Development of A Resilient IndividualKEL 2300 (4+0)

DPM (PJJ) – FACE TO FACE 112 SEPTEMBER 2015

INSTRUCTOR:SITI NOR BINTI YAACOB, PhD.

sitinor@upm.edu.my/012-2841844

SYNOPSIS OF COURSESThis course focuses on the concept of

resilience and elements that contribute towards the development of individual’s resilience.

Cognitive competencies and emotional intelligence as the motivators of individual behavior and challenges to resiliency at each stage of individual’s development will also be discussed.

LEARNING OUTCOMESExplain the concept of resilience and its

elements which contribute to the development of individual’s resilience (P2, A2)

Describe the role of cognitive intelligence and emotional stability in stimulating personal behavior (CS, CTPS)

Analyze challenges in every life stages of individual and its impacts towards the formation of resilience (C4, A3, LL)

COURSE ASSESSMENTNO. TYPE OF ASSESSMENT % Due

1. Test 1 25

2. Assignment (2) 35

3. Final exam 40

4. TOTAL 100

TOPIC1: Understanding of Resiliency1.1 Definition of resilience1.2 Characteristics of resilient individual1.3 Resilience as coping

DEFINITION OF RESILIENCEQuality within people that we call resiliencyAllows individuals to bounce back from

setbacks (physical and psychological traumas)

Achieving positive outcomes despite challenging or threatening circumstances (Brooks, 2006; Masten, 2001; Masten et al., 1991), coping successfully with traumatic experiences, and avoiding negative paths linked with risks (Garmezy, Masten, & Tellegen, 1984; Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000; Werner, 1992).

DEFINITION OF RESILIENCEProcess, capacity or outcome of successful

adaptation despite challenges or threatening circumstances

Good outcomes despite high-risk status, sustained competence under threat and recovery from trauma (Masten, Best, & Garmezy, 1990, p.426)

CATEGORIES OF RESILIENCENATURAL RESILIENCY LEARNED RESILIENCY

- Some people seems to possess resiliency from birth or at least from childhood

- There may be nothing in their environment or background that explain

- They may come from impoverished backgrounds or suffered neglect or abuse or move from home to another and had to assume family responsibility at a very early age

- Resiliency is learned and developed throughout a lifetime, from birth to death

- People are capable of becoming more resilient as they experience challenges and setbacks, but this is certainly not an automatic process

- How you handle loss, injury, grief, challenge (even positive changes), determines whether or not you will continue to grow more resilient

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALFIVE resilient attributes of CHILDREN:

Social competence (Bernard, 1993, 1995) Empathy, caring, flexibility, communication skills, sense of humor

Problem-solving skills Ability to think abstractly giving children the ability to generate

alternative solutions for cognitive and social problem Planning and resourcefulness in seeking help from others

Critical consciousness Having and insightful awareness of structures of cruelty (e.g.

alcoholic parent) and generating strategies in overcoming them Autonomy (Bernard, 1993, 1995)

Having a sense of his or her own identity, capability to act independently, and ability to exert some control over the environment

Sense of purpose (Bernard, 1995) Having goals, educational aspirations, and a belief in a bright future

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALTEN components of resiliency:

Un-ambivalent commitment to life Resilient people don’t waste time agonizing over

whether or not life is worth living Resilient people know: it is

Self-confidence Understand the world around them, set realistic goals

to achieve in that world, and develop the skills required for doing so, to give them the strength to strive for their aspirations

See problems and changes as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than threats or burdens to be avoided or shifted to someone else

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALTEN components of resiliency:

Adaptability Can modify their habits to work with others, both

personally and professionallyResourcefulness

Know what resources are available for problem solving and where they can turn for support when they must have it

Know where and how to find the help they need – even they don’t need if often

Seek help from family, friends, co-workers, educational and spiritual institutions

Creative and imaginative in the way they use resources to solve problems

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALTEN components of resiliency:

Willingness to risk Not always possible to know the outcome of an action

or a behavior Takes intelligent risks grounded in real possibilities

and with a good chance for successAcceptance of personal responsibility

Unwilling to claim victim status Don’t make excuses when make mistakes By owning their mistakes, they turn them into positive

learning experiences

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALTEN components of resiliency:

Perspective Know what is important and what is not Put energy into serious or core issues and activities Dismiss/ enjoy the inconsequential ones

Openness to new ideas Take in new information eagerly and without excessive

prejudgment Free of the rigidity which accompanies a narrow

outlook on life Don’t close their minds to anything that would

increase their capacity to learn and adapt

CHARACTERISTICS OF RESILIENT INDIVIDUALTEN components of resiliency:

Willingness to be proactive Proactive rather than reactive Meet challenge with positive action rather than

waiting until the only recourse possible is a reaction to actions already taken by others

Action-orientedAttentiveness

Paying attention to the world around them When you speak to them they are listening Don’t shut out other voices

RESILIENT AS COPINGClauss-Ehlers (2004) presents the term

“cultural resilience” as describing the degree to which the strengths of one’s culture promote the development of coping.

