A student talks to a friend about worries to feel better, rather than changing the situation. This illustrates which coping type?

• A. Problem-focused coping
• B. Seeking social support to manage emotions is emotion-focused coping.
• C. Emotion-focused coping involves talking about feelings to manage stress.
• D. Problem-focused coping is always better.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is coping strategies: some aim to change the stressful situation (solving the problem), while others aim to regulate the emotional response to the stress. Here, the student talks to a friend about worries to feel better, rather than taking steps to alter what's causing the worry. This behavior targets emotional relief—venting and seeking social support to manage feelings—so it’s emotion-focused coping. It helps reduce distress without changing the actual stressor. If the student were actively trying to change the situation (plan, solve, or remove the stressor), that would be problem-focused coping.