Problem-focused coping is the process of changing stressful situations by making them stress-free. Students are capable of solving their stressful situations using problem-focused coping strategies. The first example, in which students apply a problem-focused coping strategy, is during exams. When students are about to do their exams, they face extremely stressful situations. In order to change this stressful situation, a student can decide to study hard for the remaining few days, so that they can pass the exams. In this situation, they are changing stressful situations.
The second example, where students apply problem-focused coping, is when they have committed a mistake, and they are expected to face the principal. When students are facing the principal for wrongdoing, they appear to be under much stress. However, they have an opportunity to avert and change the stressful situation. First, the student can decide to accept the mistake and take full responsibility. This way, they will change the stress. The second option students can take is to apologize for the mistakes they have committed and ask for forgiveness. In this case, they should promise not to repeat the mistake again. As a result, the stressful situation will change immediately.
Another example, where students apply problem-focused coping, is when they are facing a bully. In most cases, students fail to attend school, because they are being bullied. In this situation, students do not want to face bullies and suffer the consequences. This shows that students are facing much stress. However, various ways can be used to change the situation. First, students should consider facing bullies in a civilized manner to save the situation. Secondly, students should consider informing a parent or a teacher to help in solving the problem. In this case, students have used a problem-focused coping strategy to change the stressful situation.
Students’ Emotional-focused Coping
Emotional-focused coping is changing the negative attitude towards stress to a positive one. Students are continuously facing stressful situations every day, which, in turn, affect them emotionally. The first example is when students are about to do their exams. They are usually faced with stress causing anxiety and panic. This means that they are affected emotionally. In using emotional-focused coping strategies, a student can decide to tell a friend. This is where a student gets one of his or her closest friends, they sit somewhere, and they talk about stress. In this case, he or she is offloading all the stress.
The second example is when a student is going to face a bully. In such a situation, a student cannot be able to concentrate in class. Additionally, he or she has a lot of tension due to what is going to happen while facing the bully. In this case, several strategies of the emotional-focused technique are applicable. First, the student should try to keep himself or herself busy. This will make the student forget about the stress. Secondly, the student might decide to gather courage and hope that it will go well. This way the student is changing the negative attitude to a positive one.
Another excellent example is when one student is not in good terms with another one. In this situation, the two students are facing a lot of emotional stress, where they cannot be able to concentrate on anything. Additionally, the two friends are emotionally hurting. For this reason, they can use an emotional-focused coping strategy. Depending on the course of their mistake, several strategies can be applied. The first strategy is where the two students watch a favorite television problem to forget the stress. Secondly, they can simply ignore the problem hoping that it will go away.