Like health, the ability to cope often goes unappreciated until it's too late. This volume, breaking from the traditional focus on pathology, takes a preventative approach, focusing on new ways to improve people's ability to cope with mental stress. This award-winning research emphasizes the role of people as positive copers. The volume collects work by leading experts and includes new research. It explores a wide variety of topics, including reality negotiation, confessing through writing, emotional intelligence, optimism, hope, mastery-oriented thinking, and more. The book will be an invaluable resource for mental health professionals, as well as a useful guide for general readers.