Presentation of self in coping with anger and anxiety: An intentional approach

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Abstract
An intentional approach to coping is outlined addressing the issue of what persons want to achieve in coping with emotions. Four dimensions of coping intentions are proposed: Problem solving, regulating emotional distress, protecting self-esteem, and managing social interactions. Special reference is given to presentational intentions defined as attempts to communicate self-images. Guided by a specificity view of emotion anxiety- and anger-related coping reactions and intentions are described. The theoretical approach is illustrated by an exploratory study in which verbal scripts for a social anxiety and an anger episode were used. One hundred and two male and female students reacted to the episodes by reporting their emotional responses, coping reactions, and coping intentions. The results indicate marked differences in coping reactions and intentions between the two emotions. Demonstrating resistance turned out to be the pronounced theme in coping with anger, while smoothly preserving a favorable presentation of self emerged as theme for coping with anxiety.