Everyone knows someone who is resilient whether it be a friend, relative, spouse, teacher, or coworker. These people accomplish what they set out to do, no matter the obstacles or challenges they face. All of these people share characteristics that enhance their level of resiliency. The following are some of those attributes that are most essential for resiliency:
1. Self-Esteem
2. Self-Efficacy
3. Goal Setting
4. Commitment
5. Self-Control
6. Stress Management
7. Problem Solving
In this post we look at these attributes in more detail, and discuss how you can develop these attributes in the individuals your program serves.
Characteristic 1: Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is by far the most important skill related to resiliency. Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. Without self-esteem, resiliency becomes very difficult. Self-esteem is one’s level of satisfaction with their current attitudes, beliefs and general behavior. All of your success in life begins with a high sense of self-esteem.
Characteristic 2 – Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to achieve their stated goals. In 1986, the psychologist Albert Bandura developed the Self-Efficacy Theory, which states that the higher a person’s self-efficacy, the better a person performs at a variety of different tasks. Therefore, the higher your self-efficacy the more likely you are to set and achieve goals. This pertains to all goals in life, including Bullying Prevention.
Characteristic 3 – Goal Setting
Goal setting is a key factor in resiliency and is often overlooked. A goal is an objective toward which one directs some effort, to achieve an end result that one strives to obtain. Goal setting is the ability to set clear, specific, written goals or objectives with plans and target dates for reaching these goals. Without a clear goal it is difficult to get “buy-in” from those involved in the goal achievement process. Without a goal, bullying prevention will surely fail.
Characteristic 4 – Commitment
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Whatever it takes?” That is commitment: doing whatever it takes in order to get the job done. Having the drive to reach a goal by pursuing it until it is achieved is what commitment is all about. Commitment is a foundation for resiliency. Commitment is the fuel that is needed to achieve a goal. Lack of commitment usually results in an inability to achieve a goal. Without commitment, resiliency is not possible.
Characteristic 5 – Self-Control
Self-control is the ability to handle personal feelings and emotions in difficult life situations. Self-control is a key aspect of resiliency. During times of change and crisis it is important not to let emotions take over the situation. Resiliency requires managing feelings and emotions effectively, especially in tough situations. Developing self control will help to increase resiliency and efforts to reduce bullying.
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Characteristic 6 – Stress Management
Resilient people are able to continue to produce and achieve their goals even during times of stress. Stress is an unwanted psychological or physical reaction triggered by the mind’s inability to deal with a challenge appropriately. The important thing to remember about stress is that it is a choice. Individuals are able to control their reactions to stress and how they deal with stressful situations like bullying. Use this fact to your advantage when working on bullying prevention.
Characteristic 7 – Problem Solving
Problem solving is the ability to work through roadblocks and use creative thinking skills to arrive at desirable goal solutions. People who are resilient are necessarily good problem solvers. When an obstacle is presented to a resilient person, the first thing they do is identify the problem, analyze the situation, and make a decision as to how to proceed. This skill is the final stepping stone towards developing resiliency in your bullying prevention program.
If you would like to learn more about how our Bullying Prevention Map can assess and teach resiliency click the free trial button below.
