FRESH AIR’s Peniel Joseph interviews Malcolm X expert Michael Eric Dyson.
GROSS: Over time, King and Malcolm’s visions begin to overlap more closely.
Malcolm X was an important leader of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s, though often associated with black separatism or Nation of Islam ideology. However, his charisma, verbal skills, and keen social analysis drew people towards him and his cause.
1. Resilience in the face of adversity
Resilient individuals possess the ability to quickly refocus and find solutions during times of crisis, managing emotions with poise while remaining positive. Furthermore, resilient people can make healthy choices and connect with others – while learning from past experiences. Resilience is an invaluable trait for business leaders seeking a competitive advantage in life and work environments.
Research indicates that resilience is more of a process than an attribute. It can be visualized as a seesaw where protective experiences and coping skills counterbalance significant adversity on one side, ultimately contributing to child wellbeing and development despite adverse experiences both biologically and environmentally.
One approach to understanding resilience lies in looking at how children cope with stress, trauma and tragedy. Factors contributing to resilience include:
Children who can overcome adversity typically do so through a combination of biological resistance to stress and strong relationships with parents and other key adults, along with being taught how to think positively and find meaning from sources like their beliefs and culture.
Many people possess resilience, while others find it harder than they’d like. There are some things you can do to increase your own resilience in times of trouble; these include:
2. Resilience in the face of change
Though resilience cannot be defined in one simple word, multidisciplinary experts usually agree on its characteristics: resilient individuals demonstrate healthy adaptive or integrated positive functioning over time in response to adversity, whether evidenced by absence of functional impairment or psychopathology or by actively moving forward and learning lessons learned while harnessing resources as part of this process. Often defined in relation to individuals, families, organizations and communities within specific cultures or religions; as well as economic, societal and environmental considerations.
Resilient people embrace a survivor mentality: They believe themselves to be resilient rather than victims of circumstances or events, acknowledging they will experience strong emotions such as anger, sadness and fear in response to stressors; they also have an internal locus of control by believing their actions can influence outcomes of situations. Resilient individuals possess effective emotional regulation skills which enable them to effectively manage emotions during stressful moments as well as regulate themselves in order to meet personal goals and preserve positive relationships.
Resilience in the Workplace: Resilient workers often exhibit an “I-can-do-this” mindset and embrace challenges with open arms, adaptable flexibility, willingness to try out new activities even if it means taking an unfamiliar route, as well as possessing positive attitudes about themselves and believing they’ll succeed at what they set out to do, leading them to greater leadership abilities, more effort, increased effort levels, as well as believing themselves as capable employees.
To create resilient individuals and companies, it is critical to recognize that humans exist within an interdependent network comprised of family, friends, organizations, communities, societies and the wider environment. Interventions at one level of this system often have far-reaching ramifications on functioning at other levels – for instance improving children’s health through nutrition or education programs can improve resilience among parents and community members alike.
3. Resilience in the face of uncertainty
Resilience against uncertainty involves more than simply being mentally tough; resilience makes you better equipped to face uncertainty because it enables you to adapt quickly to change, take risks and learn from mistakes while remaining positive and focused on reaching your goal.
Being resilient often means accepting what’s out of our control. For instance, when running late for work due to traffic or an unexpected event, rather than getting angry and placing blame externally it may be more helpful to accept that you will be late and plan accordingly (e.g. leaving earlier). This allows us to focus on stress relief strategies, planning strategies and altering routines instead.
Some scientists have described resilience in terms of a “balance scale” or a “seesaw”, with protective experiences and coping skills on one side and significant adversity on the other. Furthermore, resilience varies across individuals at different points in their lives as well as cultures (Sherrieb & Turkewitz 2012).
Resilience is more than mental toughness; it’s a complex process involving adapting to and overcoming obstacles. When trouble strikes, having a support network in place such as family, friends, therapists or an online support community will be invaluable in maintaining purpose and optimism during times of hardship.
4. Resilience in the face of adversity
Life presents us with many difficulties and obstacles; these may range from personal challenges like failing to gain college admission or job rejections, to global ones like hurricanes or terrorist attacks. According to many experts, those most resilient to hardship are better at recovering quickly and learning from their experiences – whether that means experiencing work setbacks or grieving the death of loved ones; resilient people tend to see these temporary setbacks as opportunities to grow stronger as opposed to despairing about what’s ahead.
But what exactly is resilience? Some individuals define it as the ability to rebound quickly after experiencing hardship; other definitions encompass adapting well in response to tragedy or threats. Researchers have sought to uncover its determinants; some may vary across individuals, communities and cultures.
As Driessens and Van Regenmortel (2022) point out, biological and environmental sensitivity may determine how successful people can be when facing stressful situations (Driessens & Van Regenmortel). Furthermore, cultural contexts like social support systems, community resources, spirituality may play a crucial role in how well someone copes with tragedy or hardship.
While these underlying influences may differ between participants in this study, their narratives showed three common threads as they addressed the hardships, risks and challenges of growing older. These included having vital components in place that foster resilience as a way of being; engaging in broad but concise strategies designed to manage adversity effectively; and intentionally using protective practices designed to mitigate risk and overcome hardship.
5. Resilience in the face of adversity
Resilience is defined as the ability to cope with and rebound from difficult circumstances, according to psychologists. Resilient individuals recognize that setbacks don’t need to define them or lead them down paths of despair; resilient people understand this principle better than most and know they won’t let setbacks define or define them.
Resilience development can be achieved simply through adopting positive self-talk or reframing problems. Participants in a study on resilience reported using such management strategies to help them cope with hardships and setbacks, engage in problem-solving, and treat hardships as challenges to be conquered instead of signs of their failure.
Building resilience also involves cultivating a strong support network of friends, family, coworkers and mentors – from friends to family to mentors – that you can lean on during times of stress. This is particularly essential if you’re dealing with chronic illness or have experienced trauma in the past.
Psychologists have identified some key traits associated with resilience against adversity, including social support, adaptive coping skills and the capacity to access inner strengths. Psychologists have discovered these qualities can be nurtured via various therapies as well as check lists or mindfulness training, but one thing remains certain – people’s levels of resilience change with age as they are affected by culture, religion, available resources, community organizations or society as a whole.
