Why study human resiliance - Essay Example

Why Study Human Resilience Why Study Human Resilience Resilience is essential because it is the human capa or ability to face,conquer and be strengthened by or even changed by the hardships of life (Werner, 1989). It is vital for people to study human resilience so that they could be able to comprehend resilience as it relates to psychology. It is also vital for people to study resilience so that they could understand the protective, as well as the risk factors, at the community, family and individual levels.

Studying resilience will enable someone to explain how an individual, family and the community protective factors can develop resilience since they act as buffers in vulnerable populations and individuals. The study of resilience enables people to understand some of the psychological interventions or practical applications suggested by various studies of human resilience (Werner, 1989). Finally, a critical assessment to human resilience puts an individual in a position of identifying and discussing the findings, as well as the limits, of research and areas where future study is required.

Supporting resilience in the perspective of children and families is essential. People who show resilience have some or all the traits identified by Emmy E. Werner. Other people are able to deal with hardship and cope with life problems successfully (Werner, 1989). The term resilience, with regards to families and children, refers to the abilities that families and children foster, allowing them to deal with and overcome distressing, difficult and traumatic life circumstances or experiences.

Resilience can be perceived as a normal development under tough circumstances (Werner, 1989). According to Werner’s article, families and children that are resilient can reveal and be able to grow into healthy and happy people, dealing with life in an efficient and competent manner despite facing serious setbacks and difficulties in their life. Werner is a key contributor to resilience. Her article, Children of the Garden Island, contains extensive and conclusive studies of resilience and produces two diverse concepts of gaining resilience.

A majority of families and children at some point in their lives have to deal with tough situations and some may have to deal with severe hardships. These hardships stretch from death, war, poverty, serious illness, divorce and abuse among other. There are also more ordinary and common hardships such as pressures of school, dealing with homework and bullying among others (Werner, 1989). However, a majority of children and adults do cope with and overcome these adversities. There are several movies that are based on resilience.

Good examples include the movies called Gone with the Wind and Swing Time among others. Gone with the Wind, shot around 1939, is about a girl named Scarlett who is widowed during the critical war time. Her husband passed away during that time. Only strong and persevering women could overcome such a difficult huddle. At some point in the movie, Scarlett almost gave up in life, but her mother encouraged her to keep on fighting and be resilient because the future would be brighter. Her mother sent Scarlett to live in Atlanta where she met new friends, and her life changed drastically.

This was a case that showed how resilience works just as in the Werner article. ReferenceWerner, E. (1989). Children of the Garden Island. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59(1), 72-81.