Adaptational Style and Dispositional Structure: Coping in the Context of the Five‐Factor Model

ABSTRACT We review prior evidence—and present data of our own—linking measures of adaptational style to the traits comprising the five‐factor model of personality. Neuroticism has been studied most extensively and is consistently associated with passive and ineffective coping mechanisms. Conscientiousness has emerged as an equally powerful predictor of coping; however, it is related to active, problem‐focused response strategies. Extraversion is less broadly related to coping but tends to be correlated with social support seeking, positive reappraisal, and problem‐focused coping. Openness is largely unrelated to many traditional coping inventories, but appears to reflect a more flexible, imaginative, and intellectually curious approach to problem solving. Finally, Agreeableness is only modestly related to coping. These results demonstrate the value of using well‐articulated taxonomic schemes as a framework for trait‐based research.