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The relationship of life event interpretations to helping interactions: A case study
Author(s) -
Strong Catherine
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/bf00941421
Subject(s) - citation , event (particle physics) , psychology , health psychology , associate editor , wish , library science , sociology , public health , computer science , medicine , nursing , physics , quantum mechanics , anthropology
When people seek help for a stressful event, they believe they lack the necessary resources to cope with the event; therefore, they seek those resources. Before deciding which resources are necessary, they must first assign meaning to the event. That meaning affects the helping interaction--the resources sought, helper selected, and relationship with the helper. One case was selected to illustrate the nature of the relationship between the interpretation of a stressful event and the subsequent helping interaction. The discussion of the case focuses on: (a) an illustration of substitution and modeling processes; (b) the desirability dimension as applicable to the prospect, process, and outcome of an event; (c) the function of intimacy in the resolution of a problem event, and (d) the reinterpretation of an event at critical points between the event's occurrence and its resolution.