Using Culturally and Contextually Informed Theorizing in Research on Post-Traumatic Growth

2021 ◽  
pp. 147-166
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. B. White ◽  
Gustavo Carlo ◽  
George P. Knight ◽  
Jenn Yun-Tein ◽  
Nancy A. Gonzales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Character Strengths ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Prosocial Behaviors ◽  
Strength Development ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Group Diversity

There is popular and scholarly interest in the idea that adverse experiences may promote character/virtue development. Scholarship can address previous methodological and conceptual limitations by studying character development processes in groups that demonstrate high exposure to adversity and high virtues. Though there is substantial within-group diversity, prior research shows that Mexican Americans display high character strengths (including relatedness, spirituality, and prosocial behaviors) and high rates of exposure to adversities. The authors discuss conceptual models that explore the cultural development of character growth from late childhood to early adulthood, with an emphasis on longitudinal changes in relatedness, spirituality, and prosocial behaviors among individuals who are diverse on adversity exposures and individual characteristics that might trigger growth following adversity. To address prior critical methodological and conceptual limitations, the discussion centers on differentiating among whether individuals who have experienced no adversities, traumatic events, and chronic adversities may show differential trajectories of change and the exploration of mechanisms that may support growth processes. The work advances an understanding of character strength development in a rapidly growing and relatively vulnerable US population.

Character Strength Development of Leaders in Cyberspace

2017 ◽  
pp. 40-59
Author(s):  
Fil Arenas
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Character Strengths ◽  
Strength Development ◽  
Transformational Leaders ◽  
Virtual Leadership ◽  
Character Strength ◽  
Virtual Spaces ◽  
Interactive Environment ◽  
New Challenges

Leadership development in cyberspace presents new challenges within an abstract interactive environment. The flexibility and versatility of virtual spaces offers many freedoms from ordinary rules and restrictions. Examining relevant signature character strengths under the high six virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) provide guidance for virtual leadership. Aspiring authentic transformational leaders must continue their awareness of selfhood and society in cyberspace milieus by opening their human apertures while leveraging their signature character strengths.

Testing the Effectiveness of a Strengths-Based Intervention Targeting All 24 Strengths: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
pp. 003329412093744
Author(s):  
Lobna Chérif ◽  
Valerie M. Wood ◽  
Christian Watier
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Character Strengths ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Strength Development ◽  
Character Strength ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Time Interaction ◽  
Experimental Group

This study assessed the effectiveness of a strengths-based randomized controlled trial focused on fostering all 24 character strengths in a group of 75 participants from a University in Tunisia. Participants randomly assigned to the challenge condition (n = 40) received an email each day for 24 days, that highlighted a particular strength of the day including why the strength is valuable, how to implement the strength behaviourally, and a motto related to that strength. Those in the control condition (n = 35) simply received emails containing the motto for each strength daily for 24 days. We assessed all participants’ levels of happiness before the experiment (T0), the day following the experiment (T1), and one-month following the experiment (T2). Results from a 2 (group) X 3 (time) split plot ANOVA revealed a significant group-by-time interaction, such that at T2 the experimental group had greater happiness scores than the control group. These findings provide some evidence that even “minimalist” interventions (involving the receipt of emails encouraging character-strength development), might be effective for promoting gains in happiness even one month after the intervention.

Military Service in Midlife

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Kleykamp ◽  
Ryan Kelty ◽  
David R. Segal
Keyword(s):  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Psychosocial Benefits ◽  
The Military

This chapter examines the role of military experience on positive or negative development and functioning in early adulthood. It reviews the demographic composition of the military in the United States, with attention to the diversity of those who serve. It reviews how military service influences the transition to adulthood, now serving as a pathway toward, rather than an interruption of, adulthood. It summarizes the wealth of research connecting military service to midlife outcomes, with a special focus on how military experiences may generate positive growth and resilience. Although some who serve may experience trauma, military service can also provide material and psychosocial benefits, including post-traumatic growth. Notably, the benefits of military service tend to accrue most for individuals who come from more disadvantaged backgrounds, making the military a potentially important institutional setting for a successful transition to adulthood for those who need such supports the most.

