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Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused

Emotion-focused coping refers to a set of strategies aimed at managing the emotional impact of stressors, rather than directly addressing their causes. This approach involves altering one's emotional response to stressful situations to reduce their psychological effects. For example, individuals might talk with a friend or engage in activities like journaling to express their feelings. Such actions can help achieve emotional clarity or release, providing the psychological stability needed to...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
11:12

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

Prayer as coping: a psychological analysis.

Murray Levine1

  • 1Department of Psychology, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA. psylevin@buffalo.edu

Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy
|December 10, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Prayer and positive religious attitudes are linked to improved wellbeing and health. This study explores how prayer, viewed as divine conversation, theoretically alleviates distress and enhances psychological health.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting
11:12

Modulation of the Neurophysiological Response to Fearful and Stressful Stimuli Through Repetitive Religious Chanting

Published on: November 4, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Religious Studies
  • Health Psychology

Background:

  • Empirical links exist between prayer, positive religious attitudes, personal wellbeing, health, and distress relief.
  • William James's concept of prayer as "inward communication or conversation with a power recognized as divine" provides a foundational framework.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To offer a theoretical explanation for how prayer contributes to distress relief.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms through which prayer enhances psychological wellbeing and health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizes established psychological constructs.
  • Applies a theoretical framework based on the Jamesian concept of prayer.

Main Results:

  • Prayer, conceptualized as divine conversation, is theoretically linked to reduced psychological distress.
  • The practice of prayer is associated with improved health and psychological wellbeing.

Conclusions:

  • Prayer, understood as a form of divine communication, offers a theoretical pathway to psychological healing and improved wellbeing.
  • Psychological constructs can explain the positive health outcomes associated with religious engagement and prayer.