The concept of coping is fascinating because it analyzes how an individual responds to a situation, as well as whether it is effective or not. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) define coping as “the constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts made by individuals to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as burdensome or exceeding the person's resources.” This essay will cover multiple perspectives on the topic of coping, from the cognitive perspective to the more comprehensive biopsychosocial theory. We will also detail the characteristics of adaptive coping and the effective strategies they use, as well as compare and contrast them with models generally considered maladaptive. The first published theory of coping was envisioned by Lazarus (1984), who attributed it to the cognitive ability point of view. Lazarus was interested in the concept of stress as a transaction and suggested that people go through stages of evaluation. The first phase is where the individual determines whether or not the event constitutes a threat. If the event is identified as threatening, the individual then evaluates their ability to cope with the stressor. These assessments are repeated regularly to ensure ongoing accuracy, especially as the individual attempts to cope with the stressor. Dienstbier (1989) refined this theory so that the term “stress” referred only to negative outcomes, while the term “challenge” was introduced to refer to transactions that could lead to a positive or negative outcome. The distinction was important because these findings resulted in different physiological responses. Frankenhaeuser (1986) found that these responses were related to the level of dissatisfaction with the situation… mid-paper… (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Having a plan for dealing with a stressful situation will greatly strengthen an individual's sense of self-efficacy, thereby improving his or her well-being (Roesch, Weiner & Vaughn, 2002). In conclusion, coping is an important skill because it has an important effect on both physical and mental health. People use a variety of strategies in an attempt to cope with life stressors, such as problem solving and venting their emotions. When a coping strategy endangers an individual's well-being or worsens the problem in the long term, it is considered maladaptive. Type B, Type R, and Survivor personalities are known to be the best at dealing with stress because they respond to stress instead of simply reacting to it. When stressful events are seen as an opportunity for personal growth, dealing with them becomes second nature.