Pathways from adversity to wisdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dorfman ◽  
Igor Grossmann ◽  
David A Moscovitch
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Folk Beliefs ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Epistemic Humility ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The One ◽  
Health And Well Being

Folk beliefs and philosophers have long suggested that mastering adversity contributes to growth in wisdom –adaptability to the situation, perspectivism, dialectical thinking, and epistemic humility. But existing research on outcomes of adversity suggests a puzzle. On the one hand, cross-sectional studies have found adversity leads to post-traumatic growth in personal strengths such as wisdom. On the other hand, focus on adverse experiences exacerbates negative emotions and thoughts and undermines health and well-being over time. Our chapter highlights the idea that outcomes of adversity may depend on one’s mindset when reflecting on the adverse experience. Adopting a self-distanced mindset rather than the habitual self-focused or self-immersed mindset is likely to enhance wise characteristics. We review evidence-based advances in the study of daily adversity and wisdom, specifically focusing on utilizing longitudinal and experimental methodologies, and address future questions and clinical implications of self-distanced mindsets for growth in wisdom.

Studying Post-Traumatic Growth Across the Adult Life Span

2021 ◽  
pp. 186-211
Author(s):  
Omar E. Staben ◽  
Molly J. Gardner ◽  
Frank J. Infurna ◽  
Suniya S. Luthar ◽  
Kevin J. Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Character Strengths ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Adult Life Span ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Methodological Considerations

This chapter discusses conceptual and methodological considerations for studying post-traumatic growth across adulthood and into old age. Conceptual considerations that the authors focus on include examining character strengths and virtues longitudinally across multiple age groups and also the stability of these strengths and virtues across the life span. Methodological considerations elaborated are the use of convenience sampling in scale development and the importance of measurement invariance when examining character strengths in the context of post-traumatic growth. The authors provide examples from previous research on post-traumatic growth and discuss methods of measurement that could be utilized to enhance the validity of current measures. The chapter highlights the importance of character strengths and virtues and aims to solidify their role in the scientific community. Additionally, it highlights the need for more rigorous lines of scientific inquiry in this area due to its potential to impact healthy aging outcomes for persons across the adult life span.

Post-Traumatic Growth Interventions

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-46
Author(s):  
Ann Marie Roepke ◽  
Areti Zikopoulos ◽  
Marie Forgeard
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Cultural Narrative ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Adverse Experiences ◽  
Post Traumatic

Individuals who live through adverse experiences such as natural disasters, abuse, combat, and chronic illness have the potential to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms, which have been the target of various therapeutic interventions. This chapter provides an overview of what is known about interventions to promote post-traumatic growth, the limitations of existing studies, and an outline for future research on how such interventions can be successfully designed and evaluated. This chapter also highlights the utility of interventions that promote post-traumatic growth following adversity and how this relates to shaping the cultural narrative that surrounds growth following adversity, challenge, or failure.

scholarly journals Maternal effects on offspring growth indicate post-weaning juvenile dependence in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus)

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Patrick Tkaczynski ◽  
Tobias Deschner ◽  
Therese Löhrrich ◽  
Roman M. Wittig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Specific Gravity ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Maternal Effects ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Urinary Creatinine ◽  
Maternal Presence

Abstract Background In animals with altricial offspring, most growth occurs after birth and may be optimized by post-natal maternal care. Maternal effects on growth may be influenced by individual characteristics of the mothers, such as social status, individual investment strategies and the length of association with offspring. The prolonged juvenile dependence seen in humans is a distinctive life history adaptation, which may have evolved to facilitate sustained somatic and brain growth. In chimpanzees, offspring are typically weaned at approximately 4 years old, yet immature individuals continue to associate with their mothers for up to 10 years beyond weaning. Whether this lengthy association or the individual characteristics of mothers influences growth patterns in this species is not clear. The relationship between urinary creatinine and specific gravity is an established non-invasive measure of muscle mass in humans and chimpanzees. We analysed the urinary creatinine and specific gravity of 1318 urine samples from 70 wild chimpanzees from the Taï Forest, Ivory Coast aged 4 to 15 years. Results We showed a clear increase in urinary creatinine levels with age in both males and females, replicating established growth curves in this species and reaffirming this measure as a reliable proxy for lean body mass. Comparing those who experience maternal loss (orphans) with non-orphan chimpanzees, maternal presence beyond weaning age and into late juvenility positively influenced offspring muscle mass throughout ontogeny such that orphans had significantly less muscle mass than age-matched non-orphans. In age-matched offspring with mothers, those with high-ranking mothers had greater muscle mass. Accounting for variation in muscle mass attributable to maternal presence, we found no effect of maternal investment (length of inter birth interval, from own birth to birth of following sibling) on offspring muscle mass. Conclusion Chimpanzee mothers have an extended and multi-faceted influence on offspring phenotypes. Our results suggest that maternal investment extends beyond lactation and into early adulthood and has clear benefits to offspring physical development. Therefore, prolonged juvenile dependence, although unique in its form in human societies, may be a trait with deeper evolutionary origins.

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