Psychological Resilience

In this episode of the, I Can't Sleep podcast, fall asleep learning about psychological resilience. Doesn't that sound boring enough for you? Try making it past minute 5 and see if you're still awake. Happy listening!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled Psychological Resilience.

Psychological resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly.

Resilience exists when the person uses mental processes and behaviors in promoting personal assets and protecting self from the potential negative effects of stressors.

In simpler terms,

Psychological resilience exists in people who develop psychological and behavioral capabilities that allow them to remain calm during crisis chaos and to move on from the incident without long-term negative consequences.

Background.

Resilience is generally thought of as a positive adaptation after a stressful or adverse situation.

When a person is bombarded by daily stress,

It disrupts their internal and external sense of balance,

Presenting challenges as well as opportunities.

However,

The routine stressors of daily life can have positive impacts which promote resilience.

It is still unknown what the correct level of stress is for each individual.

Some people can handle greater amounts of stress than others.

According to Germain and Gitterman,

1996,

Stress is experienced in an individual's life course at times of difficult life transitions involving developmental and social change,

Traumatic life events including grief and loss,

And environmental pressures encompassing poverty and community violence.

Resilience is the integrated adaptation of physical,

Mental,

And spiritual aspects in a set of good or bad circumstances,

A coherent sense of self that is able to maintain normative developmental tasks that occur at various stages of life.

The Children's Institute of the University of Rochester explains that resilience research is focused on studying those who engage in life with hope and humor despite devastating losses.

It is important to note that resilience is not only about overcoming a deeply stressful situation but also coming out of the said situation with competent functioning.

Resiliency allows a person to rebound from adversity as a strengthened and more resourceful person.

Aaron Antonofsky in 1979 stated that when an event is appraised as comprehensible,

Predictable,

Manageable,

Controllable,

And somehow meaningful,

Explainable,

A resilient response is more likely.

The first research on resilience was published in 1973.

The study used epidemiology,

Which is the study of disease prevalence,

To uncover the risks and the protective factors that now help define resilience.

A year later,

The same group of researchers created tools to look at systems that support development of resilience.

Emmy Werner was one of the early scientists to use the term resilience in the 1970s.

She studied a cohort of children from Kauai,

Hawaii.

Kauai was quite poor and many of the children in the study grew up with alcoholic or mentally ill parents.

Many of the parents were also out of work.

Werner noted that of the children who grew up in these detrimental situations,

Two-thirds exhibited destructive behaviors in their later teen years,

Such as chronic unemployment,

Substance abuse,

And out-of-wedlock births in case of teenage girls.

However,

One-third of these youngsters did not exhibit destructive behaviors.

Werner called the latter group resilient.

Thus,

Resilient children and their families were those who,

By definition,

Demonstrated traits that allowed them to be more successful than non-resilient children and families.

Resilience also emerged as a major theoretical and research topic from the studies of children with mothers diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 1980s.

In a 1989 study,

The results showed that children with a schizophrenic parent may not obtain an appropriate level of comforting caregiving compared to children with healthy parents,

And that such situations often had a detrimental impact on children's development.

On the other hand,

Some children of ill parents thrived well and were competent in academic achievement,

And therefore led researchers to make efforts to understand such responses to adversity.

Since the onset of the research on resilience,

Researchers have been devoted to discovering the protective factors that explain people's adaptation to adverse conditions,

Such as maltreatment,

Catastrophic life events,

Or urban poverty.

The focus of empirical work,

Then,

Has been shifted to understand the underlying protective processes.

Researchers endeavor to uncover how some factors,

E.

G.

Connection to family,

May contribute to positive outcomes.

Process In all these instances,

Resilience is best understood as a process.

However,

It is often mistakenly assumed to be a trait of the individual,

An idea more typically referred to as resiliency.

Most research now shows that resilience is the result of individuals being able to interact with their environments,

And the processes that either promote well-being or protect them against the overwhelming influence of risk factors.

It is essential to understand the process or this cycle of resiliency.

When people are faced with an adverse condition,

There are three ways in which they may approach the situation.

1.

Erupt with anger.

2.

Implode with overwhelming negative emotions,

Go numb,

And become unable to react.

3.

Simply become upset about the disruptive change.

