Author: Ushna Nawaz
Post-traumatic
growth can be defined as the personal practice of optimistic variations stated
by a person due to fighting with trauma. As examples of optimistic intellectual
variations enhance gratitude of life, set novel life preferences, promoting a
sense of personal strength, categorizing novel opportunities, warm
relationships, or encouraging spiritual fluctuations (Tedeschi, Calhoun &
Park, 1998).
Growth after trauma or advantage finding is encouraging
mental change, which is practiced due to hardship and other confronts for
increasing higher performance (Tedeshi &
Calhoun, 2004). These different
situations manifest challenges to adaptive resources and ways of the
individuals to understand the world and understand their place in the world (Tedeshi & Calhoun, 2004).
Post-traumatic growth is not about gaining the
same level of psychological conditions as experienced before traumatic events
recurring to the similar life like it was formerly practiced before a period of
shocking pain. However, to a certain extent, it is thought that a significant
'life-changing mental move concerning to the earth is responsible for personal
change, which is considered meaningful (Tedeshi &
Calhoun, 2004).
Post-traumatic growth helps to experience positive
changes after facing traumatic experiences. They also say positive
psychological changes as post-traumatic growth, which is experienced as the struggle
in the highly challenging life situation (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). Three
main domains have appeared in post-traumatic growth, such as variations in
“self-perception,” variations in “relationship with others,” in addition to
variations in “philosophy of life” (Stanton et al., 2006).
Several theories explain Post-traumatic growth.
Among these models, Schaefer and Moos's (1998) theoretical model of
post-traumatic growth helps to understand PTG.
Factors
Affecting Posttraumatic Growth
Social Support.
Social support is a type of environmental
resource. In a conceptual model of Schaefer and Moos, ‟it is suggested afterlife
traumas and transition, PTG is recognized. In positively understanding life
crises, social support has great importance (Schaefer & Moos, 1998).
Social support leads the individuals to believe
in being cared for, loved, respected, and encouraged, which relates to the system
of contact and mutual responsibility. Social support controls the effects of significant
transitions and unpredicted crises in life, leading to adjustment to change.
In other terminology, social support regulates the
connection between an individual and a traumatic event. Breast cancer is a
traumatic experience; as discussed earlier, it is understood that social
support moderates the relationship among the women confronting the breast
cancer diagnosis and their poor health or disease experience. Therefore, social
support is validated to help evaluate the diagnosis of illness and optimistically
adjust to their illness. For that reason, this is presented as social support
is in direct relationship with PTG (Cobb, 1976). Social support is correlated
through the growth of PTG in breast cancer patients going through surgery
procedures (Bozo & colleagues, 2009).
Dispositional Hope. Dispositional optimism is a constructive
motivational situation comprised of a relation of the logic of successful
organization and alleyway (Snyder and colleagues 1991). Individuals who have
greater levels of dispositional hope can easily accomplish their preferred
goals as compared to others. These individuals are interested in making
sentences like “this is possible for me” and “I cannot act like a congested.”
Locus of Control. Locus of managing or control is a term offered and based on
the assumption of social learning. The locus of managing or control is a persona
orientation (Rotter 1966). Individuals with the belief in reinforcement and
behavior will be able to raise the locus of control (Rotter, 1966). Individuals
think about the general belief that the consequences of their behaviors are
based on the different factors they can control. People consider that if they can
control the outcomes, they have internal locus managing or control, and those
who cannot control their outcomes have an external locus of managing. Locus of
managing or control is used to perceive them and feel that they are responsible
for outcomes and consequences of their actions (Rotter, 1966).
Theoretical Conceptualization of Post-Traumatic
Growth
In the time
of its advancement, post-traumatic growth has hypothesized in different ways by
diverse theorist, majorly as a steady consequence of the incident and tussle
with a traumatic situation (Schaefer & Moos, 1992) or may as a ‘coping
strategy’ constantly displaying itself as self-supposed enhanced post-event
operation (Affleck & Tennen, 1996).
During
the first method (post-traumatic growth as a result of coping functioning), development
indicates a significant positive modification in the two, i.e., cognitive and
emotional areas of a person's life, which is termed as the ‘antithesis’ of
PTSD. In a more elaborated form, both positive and negative post-traumatic
responses are not contradicting sides of the same field but are autonomous.
As Maercker
and Zoellner's study illustrates, there are variations in concepts about
various areas of growth and overall emotional adaptation. PTG does not mean a
decrease in negative affectivity and enhancement of well-being.
Furthermore,
some writers cogitate that an individual who informs peak level of
self-perceived post-traumatic growth by not including negative affectivity is
possible to falsify or to denial. While those individuals are reporting progress
and a particular type of failing (commonly negative affectivity), chances of
reliable development to a specific extent are more. So, this is essential to
stress again and again that growth and sufferings cohabit. Also, it is assumed
that a precise level of ‘distress’ is a vital component in encouraging and balancing
growth (Larsen, McGraw, & Cacioppo, 2001).
Models of Posttraumatic Growth as Outcome
The
model generally stresses upon the previous measure growth and attempt to
explain it thoroughly as possible. The model generally purposes radiography of
the occurrence by itself, of the probably implicit elements, and commonly
generates lesser information about the hidden processes that promote growth.
O’Leary and Ickovics (Leary & Ickovics, 1995) are some of the good examples
of this type of model, where the key results accompanying a post-traumatic
response (surrendering, being with hurt, regaining, and flourishing) are
elaborated and offered in detail form. PTG presented as a result of
modification and struggled to instantaneously emphasize the contrivances that
take towards (and might balance) growth. However, these models are usually
evocative, abstracting the growth as a last-state, and other processes and
interactions of various actors are ambiguous.
Revised Model
of Post-traumatic Growth. The utmost inclusive, however lacking vivid
construct of the Posttraumatic Growth as a result established taking place
assistant practical proof and improved during some periods through same
writers. This construct is based on the notion of progress by trying to work
with both the occasion itself and with its various outcomes (emotions, altered
setting, loss of skills and opportunities, etc.). Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004)
stand up to choose the metaphor ‘seismic event’ rather than traumatic situation
because PTG is only possible in the situation where it had some remarkable
influence, or where it can minimally stimulate enough to regulate the movement
of particular functioning of cognitive processes that are essential for the positive
growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1995, 2004).
Model of
Posttraumatic Growth as Organismic Valuing theory. Organismic
Valuing theory is one of the freshest theories of growth over the difficulty.
It begins from the principle that human beings are energetic, development
concerned beings motivated to add psychological proficiencies into a united
feel of self and incorporate them into more societal groups (Joseph & Linely,
2005). This method involves categorizing mortals and persistence through
requirements, standards, and ambitions that swift humans to struggle to chase
comfort and accomplishment (Ryan, 1995).
Dimensions of Posttraumatic Growth
Post-traumatic growth describes as a multidimensional concept (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1998). Various types of development are seen among different people who experienced growth after facing the same traumatic life event. It may or may not be the presence of all the indicators on various dimensions in the same individual's experiences. From starting of post-traumatic growth investigation, three chief areas have been described: “modifications about understanding self, modifications in social relations, and modifications in attitude about life” (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1998).
The
modern researcher may impact the results given via positive psychology and have
polished these areas. Now think, post-traumatic growth can usually manifest in
five central regions: "overall gratitude of life, more significant
relationships, enhanced subjective strength, change of preferences, and wealthier
presence and spiritual life" (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1998).
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