resilience and strengthening resilience in individuals

MAS

Management Advisory Service www.mas.org.uk

ResilienceandstrengtheningresilienceinindividualsDerekMowbrayJanuary2011www.mas.org.ukwww.orghealth.co.uk0845833159701242241882

Resilienceandstrengtheningresilienceinindividuals January2011

www.mas.org.ukwww.orghealth.co.uk08458331597/01242241882 Page2

ResilienceandstrengtheningresilienceinindividualsDerekMowbrayJanuary2011

Whatismeantbyresilience?Wearedrivenbyaneedtosurvive.

Resilience isatermthat isoftenusedtomean bouncingbackfromaterribleeventor havingstrength tocope,or beingdetermined tosee things through to theend.All thesemeaningsimplypeoplebeingmentallystrong,sufficientlystrong tomaintainasenseofwellbeingwhilstfacingchallenges.

Resilienceisaboutsurvivalandgrowth.

Personalresilience is thecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturesthatenable individuals,groupsandcommunities (includingcontrolledcommunities suchasaworkforce) toprevent, tolerate,overcomeandbeenhancedbyadverseeventsandexperiences.(DerekMowbray2010)

Canresiliencebemeasured?Thereareanumberofquestionnairesavailable tomeasure individual resilience. In choosingaquestionnaire,careneedstobetakeninidentifyingthepurposeoftakingameasurement,andinhowvalidand reliable is the chosen instrument.Resilience isdynamic,as shallbe shown,andmanyquestionnairesproduceadifferentanswerwhenusedatdifferent timesand indifferentcircumstances.

TheResilienceAssessmentQuestionnaire(http://www.mas.org.uk/quest/analysis1.htm)providesanassessmentthathasfacevalidityformostpeopleatthetime it iscompleted.However,thishelps people to focus attention on a particular aspect of resilience that may requirestrengthening.Itdoesnotprovideaguaranteethatpeoplewhoscorewellareresilienttoeveryadverseeventtheyencounter.

Whyisresilienceimportant?Mostorganisationsfacetheseriouschallengeofpsychologicalpresenteeism.Thisisatermusedtodescribepeoplewhoattendworkbutcannotperformattheirbestbecauseofeventsathomeoratworkthatdiverttheirconcentrationandattention.

Thecausesofpsychologicalpresenteeismaremany,andtheyareshownlaterasrisksandthreatstoourwellbeing.



However,thecostofpsychologicalpresenteeismisestimatedtobe1.5timesthecombinedcostsof sickness absence and staff turnover attributable to psychological distress. For someorganisationsthisisamassivecostthatislargelypreventable.

Oneapproachtopreventingpsychologicalpresenteeismistostrengthentheresilienceofpeopleatworkagainsttherisksandthreatsthatoccuratwork.Thisisparticularlyimportantattimesofaddedchallengesuchaswhenbusinessesandservicesarefacedwitheconomicthreatsandneedto maintain the performance of their managers and employees throughout difficult andchallengingtimes.

Resilience is also important to individuals at apersonal level.Thosemanagers andemployeesfacinganuncertainfuturewillneedalltheinnerstrengththeycanmustertoenergisethemselvesto takeadvantageof changing circumstances.Strengtheningpersonal resiliencewillhelpwiththis.Employers, facedwithmaking changes to their staff,willneed tomaintaina concern fortheir staff when they leave, for reputational and sound business reasons, for times whenbusinessesandservicesneedtorecruitthesameskilledemployeesoncemorefromashrinkingpoolofexpertise.

Whendoweneedtocallonourresilience?

EventsWeexperienceeventsallthetime.Inpsychologicaltermseventsformschemasthatweevaluate,absorb, accommodate, memorise and respond to. Schemas are like vignettes, scenes andpicturesthatchangeconstantly.

Eventstakeplacewithinacontext.Ourevaluationofaneventisassistedbyourinterpretationofthecontextinwhichtheeventtakesplace.

For the most part we tolerate events semiconsciously because we have experienced thembefore,andourbrainspaylittleattentiontothemintermsofplacingourselvesonalertabouttheevent.

