Adversity and Resilience

Table of Contents

Adversity paradox
Resilience
How to Build Resilience
Why Some People Are More Resilient Than Others
Reading material
Book recommendations
TODO
Tags

Oftentimes, when one path is discontinued, everybody thinks it’s an end of something; but actually, that change produces a new path that people didn’t anticipate. Creative destruction can be helpful. It could have some positive outcomes. Clearly, there could be some drawbacks. When you break things, it goes both ways. It’s not a clean win or loss.

Kevin Lomax: Are you offering me a job?

John Milton: I’m thinking about it, I know you got talent, I knew that before you got here. Its just the other thing I wonder about: Pressure. It changes everything. Some people you squeeze them, they focus. Others fold. Can you summon your talent at will? Can you deliver on a deadline? Can you sleep at night?

John Milton, played by Al Pacino, The Devil’s Advocate

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful - Joshua J Marine

Were you a natural born leader? Or do you think these are skills you developed over time?

I don’t think I was born with it. I think it happens over time. I think it comes from jumping in water over your head and sometimes you get thrown in the water. Sometimes you don’t even know the water is over your head. But I think you develop those set of skills. I would say they would be (time * the velocity you live life) ^ the adverisity you encounter. If you are going in there to be a maintenance manager or a transactional leader, you are not going to be able to sharpen the saw to the level that if you jump in and go “We are going to do something thats never been done. We are going to scale this thing. We are going to go Mach3 with our hair on file. We are going to make this world a better place in some way, shape or form.”

Keith Kroch, Docusign, from the podcast “Wisdom From The Top with Guy Raz”

Adversity paradox

The idea that difficulty can lead to development.

The concept of learning from difficult experiences and using them to build resilience.

The idea that no adversity is big enough to really stop us from our path to success.

The Adversity paradox suggests that people despite being scared and repelled by adversity can build outstanding success upon it.

Psychologists have long studied the concept of “post-traumatic growth,” which refers to the positive changes that can occur in an individual following a traumatic event. Research has shown that those who experience adversity and are able to process and learn from it, can develop increased self-awareness, improved relationships, and a greater sense of personal strength.

What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. - J.K. Rowling

Adversity can reveal hidden strengths and talents, and it can motivate personal growth and positive change. - Al Siebert, The Power of Adversity

See Book - Mans Search for Meaning

Resilience

Sometimes, when tragedy strikes, we think we would never really recover - that our lives would always be stained with that terrible sadness. But sometimes, awful times in our lives can be good training for political and social upheaval, for economic and financial uncertainty.

We never really know what’s going to happen next. We can plan as best as we can. But with resilience, we are far more able to pivot our thinking. We will have the capacity to cope with more of life’s unexpected slings and arrows, to accept the difficulties we face and keep going, even though it can be hard.

How we navigate a crisis or traumatic event depends, in large part, on how resilient we are. Resilience is the ability to recover from difficult experiences and setbacks, to adapt, move forward and sometimes even experience growth.

An individual’s resilience is dictated by a combination of genetics, personal history, environment and situational context.

So far, research has found the genetic part to be relatively small. There are temperamental or personality characteristics that are genetically influenced, like risk-taking, or whether you’re an introvert or extrovert.

Almost any trait can be a positive or negative, depending on the situation.

Far more important, it seems, is an individual’s history.

The most significant determinant of resilience - noted in nearly every review or study of resilience in the last 50 years - is the quality of our close personal relationships, especially with parents and primary caregivers. Early attachments to parents play a crucial, lifelong role in human adaptation.

The very earliest days of our lives, and our closest relationships, can offer clues about how we cope with adversity.

“How loved you felt as a child is a great predictor of how you manage all kinds of difficult situations later in life.”

Long-term studies showed that the first 20 years of life were especially critical. “Different traumas at different ages have their own impacts on our perceptions, interpretations and expectations; these early experiences sculpt the brain, because it is a use-dependent organ.”

You can think of resilience as a set of skills that can be, and often is, learned. Part of the skill-building comes from exposure to very difficult - but manageable - experiences.

