The effects of social context and defensiveness on the physiological responses of repressive copers.
In previous research (T.L. Newton & R.J. Contrada, 1992), social context was found to moderate exaggerated physiological reactivity among individuals identified as using a repressive coping style. In this experiment, 119 undergraduates were classified into low-anxious, high-anxious, repressor, and defensive high-anxious coping categories. All participants completed a stressful speech task under either a public or private social context condition. The experimental social context was related to physiological reactivity and self-reported affect but did not moderate reactivity among repressive copers. Additionally, reactivity among repressive copers was not attributable to high defensiveness alone. Consistent with a theory of emotional inhibition, nonspecific skin conductance responses, but not heart rate, discriminated between repressors and nonrepressors.
Barger
S D
SD
Department of Psychology, University of Utah, USA. barger+@pitt.edu
Kircher
J C
JC
Croyle
R T
RT
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology