Construing benefits from adversity: adaptational significance and dispositional underpinnings
- PMID:8956517
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00948.x
Construing benefits from adversity: adaptational significance and dispositional underpinnings
Abstract
The discovery of benefits from living with adversity has been implicated in psychological well-being in numerous investigations, is pivotal to several prominent theories of cognitive adaptation to threat, and can be predicted by personality differences. This article summarizes the prevalence and adaptive significance of finding benefits from major medical problems, locates the place of benefit-finding in stress and coping theories, and examines how it may be shaped by specific psychological dispositions such as optimism and hope and by broader personality traits such as Extraversion and Openness to Experience. The distinction between beliefs about benefits from adversity (benefit-finding) and the use of such knowledge as a deliberate strategy of coping with the problem (benefit-reminding) is underscored and illustrated by daily process research on coping with chronic pain.
Similar articles
- Positive illusions and coping with adversity.Taylor SE, Armor DA.Taylor SE, et al.J Pers. 1996 Dec;64(4):873-98. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00947.x.J Pers. 1996.PMID:8956516Review.
- The moderating effect of optimism on the relation between hassles and somatic complaints.Lai JC.Lai JC.Psychol Rep. 1995 Jun;76(3 Pt 1):883-94. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1995.76.3.883.Psychol Rep. 1995.PMID:7568606
- Personality and coping.Carver CS, Connor-Smith J.Carver CS, et al.Annu Rev Psychol. 2010;61:679-704. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100352.Annu Rev Psychol. 2010.PMID:19572784Review.
- Dispositional optimism and coping: a meta-analytic review.Nes LS, Segerstrom SC.Nes LS, et al.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2006;10(3):235-51. doi: 10.1207/s15327957pspr1003_3.Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2006.PMID:16859439
- Dispositional optimism and coping with pain.Bargiel-Matusiewicz K, Krzyszkowska A.Bargiel-Matusiewicz K, et al.Eur J Med Res. 2009 Dec 7;14 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):271-4. doi: 10.1186/2047-783x-14-s4-271.Eur J Med Res. 2009.PMID:20156771Free PMC article.
Cited by
- Posttraumatic growth in coronary artery disease outpatients: relationship to degree of trauma and health service use.Leung YW, Alter DA, Prior PL, Stewart DE, Irvine J, Grace SL.Leung YW, et al.J Psychosom Res. 2012 Apr;72(4):293-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2011.12.011. Epub 2012 Jan 28.J Psychosom Res. 2012.PMID:22405224Free PMC article.
- Socioeconomic status and depression in later life: longitudinal mediation effects of activities of daily living.Zheng X, Yin Y, Yang L, Zhang X, Xiao S, Liang X, Lu J, Li X, Zhang M, Tian F, Zhang C.Zheng X, et al.BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 27;24(1):625. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06077-4.BMC Psychiatry. 2024.PMID:39334068Free PMC article.
- Placebo and the new physiology of the doctor-patient relationship.Benedetti F.Benedetti F.Physiol Rev. 2013 Jul;93(3):1207-46. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00043.2012.Physiol Rev. 2013.PMID:23899563Free PMC article.Review.
- Psychological distress and mortality: are women more vulnerable?Ferraro KF, Nuriddin TA.Ferraro KF, et al.J Health Soc Behav. 2006 Sep;47(3):227-41. doi: 10.1177/002214650604700303.J Health Soc Behav. 2006.PMID:17066774Free PMC article.
- Posttraumatic growth and optimism in health-related trauma: a systematic review.Bostock L, Sheikh AI, Barton S.Bostock L, et al.J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2009 Dec;16(4):281-96. doi: 10.1007/s10880-009-9175-6.J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2009.PMID:19730997Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources