An investigation into the manifestation of resilience

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Drawing from the fields of positive psychology and career psychology, this research endeavours to study the manifestation of resilience in the workforce population and the elements or attributes which contribute to resilience. More particularly, this paper examines the evident paradigm shift in the changing world of work, as well as whether the culture of the organisation has the potential to play a role in the manifestation of such resilience. The RS-25 by Wagnild and Young (1993) was used to determine levels of resilience and in-depth interviews were conducted in order to expand upon the evidence of resilience. The outcome was that many factors such as positive emotions, individual differences, learned resourcefulness, positive appraisal, positive affectivity, altruism, gender, birth order, emotional intelligence, locus of control, self-directedness, human agency, motivational forces and challenges experienced, sense of coherence and psychological stamina were identified as contributing factors to the level of resilience in an individual. The amalgamation of these factors was solely reliant on the different appraisal of situations and the perceived level of difficulty that was presented by a challenge or hardship, which differed from one person to another. It was largely recognized that resilience is a construct that is learnt and accrued from a very young age. In addition, the greater the hardships experienced, the more resilient a person could become. Moreover, organisational cultures seemed to play a particular role in preparing or enabling employees to become acclimatized or more accustomed to a harsher working world, which required more acts of resilience pertinent to growth and survival. Whether resilience is an inherited trait or learned attribute is not clear. The main aim of this study is to gain insight into the manifestation of resilience in the lived worlds of individuals who overcame severe tribulations. An existential-phenomenological epistemology informed the in-depth interview method applied. The persons interviewed had different ideas about this problem, ranging from the viewpoint that either nature or nurture, or an interaction between the influence of the social environment and inner individual personality qualities, were contributory factors.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University