Return-Path: <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j0EHEwn00468; Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:14:58 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:14:58 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <d5.1f95e7dd.2f19572d@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: MWPotts2001@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-4eff@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:2913] The importance of Resilience X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: 9.0 for Windows sub 5036 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: O Content-Length: 2759 Lines: 50 Colleagues, The resilience of children has been on the minds of many of us lately, wondering how the children of the tsunami will ever be whole again. The following gives some valuable information and connects resilience to reading. What a good message for all caregivers. All the Best, Meta Potts Glen Allen, VA THE IMPORTANCE OF RESILIENCE "Why do some children bounce back from adversity better than others -- and can that quality be taught?" asks Christine Gorman. Why are some children able to overcome extreme circumstances -- poverty, a parent's absence, a violent neighborhood -- and find happiness while others are defeated by the mildest of setbacks? What allows people to start over after a horrific calamity -- such as last month's tsunami in the Indian Ocean -- and create a new life for themselves on the shattered foundations of the old one? Psychologists use the word resilience to describe this ability to bounce back from adversity. "It's amazing what kids can go through," says Emmy Werner, a professor of human development at the University of California at Davis, who as a child suffered the saturation bombing of Germany during World War II. But whether the context is war, natural disaster or a more private hell, many of the same factors seem to play a role in whether children grow up to become successful adults. "Some of it is sheer luck, of course," says Werner, who began researching resilience in youngsters in the 1950s, "and the scars will be there. But, terrible as it is to say, you adapt." Some characteristics appear to be fundamental. The strength of the parental bond established in the first three years of life, for example, seems to set the tone for the rest of our days. Studies by Werner and others that follow children to adulthood show that parental bonds influence future success more than almost any other factor. So does being born with the right personality. A child with an easygoing temperament or a certain amount of intelligence appears to have an advantage. But what of the external factors, the things you aren't born with? Can kids learn particular skills to help them overcome adversity? The answer is a qualified yes. You can't teach resilience, but researchers have identified some skills -- such as developing a sense of autonomy or being a good reader -- that increase the chances that a child will become a productive member of society. Belief systems -- whether something as straightforward as believing you have a future or as nuanced as practicing a religious faith -- also play a critical role. Resilience, researchers agree, is a complex process that is in some ways as unpredictable as the weather. http://www.time.com/time/2005/happiness/the_importance_of_resil20_print.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Oct 31 2005 - 09:48:20 EST