Sorry I keep draining this forum...
but I have so much things I wanna clarify, and this is the only place to turn
In my book emotion focused coping and problem focused coping are both classified as approach coping strategies, and avoidance coping is like a categoty on its own.
Is this correct? wouldn't emotion focussed coping be a type of avoidance? Thanks
No worries! Questions are the best way to understand the content (i sure asked a lot of questions haha)
I don't think that there is a definite answer to your question because there is a lot of overlap between the strategies. Last year, I personally didn't make too much of a distinction between them since they were so similar. But i'll try to figure it out for you.
I think that both emotion and problem focused coping could be classified as approach strategies because both try to deal with the 'stressor and its effects' (that's the definition from the jacaranda textbook). Therefore, problem focused coping could target the stressor whereas the emotion focused coping strategies could target the 'effects'. On the other hand, the avoidance coping strategies may be things like trying to completely avoid the stressor AND its effects. For example, someone who is stressed by homework could 1. not do the homework and 2. distract themselves from their emotions of stress by watching a movie etc.
It's really a grey area imo and probably wouldn't be tested that deeply other than a question like: Describe an problem focused coping strategy that John Smith uses in this scenario.