Chapter 6

RESILIENCE, POST-
TRAUMATIC GROWTH,
AND POSITIVE AGEING
Photo: Brainline.org
 OBJECTIVES

Review psychological models on trauma;

Explore personal experiences of the
Post-traumatic Growth phenomenon; and
Ponder about the importance of positive
ageing.
 ADJUSTED SCHEDULES

 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Finals will be on March 2-4,

2022 
 Feb. 02, 2022: Resilience, PTG, and Positive Ageing
 February 09, 2022: Values, Motivation, and Goal
Theories and Positive Psychological Interventions
(hopefully)
 February 16, 2022: The Body in PosPsych
 February 23, 2022: Applying Positive Psych
 March 02, 2022: Submission of Final Req
Plan B for everything: Recorded lectures 
 STRESS VS TRAUMA

STRESS TRAUMA
 certain amount can be  unexpected
good   out of ordinary
 can equip a person  interrupts the narrative
with ‘psychological of a person
preparedness’
 WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE DURING
TRAUMA?

 Succumbing to the stressor

(development of PTSD)
 resilience and recovery
 Post-traumatic Growth (PTG)
Common belief is that people will be
severely stressed after trauma, but actually,
only 5-35% end up like that. What happens
to the other 65-95%?
 RESILIENCE

The flexibility in response to

changing situational demands and
the ability to bounce back from
negative emotional experiences.

Photo: Positivepsychology.com
 RESILIENCE

 Since resilience is a multi-faceted one, it

is seen with the following:

a. RECOVERY (returning to baseline

functioning)
b. RESISTANCE (low distress)
c. RECONFIGURATION (return to homeostasis
in a different formation-related to PTG)
 RESILIENCE: RISK FACTORS

 Facilitators of resilient
individuals:
1. Reframing
2. Experience of positive
emotions
3. Participation in Physical
Activity
4. Trusted social support
5. Use of personal and
authentic strengths
6. Optimism Photo: ey.com
 COPING STYLES

 Coping means constantly changing

cognitive and behavioral efforts to
manage specific external and/or internal
demands that are appraised to be taxing
or exceeding the resources of the
person.
 THINGS TO REMEMBER IN COPING!

 Primary appraisal is the extent to which

individuals perceive their situation to be
threatening.
 Secondary appraisal is an individual’s
perception of whether or not they have
the resources available to them to deal
with the stressor.
 TWO FORMS OF COPING

 Problem-focused coping is when people

identify the stressor and take active steps
to engage with and tackle the issues at
hand…
 Emotion-focused coping is when
individuals tend to focus on dealing with
the emotions surrounding the situation,
rather than attempting to change or deal
with the situation…
 TWO FORMS OF COPING

 In all honesty, are you more of a

problem-focused person or emotion-
focused person?
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG)

 Have you ever risen from a certain

mud of experience with a better
version of yourself?

Photo: nytimes.com
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG)

 a way of dealing (NOT the result of

the experience of) trauma in which a
person can become better, stronger
and operate at higher levels of
functioning than which existed
before the traumatic event….
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG)

 Empirically, it was found out to exist within

samples of survivors from….
1. war
2. breast cancer
3. mastectomy
4. bone marrow disease
5. heart attack
6. Incest
7. HIV
8. Bombing etc.. Photo: Brainline.org
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG):
THE DOMAINS

1. PERSONAL STRENGTH (perceived

changed in self.)

Photo: Positivepsychology.com
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG):
THE DOMAINS

2. RELATING TO OTHERS (feeling

closer to significant others)
*some trauma sur vivors also realized who are the true friends….

Photo: mindorg.com
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG):
THE DOMAINS

3. APPRECIATION OF LIFE (existential

awareness…what matters more in
life?)

Photo: nytimes.com
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG):
THE DOMAINS

4. NEW POSIBILITIES (changes in life

goals…appreciation of here and now)
*some enrol in special courses

Photo: Brainline.org
 THE POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH (PTG):
THE DOMAINS

5. SPIRITUAL CHANGES (belief in

higher being)

Photo: osfhealthcare.com
PTG IN THERAPEUTIC SETTINGS: THINGS
TO REMEMBER

PTG cannot be imposed on clients!

It should not be a sign that therapy
is working.
 It is not the be all and end all of
client’s well-being.
 WISDOM: AFTER TRAUMA

 Wisdom is one of the VIA strengths. Let’s go back to Chapter

1: VIA Strengths Model.
POSITIVE AGEING
 HOW DO WE ADD LIFE
TO YEARS AND NOT JUST
ADDING YEARS TO LIFE?
 WHAT DO YOU THINK
ARE THE KEY 1. 1. Diet

INGREDIENTS FOR 2.
3.
2. Exercise
3. genetics

HEALTHY AGEING? HOW

4. 4. family
5. environment
6. 5. wealth
IMPORTANT DO YOU
RATE:
 WHAT CAN WE DO TO SUCCESSFULLY
AGE?
 engage with life and maintain activities that are personally
meaningful to you;
 create environments where you are able to feel in control and
able to make choices;
 maintain a positive attitude (associated with good memory,
longevity, good health, wellbeing and a will to live);
 always believe that you can keep learning and remember.

Photo:
actionforhappiness.org
POSITIVE AGEING IS
RISING ABOVE THE
STREOTYPES OF
AGEING. 