The Effects of Theoretical Perspective on the Analysis of Coping With Negative Life Events

Abstract

Human beings are constantly trying to make sense out of the events in their lives. This searching for understanding makes Homo sapiens the most sophisticated theory or model generator among the multitude of living organisms. Although living organisms, for survival reasons, are intimately involved in unraveling the cause and effect relationships in their life arenas, humankind not only appears to generate the more intricate set of behaviors, but also develops the most complex explanations for the cause—effect sequences. These latter explanations of the cause—effect sequence are the essence of theory building. Much of the work of childhood is theory building and testing, and this process continues throughout the developmental sequence. Most people have a multitude of theories to explain the events in their lives and the lives of other people. A theory is a viewpoint or perspective, a way of looking at causality or the relationship between things. When theory is defined in these terms, even the most staunchly atheoretical people must be included in the human fold of theorizers. This is especially the case when people attempt to cope with the negative events in life. Theory is the very stuff by which life events and coping are defined.