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The Blog
July 31, 2017
Six Competencies that Support Human Resilience
Written by Dr. Mary Faria, COO/Vice President, Seton Southwest Hospital
In Life, why do some people cope and others do not? Is it truly a more stressful work or home context that leads to more stressed people? Why do some people get through horrific experiences whole while others crumble?
The Philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche wrote, “to live is to suffer, to find meaning in suffering is to survive.” In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankel turns to this Nietzsche quote as he describes his ability to successfully survive the Nazi war camp, Auschwitz. But was it just about finding meaning? Did Frankel have competencies at such a level they allowed him to maneuver through such a horrific experience and survive?
Stress is naturally growing in our communities, good stress and bad. Our resiliency is being tested more strongly than ever before. Sustainability of a truly healthy community depends on how effectively we can develop opportunities for wellness, well-being, and resiliency. Business, educational, and community leaders must be positioned to understand how to address health and wellness for community members in a holistic fashion. This understanding will be key to organizational, business, and overall community success.
Dr. Sheila Armitage explored the question of resilience with her doctoral work and found that there appear to be six competencies that support human resilience; six well-being competencies that are integrated. Some individuals have a high level of each of the competencies, some have competency in a few, some, those who will crumble are low in most or all of the competencies. Is there a way for us as individuals to develop these competencies? Dr. Mary Faria was Sheila’s academic advisory during Sheila’s Ph.D. work. As a long time health care executive, she is interested in how understanding individual resiliency impacts organizational and business resiliency. Together they will share the research, a conceptual model, an assessment tool, and provide an interactive session exploring human resilience during chaotic times.
Don’t miss Dr. Mary Faria’s workshop at the Healthier Texas Summit!
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