The role of cognitive flexibility in attributional style and coping during early adulthood

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify the role of cognitive flexibility in optimistic attributional style and coping.
The study involved 269 respondents, divided into three groups based on the levels of cognitive flexibility: high, medium, and low. The following questionnaires were applied: the “Cognitive Flexibility Inventory” to measure cognitive flexibility level; the “Success and Failure Attributional Style Questionnaire for Adolescent” to measure attributional style and the "Ways of Coping Checklist" to determine coping strategies.
The study showed different results for the test groups: parameters "Stability" and "Globality" of attributional style, "General indicator of optimism" and "Optimism in the situations of success" were characteristic for the respondents with high and medium levels of cognitive flexibility; parameter "Control" of attributional style described individuals with high level of cognitive flexibility; "Alternatives" and "Control" parameters of cognitive flexibility predicted the choice of certain coping behavior strategies and the attributional style. The “problem solving planning” and “positive overestimation” strategies were predicted by both "Alternatives" and "Control" parameters of cognitive flexibility. The “self-control” strategy was determined by “Alternatives” parameter with a positive value, and the “escape-avoidance” strategy was determined negatively by “Control” parameter of cognitive flexibility. The sample structure was presented in three profiles. The first one was characterized (n = 110) by the mean values of all investigated parameters, the second (n = 130) and the third profiles (n = 29) included respondents with high and low values respectively.