Occasionallyaneventwillbeevaluatedbyusasbeingdifferent,andwewill focusonwhy theeventisdifferentandtrytoestablishmeaningoftheeventitself.Inthesesituationswetendtoseetheeventasawholeabang,orsomeonefallingoverunexpectedlyandthenbegintofindmeaning in theeventbyexploring theevent ingreaterdetailwheredid thebangcomefrom?Whatwasitlikeagun,firework,carbackfiring?

Sometimes we place ourselves on alert concerning planned events. Such events may beparticularlychallengingor involvepersonalitieswerespondbadlytowards.Astheseeventsareexpected,wemayfindourselvesrehearsinghowtotoleratethem.

Ourresponse isbasedonourevaluationoftheeventandthemeaningweattachto it.Howwerespondisdeterminedbyourpersonalfeaturesandourcapacitytomobilisethesefeatures.Thisisshowninthediagrambelow.



RisksandthreateningeventsThereareforeseeablerisksandeventsthatweallexperienceatleastonceinourlives.Thesearerisksandthreatstoourpersonalwellbeingthesensewehaveoffeelingwell.Ifwefeelwellweperformbetterthanifwefeelill.Wecanfeelillifwearethreatened,assuchthreatsareagainstoursurvival,andplacesusonalert.

Our primary risk and threat is ourselves. People cause distress to others on a regular basis,principallybecauseofourdifficulty incontrolling the responsesofotherstous.Aswewish tomaintain control of ourselves and others, we develop many mechanisms for exercising thecontroloverothers,suchasemail,telephone,raisedvoice,intimidation,actualthreatsincludingcoercion, regulations, laws, kidnapping, and war. They may each cause psychological distressdependingonourdegreeofresilience.

Thesecondaryrisksandthreatsarisefromtheexistenceoforganisations.Weliveinthecontextoforganisations all the time, and they are constantlybeing formed anddisbanded. Some areentirelyinformal,suchasabusqueueordinnerparty;othersareformalandrecognisedlegallyasorganisationssuchasbusinessesorservices.Asorganisationssurviveanddeclineasaresultoftheirability to respondappropriately to internalandexternalpressures theygo throughmanychangesandthesecantriggerpotentialrisksandthreatstotheirworkforce.

Thethirdlevelrisksandthreatsarisefromeventsthattakeplaceinorganisations.These,often,reflectthefailedinteractionbetweenpeople.Informalorganisations,whichmaybedescribedascontrolled communities, the failed interaction isoftenbetween the controller (managers)andstaff.



The impact of these risks and threats is to our wellbeing and performance, and to theperformance of organisations, as shown in the right hand circle in the diagram below.



Risksandthreatscausepsychologicaldistress

AttitudeRisksandthreatstriggerachallengetooursurvivalandwellbeing.Weaddressthechallengeandrespond to the risks and threats according to our attitude towards them. Our attitudes aredeterminedbyourthoughts,feelingsandbehaviour.

StressRisksandthreatstoindividualstendtocausestress.

Stressisatermusedtodenotedegreesofanxietyanddepression.Asthereareseveraldegreesof intensity, there are some degrees of stress where early remedial action can preventdeteriorationtowardsmoreintensivedegreesofstress.Ideally,theaimwouldbetopreventanydegreeofstressfromoccurringinthefirstplace.

Theselevelsofintensityaredescribedaspressure(astimulantuntilitcontinuesbeyondpersonalcontrol)tension(apartialstimulantuntilitgoesbeyondpersonalcontrol)strain(adiversion)stress(animpairment).



Ourattitudetowardseventsinfluencesthedegreeofintensityofourstressfulreactiontoevents.Strengtheningresiliencewillmoderateourattitudesandattenuatethe intensityofourstressfulreaction.

OurreactiontoeventsResilienceplaysakeypartinourreactionstoevents.Forthemostpartwereacttoeventssemiconsciouslybecausewehaveexperiencedsimilareventsbefore,andwehavenocuesthatplaceusonalert.Cuesaretriggersthatalertustosomethingwemaynothaveexperiencedbefore,or,havingexperiencedasimilareventbefore,placesusonalertbecauseweknowourreactionwillrequireparticularattention.

