resilience

Question 1

what is resilience

Answer 1

to adapt to the changing environment, bend with pressure and bounce back

trait, outcome defined or process focussed

Question 2

trait resilience

Answer 2

focus on personality trait that helps person with that trait to cope with adversity and achieve successful developmental outcomes regardless of external obstacles

high trait resilience = just more resilient as part of their personality

Question 3

Outcome defined resilience

Answer 3

considers resilience in the context of socially desirable outcomes (e.g. achievement), good cognitive functioning or absence of psych - based on how society wants us to be

e.g. monk does not have outcome resilience although on a personal level are resilient as they have achieved calmness

Question 4

process focussed approach

Answer 4

adaptive process through which an individual recovers from or adapts to life

Question 5

how to become resilient

Answer 5

• some people naturally are
• our experiences impact resilience, especially early ones
• can also be learnt and improved

Question 6

why do we research resilience

Answer 6

focusses on personal development
doesnt carry stigma
can develop interventions to help those at risk and ACEs

Question 7

dynamic view of resilience

Answer 7

concept has shifted to more of an outcome- or process-oriented approach
= mental or physical health is maintained or regained despite significant stress and adversity - internal and external factors can contribute to resilience

Question 8

post-traumatic growth

Answer 8

positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances

Question 9

what can get better due to trauma

Answer 9

1. the ways we relate to others
2. new possibilities e.g. new interests
3. personal strength
4. spiritual change
5. appreciation of life

Question 10

Childhood resilience

Answer 10

protective experiences and coping skills counterbalance adversity. eg.

• supportive adult-child relationships (most common)
• building a sense of self efficacy and perceived control
• providing opportunity to strengthen adaptive skills and self-regulatory capacities
• mobilising sources of faith, hope and cultural tradition

also need a good environment

Question 11

Broaden and build theory of positive emotions

Answer 11

positive emotions lead to novel or explanatory behaviour. overtime, these actions lead to development of meaningful, long term resources e.g. knowledge and relationships

Question 12

rationale of B&B theory

Answer 12

B&B proposes that while negative emotion narrow out attention, positive emotions widen the array of thoughts that come to mind = urge to play, push limits and create

Question 13

empirical evidence showing how affect impacts attention

Answer 13

solid that negative = narrow of our attention (e.g. easterbrook hypothesis)

studies using global-local visual processing paradigms to assess biases in attentional focus show that
negative states = predict local biases = narrowed attention (narrow bias)
Positive states = global bias = broad attention

e.g. letters made up of letters - asked to identify the big letter (global attention) or the small letters (narrow attention)

Question 14

resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences

Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004

Answer 14

high resilience = faster cardiovascular recovery from a stressor

ppts had to prepare a speech in a minute believing it would be videotaped and evaluated

challenge condition - told to think of this as a challenge to overcome
threat condition - given harsher instruction, only highlights losses

threat appraisal = loss frame
challenge appraisal = gain frame

those with resilience restored cardiovascular activity more quickly and experience some positive emotion

challenge - boosts up those lower in resilience == similar to that of high resilience = appraisal to being a positive challenge can help to build resilience

Question 15

mechanisms of resilience

Answer 15

cultivating positive emotions can become automatised = use positive emotions as a coping strategy

Question 16

Gloria & Steinhardt (2016)

relationships among positive emotions, copeing, resilience and mental health

Answer 16

n=200

positive emotions associated with greater resilience

coping strategies mediated this link

resilience moderated the influence of stress on trait anxiety and depressive symptom.

Question 17

is it a pollyanna effect (to focus on positives)

Answer 17

no

those with high trait resiliency are not just optimistic
- can recognise what the effects of stress are and are able to experience positive outcomes in adversity

need to be able to judge when to seek help.

Question 18

laughter

Answer 18

increases positive emotion
self-reported improvements in immune system

regain and maintain positive emotional states when stressed = improvement in immune function

Question 19

play

Answer 19

social play = builds bonds and attachment = social support

childhood play = build intellectual resources through increased creativity =fuel brain development

Question 20

resilience and positive emotional granularity

Tugade et al 2004

Answer 20

individual differences in:

• resilience
• positive emotional granularity

positive emotions play a role in enhancing coping resources

Question 21

flexibility and balance when dealing with stress and trauma

Answer 21

• letting yourself deal with strong emotion but realising when to avoid to function
• step forward and take action to deal with problems and meet the demands of daily living
• spend time with loved ones = support

Question 22

some factors that help to develop resilience

Answer 22

• social connections
• crises not un surmountable - cant change it but can change how you interpret and respond
• accept change
• move towards realistic goals
• take decisive actions (long lasting denial is unhelpful)
• nurture a positive view of yourself
• keep things in perspective
• maintain hopeful outlook