Riya, a Class XII student, scores poorly in a pre-board test. That evening she tells herself that one bad test hardly matters. Whenever the result comes to her mind, she turns on the TV, phones up a friend or goes out to be with her cousins. She makes no change to her study plan. Which of the following best describes Riya's way of coping?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Avoidance-oriented strategy, as she is minimising the situation and keeping stressful thoughts away
Option (1) Avoidance-oriented strategy, as she is minimising the situation and keeping stressful thoughts away — Correct. Avoidance-oriented coping means denying or minimising how serious a situation is and pushing stressful thoughts away with self-protective ones. Saying one bad test "hardly matters" plays the problem down, and TV, phone calls and company keep the thought out of her mind.
Option (2) Emotion-oriented strategy, as she is venting her feelings of anger and frustration — Incorrect. Emotion-oriented coping can include venting anger and frustration. Riya shows no outburst; she turns her mind away from the result instead.
Option (3) Task-oriented strategy, as she is deciding priorities to deal directly with the situation — Incorrect. Task-oriented coping means getting information about the problem, deciding priorities and acting on it directly, such as planning one's time better. Riya makes no change to her study plan, so she is not tackling the result.
Option (4) Emotion-oriented strategy, as she has decided that nothing can be done to change things — Incorrect. Deciding that nothing can be done is one form of emotion-oriented coping, a kind of giving up. Riya does not say the result cannot be changed; she plays it down and keeps her mind off it.
NCERT (2026-27): “COPING WITH STRESS … “Avoidance-oriented Strategy : This involves denying or minimising the seriousness of the situation; it also involves conscious suppression of stressful thoughts and their replacement by self-” “Activity 3.3 protective thoughts. Examples of this are watching TV, phone up a friend, or try to be with other people.” |