After break up with his girlfriend, Abhishek can be seen partying and has tried to be with his friends more often than before. According to Endler and Parker, which strategy is being adopted by Abhishek?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Avoidance oriented
Option (1) Avoidance oriented — Correct. The avoidance-oriented strategy involves denying or minimising the seriousness of the situation and replacing stressful thoughts with self-protective ones. Its examples are watching TV, phoning a friend or trying to be with other people. Abhishek’s partying and spending more time with friends after the break-up is this strategy.
Option (2) Emotion oriented — Incorrect. This strategy involves efforts to maintain hope and control one’s emotions, or venting anger and frustration, as in ‘worry about what I am going to do’. Abhishek is not dealing with his feelings; he is keeping them away.
Option (3) Problem oriented — Incorrect. Endler and Parker do not use this name. The close idea, Lazarus and Folkman’s problem-focused coping, attacks the problem itself by gaining information or altering the event, which Abhishek does not do.
Option (4) Task oriented — Incorrect. The task-oriented strategy means obtaining information, deciding priorities and acting to deal directly with the stressful situation. Partying does nothing about the break-up itself.
NCERT (2025-26): “Coping with Stress … The three coping strategies given by Endler and Parker are: Task-oriented Strategy : This involves obtaining information about the stressful situation and about alternative courses of action and their probable outcome; it also involves deciding priorities and acting so as to deal directly with the stressful situation. For example, schedule my time better, or think about how I have solved similar problems.…” “Emotion-oriented Strategy : … This can involve efforts to maintain hope and to control one’s emotions; it can also involve venting feelings of anger and frustration, or deciding that nothing can be done to change things. For example, tell myself that it is not really happening to me, or worry about what I am going to do.…” “Avoidance-oriented Strategy : … This involves denying or minimising the seriousness of the situation;…” “…Examples of this are watching TV, phone up a friend, or try to be with other people.…” “Coping with Stress … Problem-focused strategies attack the problem itself, with behaviours designed to gain information, to alter the event, and to alter belief and commitments.…” |