Dissociation is defined as, “a state of separation or disunion” (Webster’s, 1993). Dissociative behaviors in a sense disconnect a person from the real world. For the majority of the population, this method is used to cope with everyday stress, but in some cases individuals have shown drastic failure to gain contact with reality (Matlin, 1992,

Another coping method people use is denial. Denial is defined as, “the refusal to recognize the reality of a traumatic situation” (Webster’s, 1993). This method is used when reality is just too disagreeable and the individual chooses to sort of candy coat the situation he or she is in (McNeil, 1974, p.387). For me denial is an in effective tool in fighting stress. For a long time it was believed that denial was maladaptive because it distorted reality for some. Later it was discovered that denial can also be adaptive in such times like after a traumatic event, but can

Humor is another way we as humans struggle with stress. We laugh about our problems, or we are cheered up with jokes by our family and friends. Humor is, “The complex of feelings which includes amusement and mirth” (Krech and Crutchfield, 1968, p.253). There are multiple types of humor and they all have their own, different meanings. For this reason, attempts to uncover a pattern in humor have been a waste of time. When a person laughs there is no particular way to describe the laugh. It was a giggle, but it was very similar to chuckle or a cackle as well. On the reverse side, laughter may have nothing to do with humor. The laughing may just be a way to release tension and bring about a sense of small comfort to an individual who is experiencing an overflow of stress (1968). There are only

Some topics in this essay:
Krech Crutchfield, Ernest Hilgard, Humor Dissociation, Cope Everyday, Dr Cruise, Slater Slater, Publishers Inc, Company Ed4, Expanded Dictionary, mcneil 1974, cope everyday, Knopf Inc, i’m blaming, tunnel vision, webster’s 1993, feel worse, dissociative behaviors, coping methods, laughter humor, daydream class,