BOOK REVIEW

Erica Frydenberg: Adolescent Coping: Advances in Theory,Research, and Practice

Psychology Press, New York, 2008, 338 pp, ISBN: 9780203938706

Anand Desai

Received: 18 February 2012 / Accepted: 21 February 2012 / Published online: 4 March 2012

� Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

Raising adolescents to become the successors of our

community is a significant goal and an especially chal-

lenging one. Adolescents’ growth and development can go

in both positive and negative directions, and reducing the

high risk of negative developmental outcomes is at the core

of Erica Frydenberg’s Adolescent Coping: Advances in

Theory, Research, and Practice. Her text shows how it is

important for youth to be engaged actively to learn how to

cope with the multitude of problems and stressors that they

inevitably will encounter with respect to all aspects of their

mental health. Frydenberg’s text provides a complete pic-

ture of what we know about adolescents’ coping abilities

and challenges as well as the contexts in which they must

cope. She emphasizes many key features of coping that

have been demonstrated to increase well-being, including

optimism, happiness, resiliency, and proactivity. Her

unique multi-dimensional classification of stress and cop-

ing strategies allows for a comprehensive approach to the

prevention of youths’ dysfunctions.

At the start of Frydenberg’s analysis in Chapter 1, she

calls upon two theorists, Richard Lazarus and Steven

Hobfall, to establish the importance of resource accumu-

lation in dealing with stress. A formal definition of stress

using Conservation of Resource (COR) Theory is provided

by Hobfall on behalf of the conceptual work of Richard

Lazarus. This theory conveys the importance of procuring

and maintaining resources, which includes many factors as

optimism, hard-work, high socioeconomic status, and

problem-solving competency. While the gain of resources

seems to preclude further gain, the mere loss of these

resources is seen as a highly damaging aspect of stress that

outweighs the benefits of such gains. This chapter expands

on this resource-centric theory of coping by organizing it

into two dichotomous forms with one classification con-

trasting behavioral (problem-solving) and cognitive

(emotional) styles and another contrasting productive

(functional) and non-productive (dysfunctional) responses.

Measurement of coping competence is demonstrated

through various inventories that classify coping into pro-

ductive, non-productive, and extra-referential coping strat-

egies. The classification of stressors varies between studies,

but there seems to be a general agreement that stress comes

from 3 primary sources: desire for achievement, relation-

ships, and social phenomena. Stress also is categorized

across different regional contexts between the home,

school, and other community settings such as the church. In

addition to regional variation, it also is defined based on its

duration, that is, whether it is chronic (such as can occur in

the case of chronic illnesses), intermittent (as can occur in

taking periodic school examinations), a daily hassle (such

as bullying), or a sudden, traumatic event (such as the loss

of a loved one). The qualities of positive appraisal, or

positive evaluation of the problem at hand, and high self-

esteem are said to be critical in the prevention or attenuation

of stressors of long duration.

The first chapter also shows the evident variation in

these stressors across the variables of age, sex, personality,

and ethnicity. Generally, there is a perceived trend of

increased aggression with increasing age in males while

females tend to develop more problems despite resorting to

external social support, which includes advice from their

parents or peers. Additionally, children of a temperate

personality seem to show more resilience in their recovery

from stressful situations. With respect to ethnicity, studies

were conducted across adolescents located in North

America, Russia, East Asia, Europe, and Australia

A. Desai (&)

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

e-mail: ardesai89@gmail.com

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DOI 10.1007/s10964-012-9752-0

demonstrating the effect of variant cultural values upon the

types of stressors that affect them; the general consensus is

that Asians display more concern over academic prepara-

tion, Europeans are more reliant on religion as a support

tool, war-torn Russians worry primarily about economic

viability, and Anglo-Australians and North Americans find

most worry in their interpersonal relationships, especially

those of intimacy.

After establishing the preceding clear structure of coping

strategies and general patterns of variability of stressors, the

first chapter concludes with an appropriate method of

allowing structured adolescent maturation with respect to

certain combative practices against these stressors. This

method is provided within the context of family, which is

envisioned as an important microcosm of adolescent growth.

