The Resilient Personality: “Good Morning World, Here I Am!”

There are people who have the ability to overcome major setbacks or very painful and emotional events. We can say that they have a very resilient personality.

To develop a resilient personality you must have a positive attitude and never give up.

The loss of a loved one, physical or psychological abuse, natural disasters or failure are circumstances that test us. However, you can develop the ability to be strong in difficult situations and to swim against the tide. This means that you can have a resilient personality.

There are two types of resilient personalities. First, there is the ability to protect one’s own identity under intense pressure from destructive circumstances.

On the other hand, there is also the ability to maintain a positive attitude in painful situations. It is a dynamic process in which we adapt to adverse environments and traumatic experiences.

The link between suffering and the brain

Psychological suffering changes the brain. Being in a constant state of alarm allows cortisol levels to develop that are not necessary under normal circumstances. For example, our alarm system needs cortisol to prepare the body in an emergency.

However, when our cortisol levels are excessive and sustained, it inhibits growth. In addition, it can also affect immune system responses and attention span.

In stressful situations, testosterone plays a crucial role. Especially hostile situations cause testosterone levels to drop significantly. This, in turn, reduces an individual’s assertive abilities.

As a result, this causes a lack of attention. It also kills a person’s creativity. Moreover, it makes them repeat patterns of what they have already experienced.

Is the resilient personality a category?

In cases of post-traumatic stress, we can gradually distinguish between a non-resilient and a resilient personality. As a result, there are many gradations between the two extremes.

For example, people who do not have a resilient personality reactivate memories of traumatic experiences in a more intense way and more often than the people with a resilient personality.

They also do this in a compulsive way and in the form of intrusive thoughts. These memories activate areas of the brain such as the locus caeruleus, the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the neocortex.

Thus, a resilient personality appears to be the result of multiple processes that counteract the effects of hostile situations. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) plays an important role in this.

In particular, it is responsible for the decrease in the activity of cholesterol. In addition, it prevents the excessive appearance of glucocorticoids and glutamate.

This means that it helps prevent heart attacks and ischemic strokes. Experts have statistically determined that individuals with greater intellectual ability and cognitive activity have a higher level of resilience. They especially seem to be able to deal with and process traumas more easily.

Empathy, self-knowledge, sense of humor, a positive approach to situations and being focused on the present are different abilities that resilient people possess.

They are also flexible people who look for a meaningful purpose in their lives. In addition, they have good social skills and know how to deal with frustration and uncertainty.

People can build resilience

Our emotions and the way we deal with situations are not conditioned on the outside to the same degree as they are on the inside. So interpretation is always key. Building resilience means learning to understand that negative emotions block us and positive emotions drive us to change.

Specifically, it means that we develop the ability to have positive reactions in adverse situations. After all, in many cases we do not have the power to change our circumstances. However, we can develop skills that enable responses that help us cope with our difficulties.

In the same way, we must also begin to view conflict as opportunities for growth. We must remember how we overcame obstacles in the past. This too will help us build resilience.

To be strong we need a great deal of perseverance and confidence. We learn from the past and allow ourselves to experience strong emotions. That way we learn how to control them intelligently.