Stress and Coping - An Economic Approach

Stress is ubiquitous in society. We present a model where stressors translate into subjective stress via an appraisal process. Stress reduces instantaneous utility of an individual directly and via a cognitive load argument. Coping can be functional and under the control of the individual or more automatic with dysfunctional features. We predict the occurrence and frequency of controlled vs uncontrolled coping — emotional outbursts —as a function of an individual’s personality and environment. We show that outbursts cannot always be avoided. We also show that artificially delaying emotional outbursts can lead to even more outbursts. The model implies that success of psychotherapy is discontinuous and characterized by breakthroughs.