Relationship between time perspective and reflexivity in reactive-proactive coping in young people (on the example of early adulthood)

Abstract

The current study is aimed to examine the role of reflection and time perspective in reactive-proactive coping behavior in early adulthood. We discuss the role of reflexivity and reflection of past experience in reactive-proactive coping, taking into account their functions in the development of coping behavior. Empirical study was conducted with the use of the following questionnaires: Individual Measure of Reflexivity, Questionnaire of Proactive Coping Behavior, Ways of Coping Questionnaire and Time Perspective Inventory. Results of the study showed that reflexivity and ontogenetic reflection were not associated with reactive-proactive strategies as well as with time perspective parameters. Orientation to the future was shown to be associated with the reactive strategies with a proactive potential; attitudes towards the past in turn were more associated with reactive strategies aimed at flight-avoidance; orientation to the present - to different reactive strategies. The dendrogram built by means of the Ward’s method showed that only reflexivity was combined with reactive-proactive strategies in one of the clusters, whereas the ontogenetic reflection formed a separate cluster with time perspective parameters, similarly to the proactive strategies. Our findings suggest that reflexivity may represent a mechanism, which facilitates the integration of different strategies into reactive-proactive coping behavior.