Draft:Models of helping and coping

• Comment: Needs inline citations. Nobody (talk) 06:38, 12 December 2024 (UTC)

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Models of helping and coping

The helping and coping model was proposed by Brickman et al. in 1982, aiming to classify people's helping and coping behaviours into four models based on the attribution of responsibility for problems and attribution of responsibility for solutions and to explain the behaviours. This will help us know more about how people understand and respond to problems, how people help or seek help, and what kind of help they need is more effective (Clary & Thieman, 2002). It is of great significance to the progress of medicine, education and other fields, and has been widely used.

Four models

Brickman et al. (1982) put forward four models of helping and coping, which can be simply classified into two questions (whether the individual is responsible for each or both (Clary & Thieman, 2002)): Who is responsible for causing the problem? Who is responsible for solving the problem? Through the combination of these two questions or dimensions, four different coping strategies and help methods are formed (Clary & Thieman, 2002).

	Self-responsible for the solution
Self-responsible for the problem		High → Low
	High ↓ low	Moral model (needs motivation)	Enlightenment model (needs discipline)
		Compensatory model (needs power)	Medical model (needs treatment)

Moral model

Individuals are held responsible for both problems and solutions and are believed to need only proper motivation (Brickman et al, 1982).

Compensatory model

People are not seen as responsible for problems but responsible only for solutions and are considered to be in need of power (Brickman et al, 1982).

Medical model

People are not responsible for either the problem or the solution and are viewed as in need of treatment (Brickman et al, 1982).

Enlightenment model

Actors are responsible for problems, but they cannot offer solutions because they are unable or unwilling, they are in need of discipline (Brickman et al, 1982).

Application

Brickman et al. four models of helping and coping provide theoretical support in different fields.

In education

Coping with academic problems

Clary & Thieman (2002) conducted an empirical test on the Brickman et al. helping and coping model in an academic environment and studied how students' responsibility to solve problems affects their academic performance and how to provide effective support to students. The results showed that students with the ethical model had better grades and performed better on academic issues because they attributed problems and problem-solving responsibilities to themselves (Clary & Thieman, 2002). Therefore, it is very important for students to be aware of the impact of their own behaviour on their studies, which can enhance their sense of control over their future academic performance so that they can face and deal with it positively and make progress (Clary & Thieman, 2002). Schools can specify different teaching models, understand students' attribution of responsibility, and adapt to different helping and coping models. For example, providing additional support to students in the compensation model, and providing additional support in the medical model classroom should also lead students to realize their responsibilities (Clary & Thieman, 2002).

In medical treatment and health

Cancer care

In Northouse & Wortman's (1990) ' study, the level of patient responsibility for causing and solving health problems (different models) affects the way patients cope with their illness and the way healthcare organizations (professionals) try to help patients. For example, the extremely strong self-attribution of the moral model may lead patients to believe that their own behaviour and lifestyle directly caused cancer, which may cause patients to feel guilty or self-blame, and thus have a negative attitude toward treatment or even refuse treatment because they believe that they are responsible for all this (Northouse & Wortman, 1990). In contrast, in the compensatory model, because patients only believe that they should be responsible for solving their cancer, they actively treat and recover (Northouse & Wortman, 1990). Through these helping and coping models, nurses can determine how to provide help and support to what extent, balance the participation of patients in the treatment process, strengthen communication and trust between the two sides, and achieve the consistency of ideas to ensure the best treatment effect (Northouse & Wortman, 1990).

Childbrith

The work of Cronenwett & Brickman (1983) applied the four models to the birthing practice, and the result indicates that the four different models are all the basis for one or more forms of help for the client.

In different social groups

Elderly

Karuza et al. (1990) found that the elderly are more inclined to the helping and coping model with lower self-responsibility. Therefore, in the elderly group, the medical model and the moral model are mainly used, and the different responsibility ascription of different models affects the mental health and happiness index of the elderly (Karuza et al., 1990). The medical model reduces their sense of responsibility to solve problems, affects their positive emotions, and is not conducive to the establishment of self-efficacy. The moral model will cause the elderly to take too much responsibility for themselves and bear more pressure and burden (Karuza et al., 1990). In addition, because of their helping patterns, older adults are more inclined to help other older adults (peers) (Karuza et al., 1990).

Young people

Younger people are more likely than older people to help others based on a moral model (Karuza et al., 1990). Differences in the helping and coping models can affect the behaviours and attitudes of young people when helping the elderly (Karuza et al., 1990).

In natural and professional helpers

Memmott (1993), a field experiment on natural and professional helpers based on Models of helping and coping, found that natural helpers (family, friends, etc.) believe that the person being helped should bear the responsibility in the solution, so they usually use moral models and compensatory models; Professional helpers use different models depending on the situation, especially when the person being helped is the elderly, and tend to use the medical model (in line with Karuza et al. (1990), the elderly mainly use the medical model). In addition, the difference in age and gender between helpers and recipients also affects the perception of responsibility attribution (choice of different models) （Memmott, 1993).

Criticism and summary

It is not difficult to see from these four classification modes that Brickman et al. Simply ascribe responsibility to oneself or external factors (others, environment, etc.). However, according to the study Clary & Thieman did in 2002, individuals are not so simple when attributing responsibility, but allocate it among multiple factors. Memmott (1993) also believes that Brickman et al. 's model is too simple in explaining responsibility for problems and does not take into account the sharing of responsibility (for example, when facing interpersonal problems). Brickman et al.'s model fails to encapsulate these complexities, so the applicability of its model to many problems is questioned.

Also, regarding the criticism of the Brickman model, Clary & Thieman (2002) point out that in different studies, the construction of attribution of responsibility has not been evaluated consistently, resulting in a confused understanding of attribution, cause and responsibility. Karuza et al. (1990) have expressed a similar view: Brickman et al. "The lack of a deep understanding of causality limits the practicality and validity of the theory."

Last but not least, Karuza et al. (1990) also pointed out that this model ignored the influence of individual differences, such as health status, economic level, social support network and other factors, Similarly, Memmott (1993) pointed out that the model did not take into account the different perspectives and strategies of different types of helpers in coping, and would be affected by individual linear, systematic and non-linear worldviews. So applicability may lead to misunderstandings.

References

Brickman, P., Rabinowitz, V. C., Karuza, J., Coates, D., Cohn, E., & Kidder, L. (1982). Models of helping and coping. American psychologist, 37(4), 368-384. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1982-30315-001

Clary, E.G., & Thieman, T.J. (2002), Coping With Academic Problems: An Empirical Examination of Brickman et al.'s Models of Helping and Coping1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32: 33-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb01419.x

Northouse, L. L., & Wortman, C. B. (1990). Models of helping and coping in cancer care. Patient education and counseling, 15(1), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/0738-3991(90)90008-9

Karuza, J., Zevon, M. A., Gleason, T. A., Karuza, C. M., & Nash, L. (1990). Models of helping and coping, responsibility attributions, and well-being in community elderly and their helpers. Psychology and aging, 5(2), 194. https://doi.org/10.1037//0882-7974.5.2.194

Cronenwett, L., & Brickman, P. (1983). Models of helping and coping in childbirth. Nursing Research, 32(2), 84-88. https://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/abstract/1983/03000/models_of_helping_and_coping_in_childbirth.5.aspx

Memmott, J. L. (1993, September). Models of helping and coping: A field experiment with natural and professional helpers. In Social Work Research and Abstracts (Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 11-21). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/swra/29.3.11