Asshownabove,ourreactiontoevents isdeterminedbyourattitudetowardstheevent itself.Whereeventsareariskorthreattooursurvivalwebecomealerttothem.



ProcessofreactingtoeventsWegothroughprocessesinreactingtoanevent:

1) WhoamI?theanswerliesinourpersonalfeaturesfeaturesthatmakeuswhoweareatthetimeoftheeventandinformourattitudetowardstheevent.

2) Whatdoesthiseventmeantome?theanswerliesinourevaluationoftheeventfromwhichwe interprettheevent intoameaningonwhichwebaseourreaction.This,also,informsourattitudetowardsanevent.

3) Whatwillbetheoutcome?theanswerliesintheskills,personalfeaturesandactionwetake toachieveanoutcome thatwewant.This,also, informsourattitude towardsanevent.

Strengtheningresilience isaprocessofmoderatingourattitudestowardsaneventOurattitudetowardsaneventwilltriggersomeorallofthefeelings,thoughtsandbehavioursshownearlier.

Strengthening resilience isaprocess thatmoderatesour feelings, thoughtsandbehaviours toenableustosurviveeffectivelyandtomoveonwithenergytogrowanddevelop.



WhoamI?PersonalfeaturesWearedrivenby theneed to survive.Resilience isaprocess thathelpsus to survive. It,also,helps us to grow and develop as individuals. Overcoming an adverse event adds to our selfesteem,whichadds toour confidence,whichenablesus toapproacha similar futureadverseeventwith an attitude that effectively tellsus wevebeenherebefore and itwas apieceofcake!.

Ourevaluationofevents involvesourpersonalfeatures.These includeourabilitytomaintaincontrolofourselves,ourtoleranceofevents,oursenseofselfesteem,ourpersonalattributesthat influence our behaviour; our values and our beliefs; our level of intelligence and thepersonality type we are; our feelings, emotions, motivation, attitude, and our sense of selfefficacy inachievingourself interests.Humour is,also,akeyfeature.Training instrengtheningresilienceisaboutstrengtheningandbringingclaritytothesepersonalfeatures.Adescriptionofwhatthesetermsmeanisprovidedintheappendix.

InfluencesonourpersonalfeaturesThroughoutour livesweaccumulateskills,knowledgeandexperiences thatbuildourpersonalfeatures.

Instrengtheningourresiliencewecan identifyfive influences inbuildingourpersonalfeatures.Theyare:

Experiencestheexperienceswehavethroughoutlifethatcontributetoourresilience,amongstwhich are challenges,education,our awakening awarenessof factors affectingour andotherpeopleslives,androlemodels,suchasparentsandteachers.

Skillsskills in identifyingpurpose,planningandorganisingour livesathomeandatwork;ourexpertiseincertaintopicsorhobbiesthatturnintoapassionforthesubject;ourabilitytoresolveproblemsandchallenges,andourabilitytoplaygamesforfunandenjoyment.

Interaction our ability to interact and communicate with others to survive and grow, withabilitytoengagewithothers,understandingthatreciprocalsupportisessentialtoachievingourinterests;ourability toactappropriately indifferentcontexts,andourunderstanding thatweneedtobeanattractorforpeopletoengagewithuseffectively.Thisalladdstoconfidence.

Relationshipsourunderstandingofwhoisimportanttous,andhowstrongtherelationshipis;our ability to generate commitment and trust within relationships, using style such astransaction,transformationandadaptivetechniques.Anexplanationoftheseterms isfound intheappendix.

Humancapitaltheaccumulatedskills,knowledgeandexperienceacquiredthroughoutlifethatequip us with our personal sense of worth, esteem and confidence. Our capital is built fromeconomic,cultural,political,eroticandsocialfactors. Anexplanationoftheseterms isfound intheappendix.



Whatdoesthiseventmean?

EvaluationAllourpersonalfeaturesplayapartintheevaluationofevents.Theyhelpusdefinethemeaningofevents,andhelptodeterminetheactionwetake.Themoredevelopedourpersonalfeaturesbecome,thestrongerisourresiliencetoadverseevents.