Stress isn’t all bad. If you can cope today with all that’s happening in the world around you, then when you are on the other side of it, you’ll be stronger.

How we cope depends on what is in our resilience toolbox. For some people, the toolbox is filled with drugs. For others it can be drinking, overeating, gambling, shopping. But these don’t promote resilience.

Instead, the tools common to resilient people are optimism (that is also realistic), a moral compass, religious or spiritual beliefs, cognitive and emotional flexibility, and social connectedness. The most resilient among us are people who generally don’t dwell on the negative, who look for opportunities that might exist even in the darkest times.

For example, during a quarantine, a resilient person might decide it is a good time to start a meditation practice, take an online course or learn to play guitar.

Research has shown that dedication to a worthy cause or a belief in something greater than oneself - religiously or spiritually - has a resilience-enhancing effect, as does the ability to be flexible in your thinking.

Many, many resilient people learn to carefully accept what they can’t change about a situation and then ask themselves what they can actually change. Conversely, banging your head against the wall and fretting endlessly about not being able to change things has the opposite effect, lessening your ability to cope.

Many studies with former prisoners of war show that, although they suffered profoundly, many eventually found new areas of growth and meaning in their lives.

Sometimes, it helps to narrow our thinking. Instead of worrying about what life would be like next week or month or year - stay focused on the here and now and not give in to ruminations about the past or the future. We cannot change or control the past or the future.

Stay grounded in the present moment and focus on their strengths, because imagining every worst-case scenario is pointless and only increases anxiety.

Each of us has to figure out what our particular challenges are and then determine how to get through them, at the current moment in time. The good news is that most of us will. Two-thirds of people who experience sadness are able to function very well in a short period of time.

How to Build Resilience

Interviews with large numbers of highly resilient individuals - those who have experienced a great deal of adversity and have come through it successfully - show they share the following characteristics.

They have a positive, realistic outlook. They don’t dwell on negative information and instead look for opportunities in bleak situations, striving to find the positive within the negative.
They have a moral compass. Highly resilient people have a solid sense of what they consider right and wrong, and it tends to guide their decisions.
They have a belief in something greater than themselves. This is often found through religious or spiritual practices. The community support that comes from being part of a religion also enhances resilience.
They are altruistic; they have a concern for others and a degree of selflessness. They are often dedicated to causes they find meaningful and that give them a sense of purpose.
They accept what they cannot change and focus energy on what they can change. Dr. Southwick says resilient people reappraise a difficult situation and look for meaningful opportunities within it.
They have a mission, a meaning, a purpose. Feeling committed to a meaningful mission in life gives them courage and strength.
They have a social support system, and they support others. Very few resilient people go it alone.

Why Some People Are More Resilient Than Others

By Denise Cummins Ph.D.

My summary

A recent study led by Heather Rusch of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Nursing Research revealed two critically important factors that are associated with resilience in the face of adversity. Both are under a person’s control.

Mastery
1. Mastery refers to the degree to which individuals perceive themselves as having control and influence over life circumstances. This is not the same as optimism, which is the expectation of favorable outcomes that are not directly attributable to personal factors. Mastery, not optimism, is the better predictor of resilience in the face of trauma.
2. Higher mastery is also related to greater quality of life, as well as reduced cardiovascular disease mortality. In a related study involving nearly 4,000 adults, higher perceived mastery predicted better health, greater life satisfaction, and fewer depressive symptoms - regardless of socioeconomic class.
Social support
1. Respondents who reported strong supportive social ties were less likely to develop psychiatric disorders and more likely to recover from them if they did. In contrast,unsupportive, unreceptive, and critical responses from friends, family, or coworkers actually increased the risk to PTSD survivors.

We don’t always have control over the quality of our social networks, but we can increase our resilience by developing a stronger sense of mastery over our lives.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy promotes greater mastery by helping patients regulate distressing thoughts and emotions. Ruminating on traumatic events can have a negative impact on emotional and physical health. Learning to move through negative thoughts and memories rather than getting stuck in them is crucial to psychological and physical well-being.

Mindfulness training also strengthens mastery by helping people to immerse themselves in the peace that can be found in the present moment. Mindfulness training has been shown to improve PTSD, depression, alcohol addiction, and physical health issues following trauma exposure.