Only the third approach promotes well-being.

It is employed by resilient people who become upset about the disruptive state and thus change their current pattern to cope with the issue.

The first and second approaches lead people to adopt the victim role by blaming others and rejecting any coping methods even after the crisis is over.

These people prefer to instinctively react rather than respond to the situation.

Those who respond to the adverse conditions by adapting themselves tend to cope,

Spring back,

And halt the crisis.

Protective emotions involve fear,

Anger,

Anxiety,

Distress,

Helplessness,

And hopelessness,

Which decrease a person's ability to solve the problems they face and weaken a person's resiliency.

Constant fears and worries weaken people's immune system and increase their vulnerability to illness.

These processes include individual continuous coping strategies,

Or may be helped by a protective environment like good families,

Schools,

Communities,

And social policies that make resilience more likely to occur.

In this sense,

Resilience occurs when there are cumulative protective factors.

These factors are likely to play a more important role that greater the individual's exposure to cumulative risk factors.

Neurobiological models Three notable bases for resilience,

Self-confidence,

Self-esteem,

And self-concept,

All have roots in three different nervous systems,

Respectively the somatic nervous system,

The autonomic nervous system,

And the central nervous system.

An emerging field in the study of resilience is the neurobiological basis of resilience distress.

For example,

Neuropeptide Y and 5-dehydroepiandrosterone are thought to limit the stress response by reducing sympathetic nervous system activation and protecting the brain from the potentially harmful effects of chronically elevated cortisol levels,

Respectively.

In addition,

The relationship between social support and stress resilience is thought to be mediated by the oxytocin system's impact on the hypothalamic pituitary adrenaline axis.

Resilience,

Conceptualized as a positive biopsychological adaptation,

Has proven to be a useful theoretical context for understanding variables for predicting long-term health and well-being.

There is some limited research that,

Like trauma,

Resilience is epigenetic,

That is,

It may be inherited,

But the science behind this finding is preliminary.

Related factors Studies show that there are several factors which develop and sustain a person's resilience.

One,

The ability to make realistic plans and be capable of taking the steps necessary to follow through with them.

Two,

Confidence in one's strengths and abilities.

Three,

Communication and problem-solving skills.

Four,

The ability to manage strong impulses and feelings.

Resilience is negatively correlated with personality traits of neuroticism and negative emotionality,

Which represents tendencies to see and react to the world as threatening,

Problematic,

And distressing,

And to view oneself as vulnerable.

Positive correlation stands with personality traits of openness and positive emotionality that represents tendencies to engage and confront the world with confidence in success and a fair value of self-directedness.

Positive emotions There is significant research found in scientific literature on the relationship between positive emotions and resilience.

Studies show that maintaining positive emotions whilst facing adversity promote flexibility in thinking and problem-solving.

Positive emotions serve an important function in their ability to help an individual recover from stressful experiences and encounters.

That being said,

Maintaining a positive emotionality aids in counteracting the psychological effects of negative emotions.

It also facilitates adaptive coping,

Builds enduring social resources,

And increases personal well-being.

The formation of conscious perception and the monitoring of one's own socio-emotional factors is considered a stable aspect of positive emotions.

This is not to say that positive emotions are merely a byproduct of resilience,

But rather that feeling positive emotions during stressful experiences may have adaptive benefits in the coping process of the individual.

Empirical evidence for this prediction arises from research on resilient individuals who have a propensity for coping strategies that concretely elicit positive emotions,

Such as benefit-finding and cognitive reappraisal,

Humor,

Optimism,

And goal-directed,

Problem-focused coping.

Individuals who tend to approach problems with these methods of coping may strengthen their resistance to stress by allocating more access to these positive emotional resources.

Social support from caring adults encourage resilience among participants by providing them with access to conventional activities.

Positive emotions not only have physical outcomes,

But also physiological ones.

Some physiological outcomes caused by humor include improvements in immune system functioning and increases in levels of salivary immunoglobulin A,

A vital system antibody which serves as the body's first line of defense in respiratory illnesses.

Moreover,

Other health outcomes include faster injury recovery rate and lower readmission rates to hospitals for the elderly,

And reductions in a patient's stay in the hospital,

Among many other benefits.

