Abstract

This study examined the relations between coping strategies and individual differences. Coping strategies were assessed using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), which includes problem-focused, emotion-focused, and social support seeking scales. Sensing and thinking (ST), and intuition and feeling (NF) preferences measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) were considered as cognitive styles. In addition, gender and social support were also examined. A total of 396 college students (139 males and 257 females) participated in the study. Two-hundred and sixteen subjects were selected using the MBTI results, They were divided into the ST group (123 subjects) and the NF group (93 subjects). The data from 396 subjects were used to investigate gender differences in coping strategies and social support. The findings indicated that the ST group tended to use problem-focused coping strategies, while the NF group preferred to use emotion-focused coping strategies. No gender differences were found in problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies (except one subscale of emotion-focused coping, the distancing scale; males revealed higher scores than females). However, there was a significant relation between females and social support.