Reading material

Book recommendations

These books span a range of approaches, from psychological techniques and philosophical insights to real-world stories and practical applications, making them valuable for anyone looking to strengthen their resilience.

Here are some excellent books on resilience that cover a range of perspectives, from personal growth and psychological resilience to social and organizational resilience:

The book Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges.
The Adversity Paradox - An Unconventional Guide to Achieving Uncommon Business Success - by Bob Jennings, J. Barry Griswell
The Power of Adversity by Al Siebert
The Resilience Factor: 7 Keys to Finding Your Inner Strength and Overcoming Life's Hurdles by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatte
- Overview: This book focuses on how to build emotional resilience and overcome adversity. The authors, both psychologists, explain how resilience can be developed through specific skills, such as emotional regulation, mental agility, and optimism.
- Why Read It: It provides practical strategies for developing resilience in daily life, with actionable steps to improve coping mechanisms and bounce back from setbacks.
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
- Overview: After the sudden death of her husband, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg reflects on the ways in which we can find strength in the face of grief and hardship. Adam Grant, a psychologist, provides insights into resilience and how we can rebuild our lives after trauma.
- Why Read It: This book combines personal storytelling with research-based strategies for overcoming personal loss and adversity.
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Greitens
- Overview: Former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens blends his own experiences with stories from other resilient individuals and practical advice. The book is structured as a letter to a friend who is going through a tough time.
- Why Read It: It provides deep insights into the human capacity for resilience, particularly through adversity, and offers a philosophical framework for handling difficult situations.
The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein
- Overview: This book focuses on the development of resilience in children and adults, with a particular emphasis on fostering emotional strength in the face of stress and challenges. It blends scientific research with practical advice.
- Why Read It: It’s highly valuable for those looking to build resilience in both themselves and others (including children), especially in environments like schools or families.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- Overview: Angela Duckworth explores the concept of grit - a combination of passion and perseverance - and how it plays a key role in achieving success despite obstacles. Though not exclusively about resilience, grit is closely linked to the idea of staying strong in the face of challenges.
- Why Read It: If you’re interested in understanding how perseverance can lead to success, this is a fantastic read. Duckworth provides compelling research and real-world examples.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Overview: Written by a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, this classic book reflects on the human capacity for resilience under extreme conditions. Frankl discusses how finding purpose in life can help us endure suffering and hardships.
- Why Read It: It’s an inspiring exploration of how meaning and purpose can help us stay resilient, even in the most desperate of circumstances.
Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brené Brown
- Overview: Brené Brown, a researcher on vulnerability and shame, explores the power of rising after a fall. She examines how we can build resilience by embracing vulnerability and learning from our struggles.
- Why Read It: Brown’s engaging writing style and research-based approach make it an insightful and accessible guide to resilience, particularly after failure or setbacks.
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
- Overview: Drawing from Stoic philosophy, Ryan Holiday teaches readers how to approach obstacles as opportunities for growth. The book explores how resilience is built through mindset shifts and how setbacks can be reframed as challenges to overcome.
- Why Read It: If you’re interested in philosophy and practical advice on how to turn adversity into success, this is an excellent read. Holiday’s perspective is especially useful for those looking to build mental toughness.
Building a Resilient Life: How to Thrive in the Face of Adversity by Dr. Sherrie Campbell
- Overview: This book focuses on how to bounce back from adversity and build a more meaningful and empowered life. Dr. Campbell, a psychologist, offers practical advice and strategies for cultivating resilience in the face of personal challenges.
- Why Read It: If you’re looking for specific, actionable strategies to enhance your emotional and psychological resilience, this book provides clear steps.
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being by Martin Seligman
- Overview: As a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, Martin Seligman explores the science of well-being and how people can cultivate resilience and happiness. He discusses the role of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment in fostering resilience.
- Why Read It: For those interested in a scientific and holistic approach to building resilience and flourishing, this book offers an in-depth exploration.

TODO

What the forest can teach us about resilience https://bigthink.com/business/what-the-forest-can-teach-us-about-resilience/