A study was done on positive emotions in trait-resilient individuals and the cardiovascular recovery rate following negative emotions felt by those individuals.

The results of the study showed that trait-resilient individuals experiencing positive emotions had an acceleration in the speed and rebounding from cardiovascular activation initially generated by negative emotional arousal,

I.

E.

,

Heart rate and the like.

Forgiveness is also said to play a role in predicting resilience among patients with chronic pain,

But not the severity of the pain.

Other factors.

A study was conducted among high-achieving professionals who seek challenging situations that require resilience.

Research has examined 13 high-achievers from various professions,

All of whom had experienced challenges in the workplace and negative life events over the course of their careers,

But who had also been recognized for their great achievements in their respective fields.

High-achievers were interviewed about everyday life in the workplace,

As well as their experiences with resilience and thriving.

The study found six main predictors of resilience.

Positive and proactive personality,

Experience and learning,

Sense of control,

Flexibility and adaptability,

Balance and perspective,

And perceived social support.

High-achievers were also found to engage in many activities unrelated to their work,

Such as engaging in hobbies,

Exercising,

And organizing meetups with friends and loved ones.

Several factors are found to modify the negative effects of adverse life situations.

Many studies show that the primary factor for the development of resilience is social support.

While many competing definitions of social support exist,

Most can be thought of as the degree of access to and use of strong ties to other individuals who are similar to oneself.

Social support requires not only that you have relationships with others,

But that these relationships involve the presence of solidarity and trust,

Intimate communication,

And mutual obligation both within and outside the family.

Additional factors are also associated with resilience,

Like the capacity to make realistic plans,

Have self-confidence and a positive self-image,

Developing communications skills,

And the capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses.

Temperamental and constitutional disposition is considered as a major factor in resilience.

It is one of the necessary precursors of resilience along with warmth and family cohesion and accessibility of pro-social support systems.

There are three kinds of temperamental systems that play a part in resilience.

They are the appetitive system,

Defensive system,

And attentional system.

Another protective factor is related to moderating the negative effects of environmental hazards or a stressful situation in order to direct vulnerable individuals to optimistic paths,

Such as external social support.

More specifically,

A 1995 study distinguished three contexts for protective factors.

1.

Personal attributes,

Including outgoing,

Bright,

And positive self-concepts.

2.

The family,

Such as having close bonds with at least one family member or an emotionally stable parent.

3.

The community,

Such as receiving support or counsel from peers.

Furthermore,

A study in the elderly in Zurich,

Switzerland,

Illuminated the role humor plays as a coping mechanism to maintain a state of happiness in the face of age-related adversity.

Besides the above distinction on resilience,

Research has also been devoted to discovering the individual differences in resilience.

Self-esteem,

Ego control,

And ego resiliency are related to behavioral adaptation.

For example,

Maltreated children who feel good about themselves may process risk situations differently by attributing different reasons to the environments they experience,

And thereby avoid producing negative internalized self-perceptions.

Ego control is the threshold or operating characteristics of an individual with regard to the expression or containment of their impulses,

Feelings,

And desires.

Ego resilience refers to dynamic capacity to modify his or her model level of ego control in either direction as a function of the demand characteristics of the environmental context.

Maltreated children who experienced some risk factors,

E.

G.

Single parenting,

Limited maternal education,

Or family unemployment,

Showed lower ego resilience and intelligence than non-maltreated children.

Furthermore,

Maltreated children are more likely than non-maltreated children to demonstrate disruptive,

Aggressive,

Withdraw,

And internalized behavior problems.

Finally,

Ego resiliency and positive self-esteem were predictors of competent adaptation in the maltreated children.

Demographic information,

E.

G.

Gender,

And resources,

E.

G.

Social support,

Are also used to predict resilience.

Examining people's adaptation after a disaster showed women were associated with less likelihood of resilience than men.

Also individuals who were less involved in affinity groups and organizations showed less resilience.

Certain aspects of religions,

Spirituality,

Or mindfulness may hypothetically promote or hinder certain psychological virtues that increase resilience.

Research has not established connection between spirituality and resilience.

According to the fourth edition of Psychology of Religion by Hood et al.

,

The study of positive psychology is a relatively new development.

