Strong Character And Resilience, What Is Your Relationship?

Strong character and resilience have a very intimate bond. This type of profile defines those people who know how to face their reality, those whose strengths have emerged day by day after firmly handling adversity. Likewise, there is no rudeness in them, they do not overwhelm, but quite the opposite. They are sensitive hearts clad in shining armor capable of giving us the best of them.

Sometimes the term “strong character” can confuse us. Almost instantly, we visualize someone whose personality imposes itself with a certain authority, setting limits and claiming rights. However, psychology has been studying this type of behavior for some time to give us more information. 

Rachana Kamtekar, professor of philosophy at Cornell University, explains that as Aristotle revealed to us in Nicomachean Ethics , being virtuous in life does not just mean “being good.” It implies something else. It means, for example, knowing what is truly good about our world, which paths to take and which to avoid; a skill that, on the other hand, requires firmness. It is necessary to develop a strength of character with which to move around on a daily basis taking care of this virtue, that clarity of mind and heart.

Likewise, although within the field of personal development we are often told that to overcome difficulties you have to maintain optimism and hope, in reality, there are other dimensions that act as a cornerstone; elements such as a firm personality capable of accepting the difficulties and ups and downs that occur throughout the life cycle. It is having an attitude, emotional solvency and clear purposes.

Characteristics of people with strong character and resilience

The concept of resilience vertebra and multiple areas within psychology. We know, for example, its relevance when dealing with trauma. We also understand its great importance in helping us manage stress. However, it is curious to know how an idea taken from the realm of physics gave shape to a parallel concept in so many fields, including psychology.

At a social level, studies, such as those carried out by Dr. Carl Folke, from the University of Wisconsin (United States), tell us even about those most resistant societies that have known how to face changes not only by adapting to them, but also by using them to generate new ways of life, of work, of social resources. On a personal level, and in every human being, the same thing happens. However, the channel that drives us to this is strength of character.

Strong character and resilience have an intimate and direct link that many are unaware of and that needs to be clarified. Thus, the psychologist Jamie D. Aten, who specializes in humanitarian disasters, describes what these dimensions consist of.

It is not just optimism, it is the ability to face reality, whatever it may be

It is common to associate resilience with positive psychology. However, there are those who see in this dimension a nuance that we must take into account. Sometimes those who stick to applying a positive attitude are not always in contact with the real demands of each situation. Furthermore, you may not accept them.

Somehow we have been so educated or sold on the idea of ​​being happy and optimistic that we have become intolerant of losses, mistakes, and sadness. The person with a strong character, on the other hand, sees things as they are. Strong character and resilience go hand in hand because they invite us to see, accept and face the obstacles that are drawn on the horizon.

Hope oriented towards clear objectives

The person with strong character can be uncomfortable. He often uses sincerity and determination, makes clear what he does not want, what he does not like, and makes his needs clear. However, as we have pointed out at the beginning, he neither overpowers nor disrespects anyone because in this profile there is sensitivity and there is great empathy.

It is defined in turn by a hope oriented towards clear objectives. It is not an abstract trust, placed in that things, however difficult they may be, will end up being solved by sheer inertia. Absolutely. In their minds, hope unfolds in goals to achieve, in steps to overcome, in difficulties to learn to overcome by oneself, having clear values ​​and purposes.

Strength of character and resilience attract attention because they allude to personalities who project security. Sometimes they impose but they always dazzle. In addition, as explained to us from a study carried out by Martin Seligman, training these capacities would favor our well-being in all contexts of our life.

Let’s think about it. We all know someone who combines strong character and resilience. That mother who raises her family alone, that father who lacks hours in the day to give everything for his children. That friend so determined to achieve her dreams but who is always accessible, close and an indispensable part of our life. All of them inspire us because they make their way in strength and happiness.