The effect on coping of monitoring, blunting, and the ability to achieve cognitive structure

The effects of monitoring and blunting on individuals' choices of coping st rategies and their effectiveness were examined. In addition, the authors ex plored the effect of the ability to achieve cognitive structure (AACS), def ined as either or both of the following: (a) the ability to avoid informati on that either cannot be categorized or clashes with the individual's exist ing knowledge; (b) the ability to organize knowledge to fit an already exis ting cognitive structure. The results showed that in addition to the main e ffects of monitoring on problem-focused coping and social support seeking b ehaviors and of blunting on the use of wishful thinking, AACS was found to moderate blunting's influence on problem-focused coping as well as the effe ctiveness of distancing and avoidance coping. Finally, the results showed t hat the combination of high monitoring and high blunting sometimes contribu tes to coping effectiveness.