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Coping with Stress and Frustration

Origins, Nature, and Development

  • Chapter
The Socialization of Emotions

Part of the book series: Genesis of Behavior ((GOBE,volume 5))

Abstract

When Johnny last visited the dentist, he was greeted in the waiting room by the dental assistant, who explained the forthcoming procedures to him in great detail. As she described the equipment, the sensations, and the sequence of events, Johnny became tense, wide-eyed, and quiet. During the examination itself, he squirmed in the dentist’s chair and winced when the dentist warned him that he was about to feel pain. Johnny also suffered for several days after the procedure, complaining that his teeth were sore and that he was afraid of having a new cavity filled the following week. Craig’s experience at the dentist was quite the opposite. In his case, the assistant gave him a coloring book and crayons to occupy him while he waited. He happily played with these toys, humming softly to himself. Throughout the examination, Craig listened carefully to the dentist’s stories about fishing and swimming and remained cheerful. He never mentioned the dentist or his teeth to his mother after the examination and seemed nonplussed at the prospect of having another cavity filled.

This research was partially supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and by Temple University Research Incentive Fund Grant 700-950-43 and Temple University Biomedical Science Research Grant and Temple University Grant in Aid of Research to Suzanne M. Miller.

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Miller, S.M., Green, M.L. (1985). Coping with Stress and Frustration. In: Lewis, M., Saarni, C. (eds) The Socialization of Emotions. Genesis of Behavior, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2421-8_12

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