Humanity today is experiencing pandemic, natural disasters, economic misery, wars, and all forms of terrorism. One realizes that we are living in a crisis. And this crisis needs mental strength and endurance. Psychological or mental resilience means an ability built basically through relationships among subjects, between subjects and their environments. It extends further than adaptation because it implies solid survival since it contains psychic capabilities and early emotional experiences. From the psychodynamic perspective, it is rather challenging to define resilience. However, classical psychology indicates an individual's capacity or tendency to thrive in the face of adversity or positively adapt to stress or trauma.
Stoic philosophy advises some cognitive strategies to achieve mental endurance. We must remember that external conditions, beyond our direct control, are neither good nor bad, but rather indifferent concerning the goal. We examine the consequences of responding to rationally versus passionately, focusing on functional importance. We follow events from a broader and deeper comprehensive perspective, such as the ''view from a distance''. Courage and moderation are essential virtues to minimize fear and irrational desires.
Heinz Kohut (self-psychology) conceptualized the emotional resilience as a feature of healthy narcissism in other words a mature form of positive self-esteem and self-confidence. Melanie Klein (object relation psychology) repeatedly emphasized the importance of consistent, loving care and unification of individuals' wrong and right aspects for sound development and mental endurance. John Bowlby (attachment theory) argues that self-efficacy constructs upon a childhood experience of approval from others. The quality of the reciprocity and interaction within the parent-infant dyad is a critical factor for emotional nourishment which subsequently results in mental strength. This magical parental synchrony, matching, coherence, and attunement with childhood needs offer the ultimate frustration tolerance in adults. Donald Winnicott (object relation psychology) claims that moderate affect matching was superior to perfect matching. “Good-enough” parenting and not perfect parenting can assist children for the obscure, stressful, and painful experiences they will later confront.
According to Sigmund Freud (ego psychology), the ego is the personality aspect that must balance baser urges, moral standards, and reality demands. People with ego strength sustain their identity and sense of self in the face of pain, distress, and conflict. They tend to be confident and emotionally intelligent, and they are good at problem-solving. They control their emotions, even in demanding situations. Individuals with low ego strength cope with problems by avoidance of reality. Resilience has been confirmed to be a protective agent against the development of psychiatric disturbance such as depression, anxiety, panic attack, PTSD, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In a globalized neurotic society, we live in, we accept that the father is the object of the mother’s desire, from the Lacanian view for resolving the Oedipal complex. We hope to find a mother substitute (an intimate partner) in the future to attain happiness. Individuals with high resilience are happier and more satisfied with their lives. To feel happiness is to feel loved. The need for love is also never fully satisfied and requires renewed expressions of reassurance. “Desire” is unconscious and can never be fulfilled, but it directs the orbit of our lives. Besides, according to Lacan: “The subject’s desire is the Other’s desire,” or “A person’s happiness derives from making the other person happy.” Lacanian therapy's primary goal is to help people explore their own (unconscious) desire. So, resilience means to comprehend our own desire fully.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy training for mental toughness embraces mastering the art of positive reframing of beliefs, accepting facts irreversible, learning strategies to cope with worry and anxiety, developing psychological flexibility concerning change. It is important to understand that we have some influence and control the outcome of events. Consideration of a potentially stressful event as a challenge instead of a threat makes us stronger. Resilience-enhancing interventions for the elderly typically target well-being by creating positive affect, life satisfaction, happiness, self-acceptance, positive relations, autonomy, and purpose in life. Teaching social skills, negotiation techniques, and assertive behavior increase mental competence. Improving self-confidence and self-esteem is a steady field of action with the same reasoning.
Throughout the hard corps of behaviorism, mental resilience is concrete behavior. The latter did not pre-exist but is the result of previous learning according to classical and operant conditioning rules. The institution of resilient behavior happened through classical conditioning. After emotional resilience is built, the maintenance and perpetuation of it occur by operant conditioning. Mental endurance is a skill that can be reinforced and is not an element of the character. The more you bounce back from the impediments, losses, misfortunes, failures, and stressful events, the more capable and durable you become.
Where our mental adequacy is severely tested is in mourning the loss of our loved one. The grief overwhelms and paralyzes us, diffusing enormous quantities of emotional pain. It is essential to express our sorrow and grief for the dead loved one. To lament the dead and seek consolation are vital. It is equally necessary to redefine our relationship with the deceased, essential others, and our future. The wise and good man is self-sufficient and the least dependent on others, Socrates points out. So, to lose his son, brother, belongings would seem less dreadful than it would to other people. Consequently, Socrates presumes, he will lament less and tolerate misfortune and grief more calmly and quietly than others.
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