Which option is NOT a coping style dimension?

Which option is NOT a coping style dimension?

• A. Problem-solving
• B. Avoidant emotional
• C. Active emotional
• D. Anxious/preoccupied attachment

Answer: (D)

Coping style dimensions describe how people tend to deal with stress. The options problem-solving, avoidant emotional, and active emotional are all ways of handling stress: directly addressing the issue, withdrawing or suppressing emotion, and actively processing or engaging with emotions, respectively. Anxious/preoccupied attachment, on the other hand, is an attachment style—a pattern of relating to others in close relationships—rather than a general method for coping with stress. It can influence how someone experiences relationships, but it isn’t a coping strategy in the stress-management framework. So the option that isn’t a coping style dimension is anxious/preoccupied attachment.

Coping style dimensions describe how people tend to deal with stress. The options problem-solving, avoidant emotional, and active emotional are all ways of handling stress: directly addressing the issue, withdrawing or suppressing emotion, and actively processing or engaging with emotions, respectively. Anxious/preoccupied attachment, on the other hand, is an attachment style—a pattern of relating to others in close relationships—rather than a general method for coping with stress. It can influence how someone experiences relationships, but it isn’t a coping strategy in the stress-management framework. So the option that isn’t a coping style dimension is anxious/preoccupied attachment.