This may be the result of the social norms encouraging men towards individualism,
while women are often expected to excel in interpersonal relationships. An alternative
explanation of the above differences includes genetic factors. The extent to which these
factors and social conditions affect behavior is the subject of an ongoing debate
(Washburn-Ormachea, Hillman & Sawilowsky 2004).
The following part of the chapter thus presents the two methodologies which are
further used to detect the possible differences in the perception and usage of the
particular coping strategies by managers according to their gender, and subsequently
the same differences between the managerial and non-managerial workers.
Research methodology. In order to conduct the following research studies, two
methodologies designed to measure coping were used.
The first one is CISS – Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, a questionnaire
by Endler and Parker (1990) for measuring multidimensional coping. The task for the
respondents is to evaluate each of the 48 questionnaire items on a 5-point Likert scale
ranging from (1) "Not at all" to (5) "Very much." Respondents should also indicate to
what extent they engage in these types of activities when they find themselves in a
difficult, distressing or worrying situation. A multidimensional approach to assessment
of coping with stressful situations provides great precision in prediction of the preferred
coping strategies.
The original CISS defines three dimensions of stress management (coping):
1)
Task-oriented (α = 0.872) = describes an intentional, task-centered efforts to
address the problem by its cognitive restructuring or by trying to change the situation.
The main focus is on tasks or planning and on attempts to solve the problem.
2)
Emotion-oriented (α = 0.885) = describes emotional responses that are
person-centered. The goal is to reduce stress (but this is not always successful).
Reactions include emotional responses (e.g. I scold myself for being too emotional,
angry, tense), excessive interest in oneself, and fantasizing. In some cases, a particular
reaction actually increases stress (e.g. I'm very upset, tense). The reaction is person-
centered.
3)
Avoidance (α = 0.822) = describes activities and cognitive changes the aim
of which is to avoid a stressful situation. This situation can occur by trying to distract
oneself by means of other situations or tasks (task-centered) or by social distraction
(person-centered) as a means of alleviating stress.
On the basis of the research studies presented below, another dimension was
revealed after the factor analysis on the presented sample of respondents. The fourth
extracted factor was labeled as Social support (α = 0.745), which represents coping
aimed at finding support in others. It can be a search for a solution to the problem on
the one hand, but also avoidance through social interaction on the other.
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