Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction . Modern research on proactive coping behavior (PCB) primarily links it to universal psychological predictors: self‑efficacy, optimism, future orientation, and personal proactivity. However, the strength of these relationships varies significantly, which indicates the need to take additional factors into account. One of them is the age context: adulthood is a sequence of stages that differ in terms of developmental tasks, social roles, and time perspective. Taking age‑related specifics into account is important for clarifying the mechanisms of PCB, improving the accuracy of its prediction, and developing differentiated psychological support programs. Objective. To theoretically substantiate the need to take into account the stages of adulthood in the structure of PCB. The problem of the universality of predictors of proactive coping during adulthood. PCB is understood as a future‑oriented process of accumulating and mobilizing resources to achieve goals. Its resource basis consists of self‑efficacy, optimism, future orientation, planning, tolerance for uncertainty, proactive orientation, and social support. However, the nature of the relationships between these resources and PCB depends on the specifics of the potential stressor, the characteristics of the sample, and the approaches to measuring PCB. The heterogeneity of adulthood limits the applicability of universalist models and allows us to consider age as a factor that modifies the influence of psychological predictors on PCB. Age as a system‑forming context. Age determines the nature of stressors, motivational priorities, available resources, and coping strategies. With age, strategies for responding to stressors and the content of stressful situations change. Theories of emerging adulthood, socioemotional selectivity, selection, optimization, and compensation, as well as the model of strength and vulnerability, explain this dynamic through changes in life tasks, time perspective, and the balance between resources and limitations. Based on this, an age‑differentiated model is proposed, in which the age stage acts as a moderator of the relationships between psychological resources and PCB. Discussion. The analysis shows that the universal interpretation of PCB predictors needs to be refined. Their relationships with proactive coping vary depending on the stressor, the distinction between proactive and preventive coping, and the age‑related context. The theoretical significance of the work lies in the substantiation of age as a systemic context for proactive coping. The practical significance lies in the possibility of developing age‑differentiated psychological support programs. Research prospects are related to the empirical validation of the model and the identification of age‑specific features of the mechanisms of proactive coping.
Author: Ekaterina P. Naumova
Institution: Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7224105161