Author Question: Kate has had a hard time getting over her parents' divorce. According to social psychological ... (Read 75 times)

kshipps · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

Kate has had a hard time getting over her parents' divorce. According to social psychological research, which of the following would probably help Kate the most?

a. She should spend 15 minutes a night on 4 consecutive nights writing about her feelings about the divorce.
b. She should try to convince herself that she has no control over the bad things in her life.
c. She should avoid talking about the divorce with her closest friends because it would probably just depress them.
d. She should focus on the fact that she has low self-efficacy to improve her relationship with her parents.

Question 2

Research has demonstrated the benefits of writing about a traumatic event. How does writing help people cope with negative life events?

What will be an ideal response?

Anonymous · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Answer: A

Answer to Question 2

Answer: According to Pennebaker (1997), opening up by writing allows individuals to reframe the event. Writing about the trauma can be upsetting in the beginning, but in the long run it helps prevent physical and psychological problems. The reframing that comes from writing about the event helps it be less upsetting and to give it some meaning.