This doesnt imply that infinite development leads to infinite resilience.We are all capableofexperiencing events that leaveus shocked andbewildered, aswe struggle tounderstand themeaningoftheeventandwhyitshouldhappen.Sometimeseventscauseustobecomefrozenby shock and incapable of mobilising the features we possess to tolerate an adverse event.Under such circumstances we need help from someone else, to bring us out of the frozensensationandhelpusmobiliseourinnerfeatures.

Ourcapacitytoevaluateaneventdependsonourknowledgeandunderstandingofthefollowingfactors:

Objectiveevidencequantifiablefactsabouttheevent;thisclarifiesdegreesofuncertainty.

Subjectiveevidencequalitativefactswhichhelpusmakepersonaljudgments.



Appropriatenesswheretheeventfitswiththecontext inwhichtheeventhappens;anythingweregardasunusualplacesusonalert.We,also,haveasenseoftimelinessastowhethertheeventshouldhavehappenednow.

Groupthinkthisnormallyreferstogroupopinionsthatturn intocertaintiesregardlessoftheevidence;inthissituationitreferstowhatweobserveothersdoinginthesamesituation.

Experiencesourmobilisingofourownpreviousexperiencesofasimilarevent,andhowtheseinfluencethemeaningofthisevent.

Fairnessourinnersenseoffairnessastowhethertheeventischallengingoursenseoffairness.Ifwefeelsomethingisunfairitinfluencesourattitudetowardstheevent.

Expectationourexpectationastowhatmayhappennext,andwhetherwecan influencethenexteventthatfollowsthisevent.

Wetakeaccountofeachofthesefactorswhenevaluatinganeventandseekingmeaningfromit.Thesefactorsworktogether,andifanyoneofthemcreatesdiscomfortwetendtobecomemoreconcernedabouttheevent,andcallonourpersonalfeaturestobecomemobilisedtoconsidertheactionwetakeinresponsetotheevent.



Whatwillbetheoutcome?

ActionandinactionResiliencehasmanyingredientsandisaboutmanythingsitsaboutcapacitytodosomething.Thecapacitytodosomethingdoesntmeanthatsomethingwillbedone.Theactiontakeninthefaceofaneventisachoicebetweencompetingdemandsinactionandaction.

InactionInactionmightbestimulatedbyfear;inactionmight,equally,bestimulatedbyresolvingthefearthrough non verbal blaming someone or something else for the event, producing a passivereaction.Inaction,also,maybeaconsequenceofexperiencingmanysimilarsituationswhenwefeelthatthereisnothingwecando,asituationsometimescalledlearnedhelplessness.

Someeventscreateconflictingideasinourmind,(forexample,tostaywiththesameemployerbut doing something we dont wish to do as its less challenging, or deciding to leave theemployer) what we call cognitive dissonance, where there is a conflict between potentialcognitiveoutcomestoasituation,somethingourmindscannottolerate.Oneoptionforresolvingtheconflictistoblamesomeoneorsomethingelse,andtherebymaintainourselfesteem(asnofault isattributabletous, itsattributabletosomeone/thingelse,forexample,doingsomethingwedontwishtodoas its lesschallenging isthefaultoftheemployer,whilstmaintainingselfesteem),whilsttheotheroptionistotakeaction,therebyplacingpersonalesteematriskduetotheuncertainoutcomeof theaction.Thosewith strong resiliencearemore likely toplaceselfesteemat riskand takeaction,particularly ifwehaveexperienceda similareventbeforeandovercomeitpositively.

ActionAction is stimulated by an evaluation of the event. The evaluation provides meaning. Ourpersonal featuresdeterminehow theevaluation isconductedand the likelyoutcome.Wealsoperformanassessmentastothepossibleoutcomeoftakingpurposefulactionversus inaction.Purposeful action in this context also may mean deciding not to take action because theevaluationconcludesthatinactionisthebetterwayofmovingforwardandsurviving.

EnforcedactionIfweareobligedtotakeaction,andourresilienceislow,weneedtofindwaysofstrengtheningresilience and self esteem in order to equip us with the strength to take advantage of theopportunities that enforced action offers us. One aspect of this is that self esteem may bemaintainedbyblamingtheemployerfortheenforcedaction.However,inordertotakepositivepersonalactionarisingfromtheenforcedactionwillrequirestrongresilience.



