This study examined the relationship between self-esteem, self-concept clarity, and preferred coping strategies for stressful events and ongoing situations in 175 undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that higher self-esteem would be related to a clearer self-concept and that a clearer self-concept would be related to more positive coping styles while an unclear self-concept would be related to more negative coping styles. Subjects completed a two-part longitudinal questionnaire, with a one-month time interval between administrations of the two questionnaires. Self-reports on self-esteem, self-concept clarity, and general coping styles were obtained during part 1; the events and situation checklists and information on specific event and situation coping styles were obtained during part 2. The results of the regression analyses demonstrated that subjects with a clearer self-concept tended to make use of active and more adaptive coping strategies (e.g., planning and action) while subjects with a less clear self-concept tended to make use of more passive and maladaptive coping strategies (denial). Results from the longitudinal data analyses demonstrated that the subject's self-concept clarity predicted the coping strategies the subjects actually used to cope with a stressful event and situation. Self-esteem did not explain subjects' preferences for a general coping style as well as self-concept clarity and it was not as strong a predictor of coping strategies as self-concept clarity in the longitudinal analyses. (Author/NB)