Personality Correlates of Coping with Military Basic Training

Adaptational Style and Dispositional Structure: Coping in the Context of the Five‐Factor Model

“…Furthermore, factor analyses of the coping mechanisms revealed an underlying dimension of "mature coping" that was composed primarily of these Extraversion-related response styles. Similarly, other investigators have reported that Extraversion is positively correlated with problem-focused coping, positive reappraisal, and support seeking and is negatively related to emotionfocused coping (Amirkhan, Risinger, & Swickert, 1995;Costa et al, in press;Hooker et al, 1994;Rim, 1987;Vickers et al, 1989). McCrae and Costa (1986) were the first investigators to include measures of Openness in coping research.…”

“…Viewed in this larger context, it is hardly surprising that (a) coping researchers have shown marked interest in Neuroticism, and (b) Neuroticism tends to be substantially correlated with passive and ineffective forms of coping (e.g., Costa & McCrae, 1989;Costa et al, in press;Endler & Parker, 1990). For instance, studies using some form of the Ways of Coping checklist (Folkman & Lazarus, 1980, 1985 have reported that Neuroticism is associated with the increased use of wishful thinking, self-blame, escape or avoidance, and emotion-focused coping; and, to a lesser extent, with the decreased use of problem-focused coping, positive reappraisal, and support seeking (Bolger, 1990;Hooker, Frazier, & Monahan, 1994;Rim, 1986;Smith et al, 1989;Vickers et al, 1989). Similarly, using the COPE (Carver et al, 1989) Carver and Scheier have shown that Neuroticism is positively correlated with behavioral disengagement, mental disengagement, denial, and venting of emotion; they also have reported weaker negative correlations with active coping and positive reinterpretation (Carver et al, 1989;Scheier et al, 1994).…”

“…In addition, two studies have examined various coping scales in the context of the complete five-factor model (see also Costa et al, in press, who report correlations between the Big Five and individual coping items). First, Vickers et al (1989) examined coping styles in a large group of military personnel who were facing the rigors of basic training. As one would expect, Neuroticism was significantly associated with the increased use of escape (r = .37) and self-blame (r = .26), and with reduced levels of problem solving (r = -.26) and positive reappraisal (r = -.…”

“…world criteria beyond a trivial level (see Kenrick & Funder, 1988;Vickers, Kolar, & Hervig, 1989). It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the fortunes of dispositionally based models of adaptation and coping also have waxed and waned dramatically over the years.…”

“…A major source of this dissatisfaction was that measures of coping traits were found to be relatively poor predictors of behavioral and affective responses in specific adaptational contexts (e.g., Cohen & Lazarus, 1973;Folkman & Lazarus, 1980, 1985. Consequently, investigators turned instead to situationally based approaches that seemingly offered much greater flexibility in explaining specific personenvironment transactions (see Carver, Scheier, & Weintraub, 1989;Costa et al, in press;Folkman & Lazarus, 1985;Vickers et al, 1989).…”