InfluentialactivitiesRather than letting events overtake us and control our destiny, we need to strengthen ourresilience to control our responses to adverse events. Maintaining personal control requiresdiscipline and techniques. The mobilisation of discipline and techniques requires constantpracticeandreinforcement.

Thereareanumberofactivitiesthatstrengthenourcapacitytoberesilient.Theyare:

Writing it isclear thatwritingdown thoughts, ideas, feeling,emotions,plansandgrandioseschemeshelpsustoachievewhatwewant.Ifwedomorethanwriteareflectivediary,butwritewhatwewantfromasituation,westandabetterchanceofachievingit.Thethinkingprocessinwritingevaluateswhatwewrite,inparticularwhenwereadwhatwehavewritten.

Imaginationour imagination isenormouslypowerful.Our tendency is to imagine theworst,sometimes known as catastrophising, as this provides us rehearsal time if something terribleactually happens.On theother hand, ifour imagination ispositive and constantly imagines apositiveoutcome,thistransmitsitselfintoaction.

Positive reinforcement we respond best to positive reinforcement, normally someone elsesayingsomethingpositiveaboutus.Intheabsenceofthis,selftalkhasadramaticimpactonhowwefeelaboutourselvesandtheactionswetake.Sometimesthisiscalledselfaffirmation.Itisamethodthathelpsdevelopmotivation,andiskeytochangingthoughts,feelingsandbehaviours.

Purposefulactsthoseofuswhoknowwhatwewanthaveapurposefromwhichpurposefulacts follow. These have the features that enable us to ride over adverse events as we arefocusedonachievingourpurpose,andcanfinditeasiernottobedeflectedfromthejourneywehavesetourselves.Envisioningthefutureinapositivewayprovidesmotivationandfocuswhenallaroundusisinchaos.

Triple loop learningwhenwewishtoadopthabitsthatstrengthenourresilienceweneedtoreinforcethenewhabitsseveraltimes,theleastbeingtwice.Thisisknownastriplelooplearningwhereanew idea is introduced, itthenneedsreinforcing inpracticalwaysat leasttwicemorebeforewebegintoadoptthenewidea.



ObservationsweneedtotakeintoaccountinstrengtheningresilienceTherearesomegeneralobservationsaboutourthoughts,feelingsandbehavioursthathaveaninfluenceonhowwecanstrengthenourresilience.Understandingeachofthese,andhowtheyimpactonourownthoughts,feelingandbehaviours,providesinsightintowhywebehaveinthewayswedoandwhyweformtheattitudeswehave.

Wefinditdifficulttosurviveonourowninitiativewithouttheassistanceofothers Wefind iteasiertosurvive,growanddevelop ifweengagewithotherswhoprovideus

withwhatweneed Wearetheprincipalcauseofpsychologicaldistressinothersthishastheeffectofdis

engagingothersfromus,deprivingusofwhatweneed Weliveinthecontextoforganisationsthatconstantlyformanddisband Weallact Weactaccordingtoourunderstandingofthecontextandhowothersexpectustoact Wefindcontrollingourselvesdifficult Wefindcontrollingtheresponseofothersdifficultandslowtomanage Wearemotivatedbyselfinterest Wecanonlyjudgeothersbytheirbehaviourandwhattheysay Weoftenmaskfromotherswhatwegenuinelythinkandfeel Wearegoodatfalseattributions Wearehugelysuccessful



Strengthening our resilience is about strengthening our personal features, our capacity tointeracteffectivelywithothers,andourability toengage in thenecessaryactivities toachievethese.

Strengthening our resilience also needs to account for our general thoughts, feelings andbehaviours, as described above, and to formulate approaches and techniques that help usmoderateourconditionedandexistinghabitsandbehaviours.

InteractionThe analysis of resilience in individuals has shown it to be a mixture of personal features, acapabilitytoevaluateevents,andthecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturestotakeaction.

Central to survival is the ability to interact effectively with others, in a way that encouragesotherstoprovidewhatweneedtosatisfyourselfinterests.Thecapacitytointeracteffectively,therefore, is a central aspect of resilience irrespective of the strength of our other personalfeatures,thecapabilitytoevaluateevents,orthecapacitytomobilisepersonalfeaturestotakeaction.