There has not yet been much direct empirical research looking specifically at the association of religion and ordinary strengths and virtues.

In a review of the literature on the relationship between religiosity,

Spirituality,

And PTSD,

Amongst the significant findings,

About half of the studies showed a positive relationship and half showed a negative relationship between measures of religiosity,

Spirituality,

And resilience.

The United States Army has received criticism for promoting spirituality in its new comprehensive soldier fitness program as a way to prevent PTSD due to the lack of conclusive supporting data.

In military studies,

It has been found that resilience is also dependent on group support,

Unit cohesion,

And morale is the best predictor of combat resiliency within a unit or organization.

Resilience is highly correlated to peer support and group cohesion.

Units with high cohesion tend to experience a lower rate of psychological breakdowns than units with low cohesion and morale.

High cohesion and morale enhance adaptive stress reactions.

Building Cognitive behavioral therapy,

Building resilience,

Is a matter of mindfully changing basic behaviors and thought patterns.

The first step is to change the nature of self-talk.

Self-talk is the internal monologue people have that reinforce beliefs about the person's self-efficacy and self-value.

To build resilience,

The person needs to eliminate negative self-talk,

Such as,

I can't do this and I can't handle this,

And to replace it with positive self-talk,

Such as,

I can do this and I can handle this.

A small change in thought patterns helps reduce psychological stress when a person is faced with a difficult challenge.

A second step a person can take to build resilience is to be prepared for challenges,

Crises,

And emergencies.

In business,

Preparedness is created by creating emergency response plans,

Business continuity plans,

And contingency plans.

For personal preparedness,

The individual can create a financial cushion to help with economic crises.

He or she can develop social networks to help him or her through trying personal crises,

And he or she can develop emergency response plans for his or her household.

Resilience is also enhanced by developing effective coping skills for stress.

Coping skills help the individual to reduce stress levels so they remain functional.

Coping skills include using meditation,

Exercise,

Socialization,

And self-care practices to maintain a healthy level of stress.

There are many other lists associated with psychological resilience.

The American Psychological Association suggests 10 ways to build resilience,

Which are,

One,

To maintain good relationships with close family members,

Friends,

And others.

Two,

To avoid seeing crises or stressful events as unbearable problems.

Three,

To accept circumstances that cannot be changed.

Four,

To develop realistic goals and move towards them.

Five,

To take decisive actions in adverse situations.

Six,

To look for opportunities of self-discovery after a struggle with loss.

Seven,

To develop self-confidence.

Eight,

To keep a long-term perspective and consider the stressful event in a broader context.

Nine,

To maintain a hopeful outlook,

Expecting good things and visualizing what is wished.

Ten,

To take care of one's mind and body,

Exercising regularly,

Paying attention to one's own needs and feelings.

Reviews

I listened for your incredibly soothing voice, but ended up learning a lot - and reinforcing other ideas. Thanks!

That was almost too interesting Benjamin, but it worked. Thanks.

I really enjoy this one but never make it to the end Zzzzzz

I must have fallen asleep quickly as this is a topic of interest to me; and I remember very little of what Benjamin read. Great job once again Benjamin. Thank you.

This is the first of yours I've listened to... It won't be the last. ❤️. Although I love this subject, and actually teach portions of it, I was asleep within 5 minutes.
A benefit...The mind continues learning even after we fall asleep. Listening to your calming voice is not a bad way to fall asleep... Or to learn! 😴😌🤓 Thank you for this brilliant concept.

I have had a lifelong interest in Psychology and read countless hours of Wikipedia. Yet when I wake up earlier than I like and listen to you, my body consistently prefers sleep. Don’t stop droning on.

Worked a treat, as always. I’m not sure that it’s fair to say you’ve got a boring voice - we fall asleep because we’re relaxed - it’s more that you’ve got a soothing voice. Thanks anyway.

The mind cannot wonder or be distracted listening to your talks because the topics are so interesting very informative hence most of the time ( keeps you awake….haha). Great thank you Benjamin 🙏🏻🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

This one was kind of interesting!! But I still drifted off! 🤗🤗🤗
Happy Holidays to you and yours! 💖☺️☺️

Thank you for another boring edition. I slept like a baby.