ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we will discuss a developmental model of emotions and coping, which we call a diacritical function approach. According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, "diacritical" is defined as "serving to separate or distinguish." A diacritical function, therefore is a function that serves to separate or distinguish one process, entity, or attribute from another. We will propose, in keeping with this idea, that by focusing on the functions implied both by particular organism-environment relationships and by the (coping) responses to those organism-environment relationships, one can distinguish among many different phenomena typically subsumed under the single rubric "stress." We submit that it is of great importance to make such distinctions because of potential differences among these categories in implications for coping, adaptation, and health.