Interactionisaprocessofassessingthesituation,assessingtheexpectationoftheotherpersoninthesituation,providingtotheotherpersonthethingsyoujudgetheotherpersonneedsandwants to satisfy their self interests in the situation,on thebasis that theywill reciprocatebyprovidingyouwiththethingsyouneedtosatisfyyourselfinterests.

Reciprocalsupport isestimated tooccur inmore than50%of interactions,andmuchhigher inthose skilled in interaction.Resilientpeopleneed toaim foralmost 100% reciprocal support intheirinteractions.



StrengtheningresilienceTheaimofstrengtheningresilienceistobuildindividualcapacityinpersonalfeatures,evaluation,interaction,andtakingaction.



StrengtheningresilienceanapproachInthisapproachtheemphasisisonstrengtheningpersonalfeatures,evaluation,interactionandthe influencing activities that are aimed at embedding resilient attributes and behaviours inourselves.

Theapproachadoptsa7elementmodelasshownbelow:

VisionIfyoudontknowwhereyouregoingyouwillprobablyendupsomewhereelse

Normally,resilientpeoplewillhaveaclear ideaofwhattheyaretryingtoachieve intheir lives,andwillhavewritten thisdown somewhere.Theyare likely to review thevision from time totime,particularlywhenevents seek todiverteffortaway fromachieving thevision.Thevisionitselfmightbeblurred;itshouldnotbetimeconstrained,butitshouldbefeasibletoachieve.

The type of exercises that assist with envisioning the future are those that involveimagination,suchasworkingoutwhatyoureallywanttodowithyour life,andwritinganautobiographyofyourselfasseenfromsometime inthefuture. Imaginationalwaysprecedesaction.



DeterminationAslongasyouregoingtothinkanyway,youmayaswellthinkbig

Resilientpeoplewithhighlevelsofdeterminationhavethecapacitytoachievethingsthatthosewith low determination tend not to be able to do. Determination is essentially self driven,althoughcanbetriggeredbyareactiontoanevent,andrequiresconsiderablefocusonagoal,taskorvision.Peoplewithhigh levelsofdeterminationalsohavehighselfawarenessknowingyourselfverywell;highselfadvocacybeingabletoarticulateyourwisheseffectively;andhighselfefficacyabeliefinbeingabletoachievealmostanything.

Thetypeofexercisesthatassistinstrengtheningresiliencearethosethat:

Clarify personal values; build human capital; and clarify beliefs. Exercises that build on theenvisioningelement,andusingtheresultsofthoseexercises,also,helpdevelopdetermination.

InteractionIfyoualwaysapproacheveryonewithcheerfuloptimism,youwillfindthattheysimplyhaveno

choicebuttorespondinkind

Interactionisabouthowwebehavetowardsotherpeople.Theonlypersonwecontrolisourself,andyet, tosurviveandachievewhatweneed toachieve,weneed tocontrol the reactionsofothers toourbehaviours towards them so that theyhelpus. This is known as reciprocity. Tointeract effectively with others we need to understand everything that is going on in aninteraction, almost reading the other persons mind so that we can adjust our behaviour torespondtohowwethinktheotherpersonisrespondingtous.Weneedtoexploreandrespondto theotherpersons self interest, as self interest isourprimemotivator, and feed that selfinterest for the other person to reciprocate and feed us with elements to support our selfinterest.Ifwemanageallthisweareincontrol,andbybeingincontrolwebuildourresilience.

Theexercisesthatassistinstrengtheningresilienceinclude:

Embedding the attributes and applying the behaviours that promote commitment and trust;Learning how to be assertive and negotiation;rehearsing self talk, expressions and bodylanguage.



RelationshipsRelationshipsmakeyouglow,makeyoucry,makeyouhappy,makeyoudespair,butmakeyou

human

Inorderforustosurviveandprosperweneedtoforgerelationships.Thesearemanyandvariedthat include acquaintances, friends, lovers, all of whom have a different quality to them inrelationtotheirstrength, importanceandpower,andeachappealtoadifferentaspectofourownneed.