The healthy development of problem-solving strategies is

seen as deriving from healthy communication and trust

between parent and child, especially from parents’ acting

authoritatively by providing proper boundaries that give

their children the practice to overcome stressors in a moni-

torable environment (see also Martı́nez et al. 2011). Proper

communication and authoritarian action must be comple-

mented by family support and cohesion.

The definition of coping and its broad categorizations

are expanded on in Chapter 2. Coping is put in a frame of

resource management in one respect and proactivity in

another. Resource management is defined as a reactive

process where resources are maintained in response to

stress after it has occurred or just before it has done so,

whereas proactive coping is defined as future goal planning

and re-envisioning of problems as challenges to foster

productive growth over time. Proactive (productive) coping

is characterized by problem-solving, self-regulation, and

goal-planning. Adolescents may also use reactive (non-

productive) coping, referring mainly to the detrimental

processes of self-blame and worry. Young males’ and

females’ coping strategies seem to follow more of a reac-

tive trend and differed in their exact coping approaches.

Boys were shown to approach these processes by a fight-

or-flight response whereas girls were shown to deal with

them by resorting to external support from relationships, a

strategy coined ‘‘tend-and-befriend.’’ These classifications

serve the purpose of spreading awareness of positive and

negative coping strategies in relation to their effect on

psychological health.

In Chapter 3, coping is measured through multiple

generated inventories, or study surveys, that categorize

specific stressors based on their similarity. These invento-

ries all adopt the dichotomous classification of productive

and non-productive coping, and include an extra category

of use of external social help. The validity of these

groupings is given by what Frydenberg has shown to be

‘‘predictive validity,’’ or, these inventories have held up to

the scrutiny of coping behavior of adolescents in previous

studies. Only one inventory (Cross Cultural Coping Scale)

accounted for community diversity. Collectively these

inventories provide a diagnostic tool to aid in the devel-

opment of procedures that can help with self-awareness of

specific coping deficiencies and their transformation into

productive strategies.

The variation of age with coping ability becomes the

subject of scrutiny in Chapter 4. Various studies, pre-

dominantly conducted in German contexts, illustrated that

older adolescents were poorer at emotional-based coping

than their childhood counterparts. Despite increased prob-

lem-solving competency, older students were shown to

manifest non-productive results due to an increase in out-

ward aggression. Furthermore, certain temperaments of an

opposite nature, such as sociability and being affectionate,

were proven to increase resiliency under adverse social

conditions. The importance of hope and self-esteem were

shown to similarly aid in positive coping results as well.

This section captures the ironic yet expected emotional

confusion that muddies the progress of middle to late

adolescence due to their exposure to significantly more risk

factors than younger children.

Reinvoking the fight-or-flight and tend-and-befriend

arguments from earlier, Frydenberg continues to develop

gender differences in coping strategies further in Chapter 5.

Multiple research results made it clear that girls were more

prone to internalization of problems and use of social

support than boys, who were more confrontational. Due to

girls’ increased emotional attachments and higher use of

non-productive strategies such as self-blame, they were

found to exhibit more emotional distress than boys. Yet,

Frydenberg still takes care to note that strict adaption of

boys’ strategies to girls may not be advisable, citing evi-

dence that spiritual guidance aided girls with future suc-

cesses but not so for boys, thus proving that each gender

retains their own specific advantageous coping techniques.

Despite the magnitude of these differences between reli-

ance on aggression and social support, it is very useful for

her to exercise caution in this particular application,

although she does not bring up alternative solutions due to

a convinced opinion of irreconcilability between the sexes’

strategies.

Chapter 6 signals a shift away from coping trends

toward societal effects on coping itself. Familial percep-

tions of children based on cultural values affect their

environment and obstacles. Families that view children as

sinful are likely to breed a stifling atmosphere whereas

those who adopt the concept of their children as individuals

with their own unique paths are more prone to foster

controlled maturation, especially with respect to sexual

maturation in matters of dating and sexual activity. Nega-

tive family characteristics include poverty, separation, and

674 J Youth Adolescence (2012) 41:673–676

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child abuse in contrast to protective qualities such as living

in a small, nuclear family and support from extended

family. A mother–daughter study found that daughters

copied the coping styles of their mothers; but, despite

Frydenberg’s claim of causality, it would have benefitted

her to conduct such an experiment across all parent–child

relationships instead of mother–daughter exclusively, such

as those between mother and son or father and son, given

that we know that there may be important differences in

how adolescents resolve conflict with parents (see Van

Doorn et al. 2011). It also would have been important given

the significance of gender differences in factors contribut-

ing to positive youth development (see O’Connor et al.

