Conflicts Between Student/Professional, Parental, and Self-Development Roles: A Comparison of High and Low Effective Copers

Abstract

This study investigated the coping strategies used by returning university students in dealing with conflicts between the demands of their students/professional role and their parental role or their student/professional role and their "self" as a self-actualized person. The 57 female and 28 male subjects used nine scales developed by the authors to describe their typical strategies for coping with their role conflict in one of these two areas. Subjects also rated the degree of role conflict experienced and the effectiveness of their coping strategies. As predicted, subjects rating their characteristic ways of coping as highly effective [High Effective Copers] reported less conflict and endorsed different coping strategies than subjects rating their characteristic strategies as less effective [Low Effective Copers]. High Effective Copers of both genders used Perspective Taking to a greater extent, and Depression and Calling Time Out to a lesser extent, than did Low Effective Copers. Recognition of Societal Influences, however, was more highly endorsed by female High Effective Copers than by male High Effective Copers or male and female Low Effective Copers. Also as hypothesized, females reported higher role conflict than males. Explanations based on the view that effective strategies differ with respect to the specific conflict situation being investigated and the characteristics of the respondants are considered.