Asweallact, it is importantto includeamongstourrelationshipsthosepeoplewithwhomwehavenoneedtoact.Suchrelationshipsexisttoenableustorechargeandgoforwardtoact intheworld.

Resilientpeoplehave relationships thatprovide theappropriate reinforcementand supportatthetimeitisrequired.Resilientpeopleneverjudgeanyoneelse;theygiveofthemselvestoeachrelationshipandreaptherewardsoffriendship.


Identifying the strength and importance in relationships, and working on how the improverelationships.

Problemsolving

Somepeopletakenomentalexercisesapartfromjumpingtoconclusions

Resilientpeople like to solveproblemsand rise tochallenges, so longas theycan resolve theproblems and meet the challenges successfully. Problem solvers are more likely to embracechallenges than those who do not like problems, and who have little talent for sorting outpuzzlesandgames.Cardgamesplayersarelikelytobemoreinterestedinsolvingproblemsthanotherssimplybyvirtueoftheirinterestinthinkingoftheopponentandthemovesthatarebeingthoughtabout.Problem solversalso like todelve into thecausesofaproblemasameans toseekingasolution.


Thosethatchallengelogicalthinking,listeningskills,andlateralthinking.



OrganisationIfeverythingisundercontrolyourenotgoingfastenough

Peoplewhoarewellorganisedareabletocopewiththechaosofdailylifebetterthanthosewhodonotpay attention toorganising themselves,preferring to relyonmemory and luck.Beingorganised allows individuals to know where they are if their day is disrupted by unforeseenevents. Organised people plan their week and their day in ways that ensure they start workimmediately,andrewardcompletionofnastytasksbynextcompletingenjoyableones.Resilientpeople know where they are, and can bring clarity to their working environment by carefulplanningandimplementation.Thisprovidesthecapacitytobouncebackafterinterruptionstoaroutineday.


Workingoutwheretimegoes;planning;tacklinguncontrollabletime.

Selfconfidence

Evernoticethatwhatthehellistherightdecision?

Selfconfidence isclearlyapparent inresilientpeople.Theyneedtoensurethatselfconfidencedoesntturntoarroganceasthiswillnotbeeffective in interactionswithothers.Ontheotherhand,selfconfidence,demonstrated inasubtlemanner, isveryattractive,anddrawsotherstotheselfconfidentperson,reinforcingtheirsuccesswithothersandcontributingsignificantlytotheirresilience.

Theexercisesthatassistwithstrengtheningresilienceinclude:

Placing yourself outside your comfort zone, so anything that is different and challenging,inducingtensionthatyouknowyoucanresolve.



TriplelooplearningOurhabitsbecomeembeddedwithinus throughaprocessofconditioningand reinforcement.Wecanchangeourhabitsbyadopting the sameprocess,but ina structuredmannerwhich isreinforcedbyasystematicanddisciplinedsetofactivities.

Step1 isto introducetheexercisesthatassistwithstrengtheningresilience.Examplesoftheseareprovidedasheadlinesinthispaper.

Step2isforsmallgroupsofpeopletodiscussandargueabouttheexercises,andtofeedbacktoeachother theirown experiences that relate to the relevant element, so thatnew ideas anddifferentexercisesmightbediscussedandconsidered.

Step3isforeachmemberofthegrouptopracticetheexercisesontheirownoveranextensiveperiodoftimeduringwhich

Step4whenthegroupcomestogetheragaintoreinforcetheirprogressbydiscussinghowtheirexerciseshavegone,andwhattheyareplanningtodonext.

MaintainingadiaryAsdiscussedearlier,writing isan importantprocessofchangingbehavioursandstrengtheningresolvetotakeaction.

Maintainingadiaryaboutexperiencesandhowwefeelaboutthem,togetherwithwritingdownvisions, plans and actions, will provide the opportunity to reflect on personal progress instrengtheningresilience.

ResiliencepiggybankAnapproachthatstrengthensresilienceistobuyapiggybankandeverytimeanadverseeventoccursforwhichpersonalfocus isrequiredtotolerate,overcomeandmoveforwardpositively,weplacemoneyinthepiggybank.

