ABSTRACT
Problems can be of a practical nature or of an emotional nature; these two elements, the practical and emotional, frequently overlap. For example, a person who is depressed about losing his job sees himself as a failure; this self-image is reinforced by his reluctance to look for another job. In the stress-management/problem-solving literature, two important forms of coping have been described: problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. Problem-focused coping tackles stressful situations in order to change or modify them, while emotion-focused coping addresses the emotional upset associated with these situations. Paul worked for a large insurance company. His problems started one Monday afternoon when his manager asked him to have a report on her desk by midday on Friday. A review of Paul’s work record showed he was prone to creating problems about problems, i.e. generating additional problems for himself because he hadn’t tackled the primary problem constructively, and the aforementioned example was just the most spectacular case to date.