2011; Rueger et al. 2010). Indeed, given out understanding

of gender differences, it would not have been surprising to

see an entire chapter devoted to it.

Chapter 7 delves into the coping responses to three

specific stressors of interest: family loss and separation,

illness, and bullying. Loss of a loved one was shown to be

devastating especially in the absence of strong self-identi-

fication and external social relief. Parental separation had

similar negative influences, including self-blame that

results from children bearing the added weight of choosing

parental priority during changes in residences. A few pro-

grams have been founded to provide coping advice to

youth under these circumstances. Perhaps the most unique

method of teaching comes from Seasons for Growth, which

gives its patients the opportunity to express themselves

through artistry. The third stressor, bullying, is yet another

negative influence that has particular effect on those with

low self-esteem. All of these adverse societal conditions

share the common trait of having a particular sting upon

youth with little self-awareness and self-respect, which

emphasizes the need for education or counseling to teach

them to hold a positive evaluation of themselves.

Severe mental health issues resulting from societal

pressure (including depression and its associative anxiety,

anorexia, bulimia, and suicide) are the subject of Chapter 8.

Anxiety is defined as the worry of future negative events

and is both the result and cause of substance abuse. Stifling

families, fear of death, and fear of academic failure were all

shown to be likely causes of this resultant behavior. Its

progression into the more severe depression is associated

with severe headaches and more aggressive outbursts.

Depression is characterized by loneliness and boredom,

both of which may be indicative of a lack of social skills and

self-motivation that ultimately results in social withdrawal.

Non-productive coping mechanisms both feed this pro-

gressive issue and are a result of it. If depression persist, it

may progress further still toward possible suicidal tenden-

cies, which are signaled by helplessness in response to

massive perceived failures or other factors such as child-

hood abuse (see Wilson and Deane 2010). Intervention

programs such as Best of Coping (BOC) have limited suc-

cess in rebuilding self-esteem and sense of self-worth but

are still not shown to be tools of full recovery due to the

incalculable severity of environmental pressures that lead to

such conditions. Parental abuse and cultural image rein-

forcement also result in severe eating disorders like bulimia

and anorexia. The suggested treatment for this assortment

of depression-related problems is to teach children how to

deal with negative personality traits or external factors

rather than simply be made aware of their possibility.

The next chapter details the importance of resiliency.

This coping tool is associated with protective factors like

family cohesion and active school involvement. Yet, it is

considered a reactive characteristic and is thus not a defi-

nite indicator of well-being. Maintenance of positive

emotion, self-regulation and motivation, and the ability to

interpret even adverse events in a positive manner, are all

gifts enjoyed by those who are naturally resilient. Fry-

denberg envisions a unique conception of happiness that is

characterized not by mere absence of illness but by goal-

making, future planning, and relationship-strengthening, all

which are indicative of a proactive lifestyle that promotes

growth and maturation. This interpretation is consistent

with her goal of establishing coping as a life encompassing

tool for stability and well-being rather than one that

engenders temporary relief on a case by case basis.

The multidimensional aspect of academic success is

explained in Chapter 10. Positive emotional balance

marked by goal-setting and motivation are crucial for the

achievement of high examination scores. Perfectionism is

seen as positive adaptive only when not characterized by

negative reaction upon failure to achieve unrealistic goals

or by self-creation of obstacles as an excuse for failure.

Additionally, social competence is a necessary correlate to

achieve academic growth due to the nature of group pro-

jects and stressful competition at all levels of education.

Unique educational reform may help elevate coping

mechanisms that lead to achievement; for example, the

state of Victoria in Australia implemented a unique pro-

gram allowing the pursuit of an industry job straight out of

high school, causing a raise in attendance rates at school.

