Bouncing back

When life goes south, why do some grin and bear it and emerge with greater wisdom while others scream for their mommies as they are being led away?

Those who are chanting "Free Paris," and even those who are calling for the Hilton heiress' head on a platter, might stop to consider such a question. Certainly, psychological researchers are keenly interested in this subject as it helps them to understand why some survive adverse circumstances, while others -- as one friend of mine is fond of saying -- get "blown away in [their own] crapstorm."

The employees of Illinois Bell Telephone may be able to help out here. In 1981, IBT went through a massive downsizing, laying off half its 26,000 employees in one year. Researchers from the University of Chicago were studying 400 managers and executives at IBT and continued their study for six more years after this turn of events. The resulting landmark study revealed that two-thirds of the employees were negatively effected by the layoffs, suffering in job performance, as well as stress-related health declines such as heart attacks, depression, strokes and substance abuse. However, the remaining third managed to thrive even though the disruption to their lives was the same.

Why did this hardy one-third escape these awful fates? Another intriguing question to come out of this study is whether "hardiness" is a trait that some are fortunate to win in the genetic lottery or is it something that can be gained psychologically?

The authors of the study found three organizing attitudes were instrumental in separating the resilient from the nonresilient:

• Commitment. The resilient folk made an ongoing effort to stay involved and engaged instead of giving into an feelings of isolation.
• Control. The attitude of being in control kept them active, not passive and powerless, and helped them feel like they could actually affect the outcome.
• Challenge. Any stressful situation was viewed as an opportunity to learn something new and helpful to one's life.

As for whether we are lucky to be born with it or develop it through experience, the American Psychological Association offers an opinion: "Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone."

The folks at American Psychological Association also identify five different skills that can contribute to greater resilience, and none of them require a certain marker on the DNA:

• Establish supportive relationships within and outside the family that model resilience.
• Create capacity to make realistic plans and take steps to carry them out.
• Grow a positive view of yourself and confidence in your strengths and abilities.
• Develop skills in communication and problem solving.
• Grow capacity to manage strong feelings and impulses.

Paris, are you paying attention?

By the way, I don't mean to be unnecessarily hard on Paris. I know enough to know that being the No. 1 billionaire heiress in America is no guarantee for living on the taut trampoline of life. It was reported that Paris has found her inner Angelina, exhorting all of us to turn our attention to dealing with the Iraq war. That's good advice, and probably a good shift in focus. But I hope she finds the opportunity in this personal crisis to develop the above skills of hardiness ... and not just so she can party hardy when she is set free.

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, is a clinical psychologist who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com For more on the topics covered in Healthspan, visit his Web site: www.HealthspanWeb.com.