When
the going gets tough, the tough get going
re·sil·ience
n. 1. The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or
misfortune; buoyancy. 2.The property of a material that enables
it to resume its original shape or position after being bent,
stretched, or compressed; elasticity.
Basketball
star Michael Jordan, one of the greatest players in history, was
cut from the varsity team in high school. Stephen Hawking, one
of the world's preeminent theoretical physicists, has continued
to produce incredible work and live a full life in the face of
a terminal diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou
Gehrig's Disease at it is colloquially known.
What is it
about these two men that makes them successful, despite significant
obstacles? In one word: resiliency. It is the drive to succeed,
despite the obstacles and hardships that marks the resilient.
Resiliency is everywhere, and it is often found somewhere in any
success story, even amongst those with tremendous physical or
intellectual gifts.
Michael Jordan
channeled his disappointment into his game, practicing day and
night throughout high school, turning himself into a top high-school
player, a top college player, and finally, one of the most successful
and recognizable athletes in history through effort and determination.
Stephen Hawking
looked at his situation thusly, "The realisation that I had
an incurable disease, that was likely to kill me in a few years,
was a bit of a shock. How could something like that happen to
me? Why should I be cut off like this? However, while I had been
in hospital, I had seen a boy I vaguely knew die of leukaemia,
in the bed opposite me. It had not been a pretty sight. Clearly
there were people who were worse off than me. At least my condition
didn't make me feel sick. Whenever I feel inclined to be sorry
for myself I remember that boy." 40 years later, he is still
producing revolutionary work and has been the author of two best-selling
books.
Resiliency
was a key-factor in making Michael Jordan and Stephen Hawking
successful. A less resilient person might have given up on their
dreams of playing basketball, or been resigned to their end upon
a terminal diagnosis.
What is
resiliency?
With "at
risk" children, families and communities, there are always
a number of stories that start out the same, but end quite differently.
Hypothetically, take two brothers, Rod and Todd, from a low-income
neighbourhood whose parents have substance abuse and domestic
violence problems. One became a success selling cars, the other
went to prison for stealing them. Why did one brother make it
while the other didn't?
Rod took part
in community and extra-curricular activities. Todd hung out with
the other kids on the street and didn't like taking part in things.
Rod was a diligent student who enjoyed the support and admiration
of his peers and teachers. Todd liked to joke about how few classes
he attends. Rod takes pride in his accomplishments and looks forward
to new opportunities. Todd is jealous of his brother and blames
everyone else for his failures.
From the outside
looking in, we can presume that Rod became the successful brother,
and that Todd faces a life of problems. Despite coming from the
same difficult background, one succeeded and other failed. The
key is resiliency. Individuals with a high level of resiliency
are able to focus on their goals, and not be setback by obstacles.
People with low resiliency are more likely to be felled by adversity.
How can
you instill/build/improve resiliency?
Building resiliency
isn't an exact science. The risk and protective factors available
to each child or adult are different, but there are some very
basic ground rules to begin with.
The Tucson
Resiliency Initiative has compiled a Resiliency Wheel containing
six major categories. They are: provide caring and support, set
and communicate high expectations, provide opportunities for meaningful
participation, increase presocial bonding, set clear and consistent
boundaries and teach life skills.
The Initiative
has identified these as the six major areas in which resilience
can be built. Within each of these categories are many other suggestions
covering a broad range of ideas, taking into account everything
from environment to personal interactions. To read more, follow
the link to their website at the bottom of the page.
What is
a resilient personality?
The people
who are the most resilient to adversity are those with a "resilient
personality." According to National Crime Prevention, there
are a number of traits that define the "resilient personality".
Strength in these areas can make one less susceptible to criminal
behaviour or delinquency, and they can also apply to other areas
of life. The traits include:
- self esteem
- trust,
optimism, and a sense of hope
- autonomy
or sense of self reliance and independence (capacity to exert
effort, ability to satisfy one's own needs)
- hardiness
or ability to handle stress
- sociability
- ability
to experience a range of emotion
- positive
coping skills, such as constructive thinking, being able to
foresee consequences and problem-solving ability
- appropriate
development for one's age
- less tendency
to blame self for family violence
- childhood
competence, as demonstrated by things like doing regular chores,
having a part time job, participating in both school and extracurricular
activities, doing relatively well in school.
How do
you measure resiliency?
There's no
numeric value you can place on resiliency. Rather, a person's
resiliency is a measure of the adversity (risk factors) they face
and the support (protective factors) they receive. When the protective
factors balance or outweigh the risk factors, that person possesses
resiliency.
However, there
are some inherent problems with counting both risk and resiliency
factors, as outlined by Dr. Craig Noonan, a clinical psychologist
and editor at Resiliency in Action's website (www.resiliency.com).
He says "As a resiliency oriented professional, I am leery
of measuring it in individuals for fear that it will become another
label that we apply to individuals that prevents us and the individual
from realizing their true potentials. This is what has happened
as a result of risk factor measurement and may also be beginning
in the asset development approach. Individuals are measured and
some are found wanting. 'Jimmy only has one resiliency factor
or one asset and Sally has five' is not much different from 'So
and so has so many risk factors we cannot possibly hope to make
a difference.' This kind of labeling can lead to hopelessness
in both the professional and the subject of their assistance.
It discourages belief in the self and the holding high expectations.
As resiliency professionals, we know that all we need is one resilient
factor to build on and we know that everyone has at least one."
Resiliency
is not just limited to individuals however. Families and whole
communities can also find themselves fighting a seemingly unwinnable
battle against adversity. Measures can be taken within the larger
unit to boost the resiliency of the members, and of the whole.
For example, a neighbourhood beset by gang violence can learn
to fight back, and make their community safe again by helping
the children to resist the temptations of a gang lifestyle, and
by bringing the community together in opposition.
Looking once
more at Rod and Todd, they both have significant risk factors
resulting from a bad home environment. But whereas Todd compounded
those factors by adding poor school performance and hanging around
with a bad crowd, Rod was active in school, and had the encouragement
of peers and community leaders. This support helped build Rod's
resiliency; when he encountered obstacles, he was able to overcome
them. Without that kind of positive support, Todd floundered in
the face of problems, spiraling downwards into delinquency and
prison. Today, Rod owns his own dealership, while Todd can only
look hopefully towards his first parole hearing.
Like Rod and
Todd, everyone will face adversity in many forms. It is how we
respond to that adversity that marks how successful we will be
in life. By giving children, parents and community leaders the
knowledge and the tools to deal with adversity, they gain a tremendous
advantage in life.
Additional
Resiliency Resources:
National
Crime Prevention
Resiliency in Action
Tucson Resiliency Organization
Health
Canada - Child, Youth and Mental Health
http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/cfrrp/cfrrp.html
4-H
Ontario