Thisworkswellwhenweareconfrontedbyacolleagueorfriendwhoisespeciallydifficult,evenabully.Everytimethiscolleagueorfriendactsinathreateningmanner,putmoneyintothepiggybank.Attheendofaweekormonth,takethemoneyoutandspenditonsomethingpleasurable.This provides humour, a diversion from the threatening person, and ultimately pleasure frompurchasing something desirable. We may not be able to control the response of the otherperson,butwecanderivesome hiddenpleasure fromtheiradversebehaviour.Eventuallywemayalmostwishforanunpleasanteventasweknowwewillderivesomethingdesirablefromit.Wefindourtolerancestrengthensasdoesourresilience.



ConclusionResilience is aboutour capacity to tolerate andmoveonwith strength after experiencing anadverseevent.Throughanunderstandingofhowourresilienceisbuiltandexpandedweareabletostrengthenourresiliencebytakingcertainactions.

Ourresilience is,also,strengthenedbyovercomingadverseexperiencesandadverseevents,assuccess inovercoming theseadds toour selfesteemandprovides the confidenceneeded to,moreeasily,overcomeasimilarexperienceinthefuture.Thismaynothappenforeveryadverseevent, but is a likely outcome for those who have adopted and practised exercises that areoutlinedinthispaper.

www.mas.org.uk

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FormoreinformationaboutprogrammestostrengthenresilienceemailBarbaraLeighatBarbara.leigh@mas.org.ukorcall01242241882.

Derek Mowbray is a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist. He is visiting Professor ofPsychology atNorthumbriaUniversity, the founder and adirectorofOrganisationHealth and theManagementAdvisoryService.He is responsible for thedevelopmentof theManagersCode, theWellbeingandPerformanceAgendaandotherinitiativesdesignedtopreventpsychologicaldistressatwork.Hehasaspecialinterestintheimpactthatleadershaveonfollowers.

He is a coach, facilitator and consultant, who also has a specialist practice in resolving seriousconflictsatwork.



Appendixmeaningsoftermsinthispaper

AdaptiveprinciplesShared responsibility formanaging an organisation; encourages Elephants in theRoom to beplaced on the table and resolved; independent judgment; developing leaders; embeddedlearning.

AttractorApersontowhompeopleareattractedintimesofchaos

AttitudeAnindividualslikeordislikeforsomeoneorsomething

BeliefsOpinionsthatareheldtobetrue

EmotionsAstateofmind

FeelingsAconscioussubjectivefeelingofastateofmind

HumourExperiencesthatprovokelaughterandamusement

HumanCapitalSocialrelationshipsEconomicresourcesPoliticalnetworksEroticattractivenessstimulatingeroticsensationsCulturalthearts

IntelligenceApropertyofthemindincludingrelatedabilities,suchasthecapacitiesforabstractthought,understanding,communication,reasoning,learning,learningfrompastexperiences,planning,andproblemsolving.

MotivationDrivingforcewhichcausesustoachievegoals



PersonalattributesLoyaltyCommitmentHonestyandintegrityEnthusiasmReliabilityPersonalpresentationCommonsensePositiveselfesteemSenseofhumourBalancedattitudetoworkandhomelifeAbilitytodealwithpressureMotivationAdaptability

PersonalityTypes,traits,andindividualdifferencesbetweenpeople

SelfefficacyThebeliefthatoneiscapableofperforminginacertainmannertoattaincertaingoals

SelfesteemAperson'soverallevaluationorappraisalofhisorherownworth

ToleranceAfair,objective,andpermissiveattitudetowardthosewhosebeliefsorpersonalcharacteristics(race,religion,nationality,etc.),differfromone'sown.

TransactionAnagreement,communication,ormovementcarriedoutbetweenseparateentitiesorobjects,ofteninvolvingtheexchangeofitemsofvalue,suchasinformation,goods,services,andmoney.

TransformationAn approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. In its ideal form, it createsvaluable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers intoleaders.

ValuesAnabsoluteorrelativeethicalvalue,theassumptionofwhichcanbethebasisforethicalaction.

resilience and strengthening resilience in individuals

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