Resiliency In Trauma

Resiliency in Relation to Traumatic Events
Jonathan Gonzalez
San Jose State University
Psy 100 w, Section 1, Spring 2015

Word Count: 2,436
Resiliency in Relation to Traumatic Events
Resiliency is an important aspect of recovery in populations that experience adversity. Many experts and professionals have similar working definitions of resilience (Astier, Almedom, & Douglas; 2007; Cowden, Kobayashi, and Mellman, 2014; Eschleman, Bowling, & Alacron, 2010; Funk, 1992; Schaubroeck, Riollo, Peng, & Spain, 2001), which highlight the complexity of the word. The ability to return to a state of well-being and face adversity as a challenge instead of an overwhelming mountain unable to be scaled because of prior trauma is a challenging
By incorporating the vast amount of research already completed about mitigating factors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) into an ecological systems model, described by Bronfenbrenner (1979; Meyers 2008), an integrated approach to manage stress and trauma could reach affected populations better (van der Kolk, 1996). Psychological and physical disorders do not have to be present in order to feel the effects of adverse experiences (Astier et al., 2007). The way people cope with hardship depends on their ability to access meaningful help and what kinds of resources are on hand to return to a state of normalcy (van der Kolk, 1996; Weiestall, Huth, Knecht, Nandi, & Elbert, 2012). Depending on what kind of biological and environmental factors are involved, the level of care people might receive might be inadequate because of amateur diagnosis or ambivalence from care takers. Resiliency means different things to different people, what may constitute as being able to overcome adversity or difficulty is defined differently to each person based on their own
The hardiness theory proposed by Funk described resilience as being able to have the general qualities that emerge from varied childhood experiences that manifest behaviors and feelings characterized as; commitment, control, and challenge (Funk, 1992). Other researchers describe hardiness as having a general sense the environment an individual lives in is satisfying, thus can lead a person to approach situations with curiosity, enthusiasm, or commitment (Tummala-Nara, 2007; Schaubroeck et al, 2001). Funk (1992) also mentions hardy individuals as viewing stressful situations as meaningful and interesting; stressors as changeable, and change as a normal part of life. Early studies on hardiness focused on relationships with illness, cynicism, and Type A personalities (i.e. overly impatient /or competitive) based on self-report measures. The self-report method revealed neurosis to be an underlying trait that despite attempts to control for, were present in studies that link hardiness and positive self-statements. That is to say, individuals that self-report resiliency may have various ways to cope, but do not fully know how they will deal with overwhelming emotions in stressful