Time Perspective and its
Role in Coping Behaviour
with a Conflict Situation
Performed by Milana R.Hachaturova, lecturer
Department of Psychology, National Research University –
Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
Research adviser: Professor Alla Konstantinovna Bolotova,
Doctor of Psychology
Сoping strategies

A coping strategy - the actions of an individual
in dealing with complex situations. There are
three types of coping strategies: emotional,
cognitive and behavioural. These types of coping
strategies of behavior in a conflict can be
adaptive, relatively adaptive and non-adaptive.
ZTPI (F. Zimbardo Time
Perspective Inventory)
1.
Allows working with all three time aspects at once - the
past, the present and the future. ZTPI consists of five
factors or scales:
◦ «the negative past»;
◦ «the hedonistic present»;
◦ «the future»;
◦ «the positive past»;
◦ «the fatalistic present».
The goal of the research

is studying the interrelation between time
perspective orientation and the person’s
choice of coping strategies in conflicts
situations.
Hypotheses
1.
A person with prevalence of time perspective focused
on the future prefers cognitive strategies of behaviour
in a situation of interpersonal conflicts.
2.
A person with prevalence of time perspective focused
on the fatalistic present and the negative past prefers
non-adaptive emotional and behavioural strategies of
behaviour in a conflict situation.
3.
A person with prevalence of time perspective focused
on the future, the positive past and the hedonistic
present prefers adaptive and relatively adaptive
strategies of behaviour in a conflict situation more
often than non-adaptive variants.
Methodology

To prove the stated hypotheses we used the
following methods: Zimbardo Time Perspective
Inventory and E.Heim’s technique (coping
strategies).

156 (87 women and 69 men), whose average
age was 27 participated in our research.
The results of the research
The results of the research
The results of the research
The results of the research
The results of the research
Coping strategies
Time
Perspective
Cognitive
strategies
A
RA
Emotional
strategies
N
A
RA
Behavioural
strategies
N
r=0,487
A
RA
N
r=0,517
Future
r=0,410 r=0,601
r=0,496
r=0,614
r=0,434
Fatalistic Present
Negative Past
r=-0,517
r=0,498
Positive Past
r=0,451
Hedonistic Present
Pearson Correlation Coefficient p<0,01 and p<0,05
A – adaptive, RA – relatively adaptive, N – non-adaptive
r=0,467
References
1.
Folkman S., Moskowitz J.T. (2000). Stress, Positive Emotion, and Coping //
Current Directions in Psychological Science. - №9, pp. 115-118.
2.
Grishina N. (2004). Psychology of conflict. St.Petersburgh, Piter.
3.
Lazarus R. S., Folkman S. (1984). Stress,Appraisal and Coping. N.Y: Springer.
4.
Marin T., Holtzman S. (2007). Coping and the Response of Others // Journal of
Social and Personal Relationships. - №24.

Caplan L., Schooler C. (2007). Socioeconomic Status and Financial Coping
Strategies: The Mediating Role of Perceived Control // Social Psychology
Quarterly. - Vol. 70, 2007, pp. 43-58.

Heim E. (1988). Coping and Psychosocial Adaptation // Journal of Mental
Health Counseling. - №10, pp. 136-144.

Zimbardo P.G., Boyd J.N. (1999). Putting Time in Perspective: A Valid, Reliable
Individual-Differences Metric // Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol.77, pp. 1271-1288.