INEFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE COPING MECHANISMS PART 1 OF 7

In psychology and spirituality; coping means to invest own conscious effort, to solve personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to master, minimize or tolerate stress and conflict.

The psychological and spiritual coping mechanisms are commonly termed coping strategies or coping skills. The term coping generally refers to adaptive (constructive) coping strategies. That is strategies which reduce stress. In contrast, other coping strategies may be coined as maladaptive, if they increase stress. Maladaptive coping is therefore also described, when looking at the outcome, as non-coping. Furthermore, the term coping generally refers to reactive coping, i.e. the coping response which follows the STRESSOR. This differs from proactive coping, in which a coping response aims to neutralize a future stressor. Subconscious or non-conscious strategies (defense mechanisms) are generally excluded from the area of coping.

The effectiveness of the coping effort depends on: the type of stress, the individual and the circumstances.

Coping responses are partly controlled by personality (habitual traits), but also partly by the psychological and social environment and your spiritual awareness or consciousness, particularly the nature of the stressful environment. 

Coping mechanisms are ways to which external or internal stress is managed, adapted to or acted upon. COPING is "constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing"