Students' Self-discrepancy, Attribution Style And Behavior To The Study Of Coping Styles

Self-discrepancy is the important factor to affecting the mental health of college students. Self-discrepancy has dose relation to emotions and behaviors. The greater the magnitude of self-discrepancy, the more intensely its possessor will suffer the kind of discomfort. Self-discrepancy also leads to mental diseases, even psychogenic disorder. According to self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987), there are two basic self-discrepancies in this study: actual-ideal self-discrepancy (AI) ; actual-ought self-discrepancy (AO). Coping behavior and attribution style are important qualifications to bringing up social adjustment ability for college students. Using appropriate self-consciousness, positive attribution style and coping behavior, it can help college students to getting over difficulties, improving self-efficacy and solving problems successfully.323 college students in Beijing were tested by Self Questionnaire for college students (developed before study) and Attribution Style Questionnaire and Coping Questionnaire successively in this study, in order to explore the relationship among self-discrepancies, attribution style and coping behavior and make sure the relationships among the type of self-discrepancies or the magnitude of self-discrepancies , attribution style and coping behavior.There are three main results as follows:Firstly, there are close relationship among self-discrepancies , attribution style and coping behavior among college students. Self-discrepancies is affect coping behavior directly, at the same time it can also indirectly affect coping by attribution style.Secondly, the unique relations among specific self-discrepancy (AI or AO) and specific coping and attribution style are not always found. In an other word, the type of self-discrepancy is not the key factor in affecting coping behavior. Actual-ideal self-discrepancy (AI) and actual-ought self-discrepancy (AO) predict solving problem, escaping and avoiding, self-accusation, illusion at the same time.Thirdly, the magnitude of self-discrepancies predicts coping behavior. The greater magnitude of self-discrepancies, the more positive attribution style and solving problem are used. Contra(?)y, The smaller magnitude of self-discrepancies, the more negative attribution style and escaping and avoiding, self-accusation, illusion are used.