Strength in the Face of Adversity: Individual and Social Thriving

Abstract

Inherent in any profound challenge is the potential for crisis or opportunity. This article focuses on the opportunities that challenge presents at the level of individuals, organizations, and nations: opportunities to move beyond recovery and to display thriving by using the challenge as an impetus for change leading to growth. A variety of individual and social resources hypothesized to promote thriving are explored with an eye toward identibing a set of conceptually meaningfid categories for use in future theoretical development and empirical investigation.The world isfilled with millions of men, women, and children who, with strength and courage, grace and humol; resolve and hard work, rise above their pain and live in the face of continued suffering. In our own lives we may know some of these special people. Occasionally, someone comes along who uses personal experience to inspire others in a more public way. Such a unique person becomes a modern-day hero for everyone. 425 0 1998 The Sociely for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Challs

Identifying key features of early stressful experiences that produce stress vulnerability and resilience in primates

“…Whereas severe early life stress exposure generally undermines the development of resilience and leads to vulnerability (Bebbington et al 1993; Brown et al 1994; Frank et al 1994; Paykel 1978), mild or moderate early life stress exposure may protect against these deleterious effects. Specifically, milder forms of adversity may provide a challenge, that when overcome, produces competence in the management of, and enhanced resistance to, subsequent stressors (Boyce and Chesterman 1990; Fergus and Zimmerman 2005; Garmezy et al 1984; Haglund et al 2007; Huether et al 1999; O’Leary 1998; Rutter 1993). This phenomenon has been variously described in the literature as “inoculating” (Boyce and Chesterman 1990; Eysenck 1983; Parker et al 2004), “immunizing”(Levine et al 1989; Rutter 1987; Seligman et al 1975), “steeling” (Rutter 1985; Rutter 1993), “toughening” (Dienstbier 1989; Miller 1980), and “thriving” (O’Leary and Ickovics 1995).…”

Individual Adaptation to the Changing Workplace

“…Both Carver (1998) andO'Leary andIcovics (1995) assert that there are four potential responses to change/trauma. These four responses are to succumb, to survive, to be resilient, and to thrive (see Figure 10.1.).…”

“…At the next level, considered resilient, an individual survives the change with a decrement associated with the initial challenge then continues to function at the same level as before the change (O'Leary, 1992). After rehabilitation, for example, our heart attack victim will continue to play their weekly tennis match, go for walks, and generally have the same outlook on life at they did before the heart attack.…”

“…These individuals go beyond the original level of psychological functioning to grow vigorously and to flourish (O'Leary, 1992). The individual does not merely return to a previous state, but rather goes beyond it, and in that process adds value to life (O'Leary, 1992). The individual does not merely return to a previous state, but rather goes beyond it, and in that process adds value to life (O'Leary, 1992).…”

“…However, it is interesting to note that Carver (1998) andO'Leary andIckovics (1995) both purport that psychological thriving is not dependent on physical thriving. Of course, change in an organization is not physically debilitating, so making comparisons might seem a stretch.…”