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What qualities help us to successfully resist stress? And is it possible to develop them in oneself, if one is not lucky enough to be born with them? Psychologist Dmitry Leontiev talks about this.
In modern psychology there is a very important concept – resilience. The term was first used by Susan Kobeisa, but the main studies on resilience are due to Salvatore Maddi. It is resilience that determines our ability to withstand stress. It is interesting that Maddy came to the study of resilience in a situation somewhat reminiscent of the current Russian one, in a crisis situation.
In the 70s, the University of Chicago, where Muddy was working at the time, was approached by the managers of a large telecommunications company. We came up with a specific practical problem. In the United States, tough laws related to the regulation of the telecommunications sector were then adopted. And in order to meet them, all enterprises in the industry inevitably had to carry out large cuts.
Being in the middle of events is always more advantageous than watching them from the outside. Better in terms of stress resistance
Until the moment when people would have to be fired, there was still almost a year left – the laws were adopted in advance. But all industry workers found themselves in a situation of severe stress – the sword of Damocles was raised over them.
People knew that a quarter of all staff from the beginning of next year would be fired. Who will fall into this number, according to what principle they will choose – no one understood. Therefore, absolutely everyone experienced stress. And managers came for help to psychologists.
After conducting a number of studies, Muddy and colleagues came to the personality traits that are the main defense against stress and its negative consequences.
Muddy identified three components of resilience that reinforce each other. And the more they are present in a person, the lower the likelihood that in a situation of severe stress he will show negative somatic or psychological symptoms.
The first component is engagement.
Simply put, being in the middle of events is always more advantageous than watching them from the side. It is more beneficial in terms of stress resistance. A person who acts and is determined to act is better protected from stress than one who sits aside and waits …
The second component is control.
Even in the conditions in which we find ourselves, even realizing that we are not able to control the main thing, the global, you can always find something that you can take into your own hands. Start taking control.
Otherwise, by refusing to try to control anything, we give ourselves up to a very unpleasant effect, which is known in psychology as “learned helplessness.” This is a complete gap between the actions of a person and what happens to him.
The third component of resilience Muddy called “challenge”
However, I preferred to designate it in the Russian translation as “risk taking”. It is a willingness to act without a guarantee of success. Considering that even a negative experience is still useful, it is still an experience. And as you know, even an insurance policy cannot give you a full guarantee.
People who are hesitant to act without full guarantees that everything will be fine are much more vulnerable to stress than those who are ready to take action, accepting uncertainty.
All of these traits are enduring personality traits. But this does not mean that people are already born with them, it is quite possible to train them, to influence them.
There are appropriate psychodiagnostic methods, there are resilience trainings to identify these traits in yourself and strengthen them. Moreover, it is interesting that Maddy himself, conducting such trainings, received a paradoxical result.
Resilience in this sense – an attitude to the world, a system of attitudes – is some other way of life.
Usually, during trainings, measurements are taken: before the training, after it – and then after some time. To understand whether, firstly, the result was obtained, and secondly, whether it was preserved or turned out to be short-lived and everything “slid down” to its original values.
Muddy measured participants’ resilience levels before training, immediately after training, and six months after training. And I found that the data of delayed testing – after six months – were even higher than the data immediately after the training.
That is, the development of resilience launches processes that then begin to work on their own. This is not just the formation of a trait: they imprisoned a person, formed something and released him. No, resilience in this sense – an attitude to the world, a system of attitudes – is some other way of life.
If we talk about mental health, and not physical, then this is a healthy lifestyle. Psychologically healthy – and able to protect us in a situation of stress.
Prepared by: Yuri Zubtsov