ABSTRACT
In many areas of life, people experience good outcomes or avoid bad ones because of their proactive efforts. Proactive coping consists of efforts undertaken to prevent a stressful event or to offset its effects. Captured by colorful expressions such as “reading the writing on the wall” and “heading it off at the pass,” such efforts clearly reflect the idea that people cope in advance; that is, they perceive cues suggesting trouble is imminent and act to forestall or to minimize an adverse event.
