Coping with stress : effective people and processes /

Positive psychology is in the air, and this novel work on stress and coping represents part of the first wave of published research exploring it. What makes this good study so uncommon is that the examination of "who copes well" with stress--though based on solid empirical literature--is coupled with personal, even therapeutic, touches. The contributors (clinical and health psychologists) contribute succinct discussions supported by current references to the literature on stress and coping. The 14 chapters--the first and last written by Snyder (Univ. of Kansas, Lawrenceville) and a graduate student--define coping with stress in broad terms, from everyday personal problems people share (e.g., procrastination, aging, secrets) to selective, more traumatic issues (e.g., fear of death, chronic hostility toward others). Between the essays looking at these two psychosocial poles are interesting contributions that examine coping with stress via narrative perspectives, forgiveness, social comparison, and attentional processes and investigate the coping styles of Asian Americans and the role of rituals from diverse religious traditions in coping with life events. The book is quite accessible: upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals will benefit from this focused discussion. D. S. Dunn Moravian College