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 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 Online Survey
Let Mind Garden do your data collection for you. Our Transform system* allows you to enter the email addresses of your participants - up to the purchased number - and we will administer the instrument and provide you with a csv (comma delimited) file. * click here for web-browser compatibility information Alternatively, you can administer the instrument yourself by ordering the paper form or the PDF/ electronic form. In either case, you will receive just one copy of the instrument and written license to reproduce/ administer the purchased number. Includes one copy of the scoring key - does not include the Manual. Pricing depends on quantity - please see below. |
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| License to Reproduce/Administer | |||||
Number of |
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| 1-50 | |
$100.00 | |
$120.00 |  |
| 51-100 | |
$110.00 | |
$132.00 | |
| 101-150 | |
$135.00 | |
$162.00 | |
| 151-200 | |
$160.00 | |
$192.00 | |
| 201-250 | |
$200.00 | |
$240.00 | |
| 251-300 | |
$228.00 | |
$274.00 | |
| 301-350 | |
$252.00 | |
$302.00 | |
| 351-400 | |
$288.00 | |
$346.00 | |
| 401-450 | |
$324.00 | |
$389.00 | |
| 451-500 | |
$360.00 | |
$432.00 | |
For pricing for larger quantities, please click here |
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WAYS Personal Reports
Let us do the administration for you. We will send you a link to a unique and secure online "control panel"
where you will enter clients names and email addresses. Clients will be sent an email with a secure
url address to take the evaluation* in privacy at their convenience. You can monitor their progress
from your control panel. Instruments will be scored and a report returned to you.
* click here for web-browser compatibility information
WAYS  Personal Reports |
Select the desired number of reports from the drop-down menu. The following volume pricing applies: | |
| Individual Report | $15.00 each |
| 2-10 reports | $14.00 each |
| 11-20 reports | $13.00 each |
| 21-50 reports | $12.00 each |
| 51-100 reports | $11.00 each |
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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