Which are the components of effective coping?

• A. Resilience and optimism
• B. Flexibility and adaptability
• C. Mastery and efficiency
• D. Mastery, competence, and effectance

Answer: (D)

Effective coping hinges on a sense of personal agency—the feeling that you can influence what happens and handle challenges. Mastery is about believing you can learn, control, and complete tasks; it’s the sense that challenges can be understood and managed. Competence refers to having the skills and abilities needed to perform those tasks successfully. Effectance captures the belief that your actions can produce real, meaningful effects in the world and shape outcomes. When someone experiences mastery, sees themselves as competent, and feels they can influence events, they’re better equipped to cope effectively across stressful situations.

Other options touch on positive traits or coping styles, but they don’t fully encompass these three interrelated dimensions. Resilience and optimism are valuable dispositions, but they’re broader emotional traits rather than the specific combination of control, capability, and influence that underpins effective coping. Flexibility and adaptability describe how one responds to change, but they don’t foreground the sense of mastery, competence, and effectance. Mastery with efficiency leaves out the crucial component of effectance, focusing on task handling without the belief that one can shape outcomes.