The premier measurement of coping: measures the thoughts and actions people use to handle stressful encounters
Susan Folkman & Richard S. Lazarus
When a boss is angry…when the car won’t start…how
do people seek relief from stress? What thoughts and actions let the pressure
off so they can continue as normally as possible? The Ways of Coping Questionnaire
(WAYS) holds the answer. It measures coping processes—not coping
dispositions or styles. As the definitive coping measure, the WAYS can
assess and identify thoughts and actions that individuals the use to cope
with the stressful encounters of everyday living. It measures coping processes,
not coping dispositions or styles. In a variety of studies, researchers
have used it to investigate the components and determinants of coping.
- Identifies the processes people use in coping with stressful situations
- Can be completed in approximately 10 minutes
- Ages high school through adult
The WAYS can help counselors work with clients to develop practical coping skills by evaluating their process, their strengths and weaknesses, and providing models of alternative coping mechanisms. The WAYS is excellent for research on coping and scales include: Confrontive Coping, Distancing, Self-Controlling, Seeking Social Support, Accepting Responsibility, Escape-Avoidance, Planful Problem Solving, and Positive Reappraisal.
| WAYS Manual/Sampler Set
Includes non-reproducible instrument and scoring key marked “sample” |
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$40.00 |  |
| WAYS Reproduction Permission
Whether you order the paper form or the PDF/ electronic form, you will receive just one copy and written permission to reproduce/ administer the purchased number. Includes a copy of the instrument and scoring key - does not include Manual |
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| Quantity 1-100 permissions | |
$100.00 | |
| Quantity 101-150 permissions | |
$120.00 | |
| Quantity 151-200 permissions | |
$150.00 | |
| Quantity 201-300 permissions | |
$210.00 | |
| Quantity 301-400 permissions | |
$260.00 | |
| Quantity 401-500 permissions | |
$300.00 | |
| For larger quantities, please contact us | |||
Ways of Coping Questionnaire--
Web Version
Respondents can elect to take the WAYS inventory on the Web. A Ways of Coping Profile is then generated by Mind Garden and a link to the pdf report is sent to you via e-mail.
| WAYS Web-Based Administration |
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| Individual Report |  |
$9.00 |
| Quantity 1-10 reports ($8 each) | |
$80.00 |
| Quantity 11-20 reports ($7 each) | |
$140.00 |
| Quantity 21-50 reports ($5 each) | |
$250.00 |
| Quantity 51-100 reports ($4 each) | |
$400.00 |
| For larger quantities, please contact us | ||
Contents of Manual
- Development
- Procedures for administering and scoring the scale
- Some normative data
- Empirical support for the scale
- Initial psychometric data on the scale
Uses
- Helps counselors work with clients to develop practical coping skills by evaluating their style, their strengths and weaknesses, and providing models of alternative coping mechanisms.
- Identification of the options for coping and the strategies that were actually used.
- Research instrument for studies of the coping process.
- Research tool in clinical settings: for example, in relation to types and degree of pathology, or in measuring the effects of interventions.
- An evolving strategy for measurement of process
- As a stimulus for discussion in clinical, training, and workshop settings
Eight Coping Factors Measured by the WAYS
- Confrontive Coping: describes aggressive efforts to alter the situation and suggests some degree of hostility and risk-taking.
- Distancing: describes cognitive efforts to detach oneself and to minimize the significance of the situation.
- Self-Controlling: describes efforts to regulate one's feelings and actions.
- Seeking Social Support: describes efforts to seek informational support, tangible support, and emotional support.
- Accepting Responsibility: acknowledges one's own role in the problem with a concomitant theme of trying to put things right.
- Escape-Avoidance: describes wishful thinking and behavioral efforts to escape or avoid the problem. Items on this scale contrast with those on the Distancing scale, which suggest detachment.
- Planful Problem Solving: describes deliberate problem-focused efforts to alter the situation, coupled with an analytic approach to solving the problem.
- Positive Reappraisal: describes efforts to create positive meaning by focusing on personal growth. It also has a religious dimension.
Inventory Booklet
Individuals respond to each item on a four-point Likert scale, indicating the frequency with which each strategy is used:
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Does not apply and/or not used | Used somewhat | Used quite a bit | Used a great deal |
Example Statements
| A. | I talked to someone to find out more about the situation | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| B. | I criticized or lectured myself | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| C. | I tried not to burn my bridges, but leave things open somewhat | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| D. | I hoped for a miracle | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| E. | I went along with fate; sometimes I just have bad luck | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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