Happy or Resilient?

Everyone wants to be happy. This goal is so central to the human experience that its “pursuit” is written into the US Declaration of Independence. Is perpetual happiness possible? And even more — is it even desirable? In 1962 Victor and Mildred Goertzel published a book called Cradles of Eminence: A Provocative Study of the Childhoods of Over 400 Famous Twentieth-Century Men and Women. They chose people who had had at least two biographies written about them and had made a positive contribution to society. Their subjects included Henry Ford, Louis Armstrong, Frida Kahlo, Eleanor Roosevelt and Marie Curie.   The Goertzels found that less than 15% of their famous men and women had been raised in supportive, untroubled homes. Ten percent had grown up in a mixed setting. Of the 400 successful people, 75% had grown up in a family with some kind of significant problem or burden. The authors concluded there was some connection between performance and success and overcoming adversity. In other words, these social and business leaders were resilient. No one would ever argue that people should be deliberately subjected to difficult circumstances. In fact, many of these conditions are injustices that should be eliminated. But neither, it would seem, is it ideal for people to be raised in a “happy” situation that is defined as one which insulates and isolates someone from any difficulty or obstacle. This view of resilience is confirmed by studies of not only well-known ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Celebrities Habits Happiness Parenting Peer Support Research Stress Success & Achievement Adversity Coping Skills determination Personal Growth Posttraumatic Stress Resilience Source Type: blogs