Robert B. Brooks

Why Study Resilience

The study of resilience traces its roots back a scant 50 years. Early on, the field of study was not extensive and the number of researchers devoting their careers to the examination of this phenomenon was fairly small. The field, as Michael Rutter noted in 1987, reflected not so much a search for factual phenomena but “for the developmental and situational mechanisms involved in protective processes” (p. 2). The interest was and is not just on what factors insulate and protect, but how they went about exerting their influence. Resilience studies were reserved for high-risk populations with a particular focus on those youth demonstrating resilience or the ability to overcome the emotional, developmental, economic, and environmental challenges they faced growing up (Rutter, 1987).

The Power of Parenting

I have focused for more than 20 years on examining the impact that parents have in nurturing hope, self-esteem, and an optimistic outlook in their children (Brooks, 1999; Brooks & Goldstein, 2001, 2003). My intention in this chapter is to examine specific steps that parents can take on a daily basis to reinforce a resilient mindset and lifestyle in their children. Before describing both the characteristics of this mindset and strategies to strengthen it in youngsters, I believe it is necessary to address the following two questions: What is meant by the concept of resilience? Do parents really have a major influence on the development of resilience in their children?

Self-esteem during the school years : its normal development and hazardous decline

Self-esteem has a major impact on all aspects of a child and adolescents life. This article examines the emergence of self-esteem within a dynamic ongoing child-environment interaction; a framework for understanding the components of self-esteem; behavioral manifestations of self-esteem, especially as expressed in different coping maneuvers; and strategies and interventions to reinforce the self-esteem of children and adolescents.

The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Engagement, Motivation, and Resilience in Students

In this chapter, three interrelated concepts—student engagement, motivation, and resilience—are examined through the lens of “mindsets.” Mindsets are assumptions that we possess about ourselves and others that guide our behavior. The mindset that educators hold about the factors that contribute to student engagement, motivation, and resilience determines their expectations, teaching practices, and relationships with students. We identify the key components of these three concepts, highlighting those that overlap. We distinguish between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the ways in which the latter is more closely attuned with student engagement and resilience than the former. We encourage the ongoing discussion of mindsets at staff meetings so that teachers become increasingly aware of the mindset of engaged, motivated learners and consider how to nurture this mindset in the classroom. We offer many strategies to facilitate the enrichment of this mindset in all students.

Fostering Resilience in Exceptional Children: The Search for Islands of Competence

Almost all mental health professionals and educators have taken required courses that focus on pathology. During my workshops about exceptional children—especially children with learning, attentional, and behavioral disorders—I typically ask the audience how many have had classes with such titles as Abnormal Psychology, or Psychopathology of Childhood, or Behavior Disorders in Children. Most hands are raised. In contrast, when I then ask how many have ever had a course titled Resilience in Children, at most one or two hands go up. Even professionals who have only recently completed their course work and training report a noticeable absence of any discussion about those factors that help youngsters with exceptional needs to confront adversity and lead more successful lives.

Changing the Mindset of Adults with ADHD: Strategies for Fostering Hope, Optimism, and Resilience

This chapter describes the changing of the mindset of adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The chapter reviews the major characteristics of adults with ADHD, evident since childhood, shape the mindset of these individuals, a mindset often permeated with negative thoughts and feelings. It describes the features of a positive mindset. Adults with ADHD have difficulty tolerating their own shortcomings as well as the shortcomings of others. The most frequent complaints about individuals with ADHD are regarding their difficulty with organization. Many adults with ADHD are observed with the fluctuations in mood. One moment they may feel happy, only to have feelings of sadness dominate a few moments later. Moreover adults with ADHD lack in flexibility. Thus, the nature of the characteristics of ADHD contributes to a feeling of not being in control. In this context, clinicians must be empathic and understand the world of adults with ADHD and must provide realistic hope by offering strategies for success.

Translating Resilience Theory for Application with Children and Adolescents By Parents, Teachers, and Mental Health Professionals

This parent’s observation about the type of environment her child would function and feel best in is a frequent comment made by parents of children struggling to meet the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral expectations of childhood in the twenty-first century. Mental health and educational professionals have increasingly become sensitized to the important role the behavior of adults and the environments in which children are placed serve in helping or hindering their growth and development. This area of practice and science has come to fall under the umbrella of resilience.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY : FROM PESSIMISM AND ACCUSATION TO HOPE AND RESILIENCE

ferent journeys and travel on different paths, we also share many common roads and experiences. It is my hope that as you read about my journey and what I have learned, you will reflect on your own personal and professional activities and in the process these activities will be enriched. Psychology was my third major in college and I was very pleased (as were my parents) that as a senior I finally discovered a subject that was of interest to me. I entered graduate school eager to become a psychologist and to help others. However, I found my initial experiences as a therapist disconcerting. I still remember that after a few weeks of seeing my first patients (both children and adults), I said to myself, &dquo;Bob, if you’re really honest, you have to admit you don’t know what you’re doing as a therapist! What are

Creating Resilient Mindsets in Children and Adolescents: A Strength-Based Approach for Clinical and Nonclinical Populations

During the past 25 years, there has been a burgeoning interest in the study of resilience in children and adolescents (Beardslee & Podorefsky, 1988; Brooks, 2011; Brooks & Goldstein, 2001, 2007, 2011; Crenshaw, 2010; Goldstein & Brooks, 2007; Goldstein, Brooks, & DeVries, 2013; Prince-Embury & Saklofske, 2013; Werner & Smith, 2001). As described by Masten (Masten, 2001; Wright, Masten, & Naarayan, 2013), there have been four different phases or “waves” in examining resilience.

The Future of Children Today

How do we go about predicting the future of children today? What statistics should be examined? What outcomes should be measured? What formulas computed? There are no definitive or precise answers. In the second edition volume, we have attempted to expand upon and address these issues through the study and clinical application of resilience and resilience processes. We have sought to address which variables and through which processes within the child, immediate family, and extended community interact to offset the negative effects of adversity, thereby increasing the probability of our survival. Some of these processes may serve to protect the negative effects of specific stressors while others simply act to enhance development. In the truest sense, the study of resilience as an outcome phenomenon gathers knowledge that hopefully can be used to shape and change the future for the better.