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Moving On
by Nina Baruch
When Crisis Comes
The more psychologists research the outcome of crises in our lives, the more obvious it becomes that they may be the best way to achieve true personal growth. Psychologist and author Hanoch Yerushalmi, from the Haifa University in Israel, says crises have a crucial role in our development.
He says that when we face crisis, it may cause trauma that will bring us to the verge of breakdown, which is why we hardly ever welcome it. Although most of us think, we have the tools to deal with crises: intelligence, social understanding and mental immunity, in times of unexpected and tantalizing events we tend to lose the ability to use or lean on these tools. The result may be confusion, anxiety, and a sense of disaster, blocking our ability to think clearly and plan our next steps in order to deal with the situation at hand. In many cases these events also block our ability to use social and family resources at hand and available to us.
The way to handle and get out of a crisis, says Yerushalmi, is first by acknowledging we are in the middle of one. Only then, we can start our way out of it, by reorganizing our personality in order to create new balance in our life. During this process, we need to adjust ourselves to a new reality, and form a completely new program of dealing with different tasks, pressures and goals. In order to achieve all this we have to expand the understanding of our abilities, skills and ourselves. This is how our personal growth begins.
Personal growth adds Yerushalmi, means reconnecting with our inner self. This authentic and unique part of us which remains vulnerable and sensitive allows us access to our deepest fears, helps us acknowledge them for what they are, and helps us make sure we do not let them control our lives.
Can We Change?
The main question is: are we capable of change and growth that can help us adjust to new situations in our lives? A recent study of 130,000 people, conducted at the University of Oregon by Sanjay Srivastava and colleagues showed that people do change their personality for the better over the years.
The study examined adults aged 21-60, and their development in regards to what is referred to as 'The Big Five': neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
For many years psychologists believed, that The Big Five were genetic, and they hardly ever changed after 30. The belief was that most changes occur during adulthood, and after age 30 there aren't any at all. But this study have discovered that people do change after 30, and the saying people get wiser with age is correct in many cases.
"We found a mixture of different patterns regarding how people change", Srivastava told Shahoni Bhattacharya from NewsScientist.com. "On average people were getting better at dealing with the ups and downs of life. In particular they were more responsible and more caring".
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by Nina Baruch
When Crisis Comes
The more psychologists research the outcome of crises in our lives, the more obvious it becomes that they may be the best way to achieve true personal growth. Psychologist and author Hanoch Yerushalmi, from the Haifa University in Israel, says crises have a crucial role in our development.
He says that when we face crisis, it may cause trauma that will bring us to the verge of breakdown, which is why we hardly ever welcome it. Although most of us think, we have the tools to deal with crises: intelligence, social understanding and mental immunity, in times of unexpected and tantalizing events we tend to lose the ability to use or lean on these tools. The result may be confusion, anxiety, and a sense of disaster, blocking our ability to think clearly and plan our next steps in order to deal with the situation at hand. In many cases these events also block our ability to use social and family resources at hand and available to us.
The way to handle and get out of a crisis, says Yerushalmi, is first by acknowledging we are in the middle of one. Only then, we can start our way out of it, by reorganizing our personality in order to create new balance in our life. During this process, we need to adjust ourselves to a new reality, and form a completely new program of dealing with different tasks, pressures and goals. In order to achieve all this we have to expand the understanding of our abilities, skills and ourselves. This is how our personal growth begins.
Personal growth adds Yerushalmi, means reconnecting with our inner self. This authentic and unique part of us which remains vulnerable and sensitive allows us access to our deepest fears, helps us acknowledge them for what they are, and helps us make sure we do not let them control our lives.
Can We Change?
The main question is: are we capable of change and growth that can help us adjust to new situations in our lives? A recent study of 130,000 people, conducted at the University of Oregon by Sanjay Srivastava and colleagues showed that people do change their personality for the better over the years.
The study examined adults aged 21-60, and their development in regards to what is referred to as 'The Big Five': neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
For many years psychologists believed, that The Big Five were genetic, and they hardly ever changed after 30. The belief was that most changes occur during adulthood, and after age 30 there aren't any at all. But this study have discovered that people do change after 30, and the saying people get wiser with age is correct in many cases.
"We found a mixture of different patterns regarding how people change", Srivastava told Shahoni Bhattacharya from NewsScientist.com. "On average people were getting better at dealing with the ups and downs of life. In particular they were more responsible and more caring".
<back
