Human Growth and Development / Unit 8 HGD 1065 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Coping Strategies
The idea
Children face two kinds of stressors. Transcultural stressors, such as family economic stress or low family cohesion, occur across cultures; culture-specific stressors, such as learning a new language or facing discrimination, may call for a bicultural identity. The most common coping strategies in middle childhood are problem-solving, distraction and seeking support. Others include escape or avoidance, cognitive reframing, self-reliance, opposition and rumination.
In practice
A child worried about a spelling test making a study plan, a second playing a game to stop thinking about it, and a third asking a parent for help.
Where people slip
Coping is positive when it de-escalates and adapts, negative when it escalates, as rumination and opposition can. Across middle childhood children shift from relying on caregivers toward self-reliance and internal strategies, and combining strategies to suit the situation works best.
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