Final answer:
Patty has used emotion-focused coping as a coping mechanism by telling herself that calculus was unimportant anyway, which helped her distance herself from the stressor and minimize negative emotions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Patty has used emotion-focused coping as a coping mechanism.
Emotion-focused coping involves efforts to change or reduce the negative emotions associated with stress. Patty adopted this approach by telling herself that calculus was unimportant anyway, which helped her distance herself from the stressor and minimize the negative emotions she felt about failing the course.
This coping style is more likely to be used when encountering stressors that are perceived as uncontrollable. In Patty's case, she may have believed that she couldn't change her performance in the calculus course, leading her to focus on managing her emotions instead. Techniques such as hypnosis and transcendental meditation that are designed to reduce stress-induced physiological arousal are known as relaxation techniques. These methods help individuals manage their stress by achieving a state of calm.