Transactional model of stress and coping (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984): WACE Year 12 Psychology Unit 4
“Models of stress: stress as a transaction, the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984): the interaction between individual and environment; the role of cognitive appraisal (primary and secondary appraisal); methods of coping (problem-focused, emotion-focused)”
The Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) treats stress as a transaction: an interaction between a person and their environment. Stress depends on cognitive appraisal. In primary appraisal the person judges whether a situation is irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful (a harm or loss, a threat, or a challenge). In secondary appraisal they judge whether they have the resources to cope. Stress is experienced when demands are appraised as exceeding resources. Coping can be problem-focused (changing the stressor) or emotion-focused (managing the feelings it causes).
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What this dot point is asking
This is the third model of stress in the syllabus. It is the one that explains individual differences, so it is often used to evaluate the GAS and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale.
Stress as a transaction
Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman argued that stress is not located only in the environment (a stimulus) or only in the body (a response). It arises from the interaction between the individual and the environment: the same event can be stressful for one person and not for another, depending on how each person thinks about it and the resources they have.
Cognitive appraisal
Primary appraisal: "What does this mean for me?"
- Irrelevant: the situation has no significance for the person.
- Benign-positive: the situation is good or harmless.
- Stressful, which can be:
- harm or loss: damage that has already happened (failing a test);
- threat: possible future harm (the chance of failing the next test);
- challenge: an opportunity for growth or gain (a hard test as a chance to prove yourself).
Secondary appraisal: "Can I cope?"
The person evaluates their coping resources and options: skills, time, money, social support and past experience. If resources are judged adequate, stress is reduced; if not, stress increases.
Appraisal is ongoing: as a situation changes or coping succeeds, the person may reappraise it.
A challenge appraisal is linked to eustress and effort; a threat appraisal is linked to distress. The same stressor can be either, depending on the person.
Methods of coping
| Problem-focused coping | Emotion-focused coping | |
|---|---|---|
| Aim | Change or remove the stressor | Reduce the emotional distress caused by the stressor |
| Examples | Making a study timetable, asking for help, solving the problem | Talking to a friend, relaxation, exercise, reframing, distraction |
| Most useful when | The stressor can be controlled | The stressor cannot be changed (a death in the family) |
Emotion-focused coping is not always negative: it can be adaptive (relaxation, seeking comfort) or maladaptive (denial, avoidance, substance use), which links to coping and the health consequences of stress.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths.
- Explains individual differences in stress, which the GAS and SRRS cannot.
- Accounts for both eustress and distress.
- Suggests practical interventions: changing appraisals and building coping resources.
Limitations.
- Appraisals are internal and hard to measure objectively; research relies on self-report.
- Primary and secondary appraisal may not happen in a neat order, and may not be conscious.
- Says little about the physiological side of stress.
Starting a first job
Mia starts her first job at a supermarket.
- Primary appraisal: she sees the job as a challenge, an opportunity to earn money and gain skills, but also a threat, because she worries about making mistakes on the register.
- Secondary appraisal: she has a supportive supervisor and a friend who works there (resources), but little experience.
- Coping: she asks her supervisor for extra training on the register (problem-focused) and uses slow breathing when the line is long (emotion-focused).
- Reappraisal: after two weeks she handles the register well, so she reappraises the job as a benign challenge and her stress drops.
Marker's note: follow the order of the model and use its terms.
- Mixing up primary and secondary appraisal
- Primary asks what the situation means; secondary asks whether you can cope.
- Treating emotion-focused coping as always bad
- It is the best option when a stressor cannot be changed.
- Describing the model without the interaction
- Say explicitly that stress comes from the transaction between the person and the environment.
Exam-style questions
Questions in the style of SCSA exam questions on this dot point, each with a worked answer. They are written by ExamExplained unless tagged "Past paper"; the year shows the paper a question is modelled on.
Original6 marksTwo students receive the same 'Needs improvement' comment on a Psychology assignment. Use the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) to explain why one feels highly stressed and the other does not.Show worked answer →
Two marks for primary appraisal, two for secondary appraisal and two for linking to the different outcomes.
- Primary appraisal
- Each student judges what the comment means for them. The first appraises it as stressful, for example a threat to their ATAR. The second appraises it as a challenge, or as benign because it is only a draft.
- Secondary appraisal
- Each student evaluates whether they have the resources to cope. The first believes they have no time or support to improve. The second knows the teacher offers feedback sessions and has time before the final submission.
- Outcome
- Stress results from the transaction between the person and the situation: when a demand is appraised as threatening and resources are appraised as inadequate, stress is high. The first student experiences distress; the second experiences little stress or eustress.
Original4 marksDistinguish between problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, giving an example of each for a student who has been dropped from a sports team.Show worked answer →
Two marks for each coping method, defined with an example.
Problem-focused coping. Actions that deal directly with the stressor to change or remove it. Example: asking the coach what to improve and doing extra training to regain a place.
Emotion-focused coping. Strategies that manage the emotional reaction to the stressor rather than the stressor itself. Example: talking to a friend about the disappointment, or reframing it as a chance to focus on study.
Practise this
Sources & how we know this
- Psychology ATAR course Year 12 syllabus (effective from 1 January 2024) — School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA)
- Psychology ATAR course: syllabus and support materials — SCSA
- Past ATAR course examinations — SCSA