Talk:Communal coping

Instructor feedback for article draft

Great job on the draft overall. You have written an extensive and thorough encyclopedia article that would be a great addition to Wikipedia as a "live" article. Here are few suggestions for improvement as you revise for the final version.

The lead section offers a nice introduction to communal coping. I would argue that communal coping is not necessarily a named theory. There have been several iterations of theorizing (Lyons et al. and Afifi et al. ), but not a specifically named theory. I think using the term model or framework is appropriate. Using the word "distressful" in the first sentence is a little awkward. Typically "distressing" or "stressful" are terms used to describe experiences that produce stress. The last sentence in this paragraph is not complete; it just ends.

The information in the background section is useful but some of it might fit better in a different section. Try to focus the background content on the development and evolution of the communal coping framework. For example. there was no mention of Afifi et al.'s (2006) work as another iteration of communal coping theorizing. Also, remember that communal coping is about the perception of a stressor as shared in terms of ownership and responsibility, according to Lyons et al. So a stressor does not necessarily need to be collectively experienced, but that network members perceive that the stressor is shared.

The "components of communal coping" section has some good content, but could be revised for clarity a bit. The first step is described in the first paragraph, but the second step is missing or ill-defined because the second paragraph jumps into the third step (possibly) without a discussion of the second step. I think you can discuss the aspects of "our problem" and "our responsibilty" more rather than just saying that communal orientation is not perceiving the stressor as "your problem." Frame it in terms of what people do, and not what they don't do.

The benefits of communal coping section offers some nice insights about communal coping based in previous research. I would temper the claim in the first paragraph that states "communal coping among connected individuals guarantees a consistent availability of social support." First, I'm not sure this can be guaranteed to occur all the time. Second, I'm not sure there is evidence to support this claim; if there is you need to cite it. Third, communal coping and social support are distinct processes according to Lyons et al.

The costs of communal coping section is solid.

I think the influences on the use of communal coping section could be moved up ahead of the benefits and costs sections. Also, I think this section could benefit from some other sources other than Lyons et al. There have been other developments regarding the influences on adopting a communal orientation to coping or using communal coping processes.

Much of the content of the "models of communal coping" section would be appropriate in the "background" section. Or at least this section should be moved up. I think you could add a visual of the model either from Lyons et al. or Afifit et al. here. I think this section could be expanded a bit to highlight the differences in the models more and how the theorizing has evolved.

Check APA style throughout, but especially in the references section because many of the references are not in accurate APA style and/or are missing information. Jrpederson (talk) 18:50, 16 October 2019 (UTC)