Cultural resilience in development can pertain to how culture is associated with “good developmental outcomes despite high-risk status, sustained competence under stress, and recovery from trauma” (Werner, 1995, p.81)

RESILIENT AS COPINGThe sociocultural aspects of support promote

adaptive coping which in turn promotes insight earlier on in one’s developmental history

This aspect of the model suggests that culture and cultural values can promote positive coping behavior among youth from diverse backgrounds who face an array of adversities

At the same time, having stressful experience may lead to adaptive or maladaptive coping which then influences whether insight occurs earlier or later in one’s development

RESILIENT AS COPINGA basic interpretation of the notion of exposure

might favor a banal form of intervention, one that seeks to resource young people (at the individual, family, school or community level) with some judicious exposure to nastiness in order to ‘steel’ them for later adversity

While over protection and shielding of a young person does little to develop resilience, at the other end of the spectrum, too much exposure, too soon, risks overwhelming the young person and compromising a developing resilience

RESILIENT AS COPINGCoping skills and resources are built in

response to crisis, often within the context of one-on-one treatment.

Dyer and McGuiness (1996) suggest a shifting balance between vulnerability and resilience with the balance in either direction being largely determined by how young people perceive their ability to manage and engage the risk setting

RESILIENT AS COPINGComprehensive interventions that maximize

protective factors and decrease stress are important to help children be less vulnerable (Werner, 1995)

Early intervention may promote early insight which is associated with the development of greater resilience

Perhaps early insight is related to resilience not only because it gives youth awareness about their current struggles, but also because these early realizations will help them grapple with, better understand, and be more adaptive to overcome the problems that have yet to present themselves in the future.

RESILIENT AS COPINGIf you are alive, you need resiliencyNo life without setbacks, disappointments,

failuresMost of us want to lead vital, productive lives

– want to face challenges with the hope that we can do more than survive them – yes, we want to bounce back

If you want to achieve your personal goal, cope with personal and professional transitions, grow with your spouse, friends and family, love and be loved, and comeback from setbacks – you need resiliency

DIFFERENT LEVELS OF RESOURCESIndividual-

level resourcesProtective mechanism

Constitutional resilience

Positive temperamentRobust neurobiology

Sociability Responsiveness to othersPro-social attitudesAttachment to others

Intelligence Academic achievementPlanning and decision making

Communication skills

Developed languageAdvanced reading

Personal attributes

Tolerance for negative effectSelf-efficacySelf-esteemFoundational sense of selfInternal locus of controlSense of humour

HopefulnessStrategies to deal with stressEnduring set of valuesBalanced perspective on experienceMalleable and flexibleFortitude, conviction, tenacity, and resolve

DIFF LEVELS OF RESOURCESFamily-level resources

Protective mechanism

Supportive families Parental warmth, encouragement, assistanceCohesion and care within the familyClose relationship with a caring adultBelief in the childNon-blamingMarital supportTalent or hobby valued by others

Social environment-level

resources

Protective mechanism

Socio-economic status

Material resourced

School experiences Supportive peersPositive teacher influencesSuccess (academic or not)

Supportive communities

Believes the individual’s stressNon-punitiveProvisions and resources to assistBelief in the values of a society

INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING RESILIENCE

Measurements Instruments

Children Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA; Naglieri & LeBuffle, 2005)-An examination of the child from positive and concern standpoints-An understanding of how protective factors impact the aged 2 through 5 child’s behavior-Date for intervention planning

Adolescents Resilience Scale (RS; Wagnild & Young, 1993)-A personal competence-Acceptance of self and life

Family functioning

McMaster Family Assessment Device (Fredman & Sherman, 1987)-Problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsivenss, affective involvement, behavior control, general functioningFamily Environment Scale (Tedeschi & Kilmer, 2005)-perceptions across relationship, personal growth, system maintenance

INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING RESILIENCEThe Hardiness Scale (Kobasa, Maddi, &

Kahn, 1982)Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS; Bartone,

Ursano, Wright, & Ingraham, 1989)Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC;

Connor & Davidson, 2003)