However this program also was affiliated with raising

levels of female stress, and Frydenberg only briefly com-

ments on this negative smudge to the program’s reputation.

The fact that she expresses concern over severe female

vulnerability in higher education in Chapter 4 is a factor

that likely should have been included in this reform’s

evaluation.

The decision-making process and communication con-

stitute the discussion of Chapter 11. Decision-making is

seen as a three part process characterized by a cyclical

process involving solution derivation, solution application,

and behavioral reaction or coping response to the outcome

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of the solution. Its successful application requires a positive

self-conception and adequate problem-solving skills. As

expected, older adolescents with enhanced problem-solv-

ing skills were more adept at effectual analysis of various

options of the process. Interestingly, decisions that were

comprised of one of two options were the most difficult due

to conflicting desires and needs. Frydenberg presents four

main types of decision-making process: vigilant (cautious

and aware), hypervigilant (hasty decision-making), defen-

sive avoidance, and complacency characterized by lack of

concern over the effect of the outcome. Suggested tools of

reinforcing the productive and adaptive nature of vigilant

decision-making include school programs and the now oft-

mentioned BOC. The binding long-term investment of

some decisions, such as career choice, are better assisted by

repeated exposure to similar work conditions. In addition to

this classification scheme of the decision-making process,

both verbal and non-verbal competency also are catego-

rized to measure social competency. They are both char-

acterized by uniquely socially accepted postures and proper

understanding of speech intonation and speed to convey the

desired message.

The twelfth chapter relays the various methods of

administrating educational opportunities that provide cop-

ing advice, as well as their effectiveness. Although scho-

lastic integration of productive coping strategies would be

beneficial to all students regardless of their mental health

conditions, Frydenberg chooses to emphasize the faster

resolution promised by interventionist services, almost

singly reporting the nature and effectiveness of BOC. After

multiple studies, this program was shown to obtain the

temporary benefits of increased productive coping appli-

cation and decreased adverse behavior. There was also

demonstratable promise in computer programs as aids due

to their prevalent availability and ease of use, possibly

allowing for further funds to be diverted to more exten-

sively trained professionals that were lacking in the BOC

program. Unfortunately, it seems that the lack of extensive

research done due to its short time on the market forces

Frydenberg to declare an indecision over whether educa-

tion is best given through human interaction or the flexible

medium of computers.

The final chapter acts as a restatement of all the previous

chapters’ trends and causal explanations with an added

reaffirming tone of confidence in the use of productive

coping strategies in the self-improvement of overall well-

being. Frydenberg cautions against the recommendation of

blanket coping strategies due to the high degree of vari-

ability between minority groups. She stresses the impor-

tance of affirming the importance of cultural and social

context in applying the set of coping strategies explored

throughout her work.

As we learn in this important book, the immeasurable

diversity of coping strategies is a testament to its compli-

cation of their systemization and classification. As a result,

the application of the various inventories and their results

will be a challenge that will require further adjustments for

many years to come. Still, the ability to condense such a

wide range of behaviors into positive and negative asso-

ciations is a crucial step in providing adolescents with the

tools necessary for self-improvement and change in the

attainment of good health. Despite the few seemingly

inconsistent fluctuations in emphasis over the vulnerability

of different groups, Erica Frydenberg successfully has

provided researchers and service providers with a starting

point in studies, services and programs that promise a

hopeful future for youth from all communities.

References

Martı́nez, R. S., Aricak, O. T., Graves, M. N., Peters-Myszak, J., &

Nellis, L. (2011). Changes in perceived social support and

socioemotional adjustment across the elementary to junior high

school transition. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 519–

530.

O’Connor, M., Sanson, A., Hawkins, M. T., Letcher, P., Toumbourou,

J. W., et al. (2011). Predictors of positive development in

emerging adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 860–

874.

Rueger, S. Y., Malecki, C. K., & Demaray, M. K. (2010).

Relationship between multiple sources of perceived social

support and psychological and academic adjustment in early

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Van Doorn, M. D., Branje, S. J. T., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2011).

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