An example of a primary appraisal of a stressor is a judgment like:
“Humphrey judges the man with the gun to be a moderate threat.”

What primary appraisal means

  • Primary appraisal is the first mental evaluation of a situation where a person decides if something is a threat, a challenge, a loss, or not relevant.
  • In this stage, the focus is on “Is this dangerous or important to me?” rather than on what to do about it.

Why that example fits

  • Saying the man with the gun is a “moderate threat” shows an immediate evaluation of how threatening the situation is, which is classic primary appraisal.
  • Other options that involve deciding to quit a job, get a divorce, or weighing coping options reflect planning and problem-solving, which are secondary appraisals, not primary.

Quick contrast: secondary appraisal

  • Secondary appraisal is when a person thinks, “What can I do about this?” and evaluates their resources and options for coping.
  • Examples include weighing options for dealing with a bully or deciding whether to leave a job, which happen after the initial threat judgment.

TL;DR: The primary appraisal example is the immediate threat judgment, such as deciding that a man with a gun is a moderate threat.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.