Humor as a form of coping behavior among Russian students

Abstract

This paper is focused on analyzing the studies devoted to coping using humor. The ability of humor to change person's perception of the world and oneself, to changes one's attitude towards to the situation and to transform emotions using reflective actions is noted. The Coping Humor Scale proposed by R. Martin and G. Lefcourt was used to study sense of humor as a trait reducing stress. This method made it possible to reveal the extent of using humor by Russian students in case of stressful life events. No gender differences in using humor by young people have been revealed. Students who actively use humor are more likely to employ active and straightforward strategies for coping with stressogenic situations. The efficiency of using humor to cope with and resolve unfavorable situations depends not only on adequate choice of a strategy but also on personal traits of students: their self-concept, self-control, extraversion, anxiety and level of subjective control. The students who are more confident and independent use humor more actively. © IDOSI Publications, 2013.