for coping.
In the classic novel, “Lord of the Flies,” certain young men rose to positions of leadership while others became followers. How and why did the group allow this to happen? When you are facing a crisis, certain “survival instincts” may surface, and groups will also attempt to cope with stress in creative and predictable ways. Learning about these dynamics will help you understand how stress is often caused in so many areas of our life as well as examine key ways for coping and/or preventing stress in the first place.
Learning Activity #6: Stress Response
- Read Chapter 14 of the textbook.
- Write one paragraph for each of the following questions, which should result in a total of three to four well developed paragraphs.
- Define three key causes of stress per your textbook? Give one example of each.
- Compare and contrast “problem-focused coping,” “emotion-focused coping,” and “proactive coping.”
- Building upon what your textbook talks about with proactive coping, in your own life explain how religion has helped you cope with your own day-to-day life stressors. Give a personal example of how this impacted you.
