Better for It: How People Benefit from Adversity.

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Better for It: How People Benefit from Adversity.

Recently, researchers in several different fields have discovered that people who have experienced seriously adverse events frequently report that they were positively changed by the experience. Respondents in these studies typically have reported a variety of different benefits and have reported that they also were harmed by the same experiences. The research suggests several processes that may account for these reports of benefit: purposeful changes in life structure, changes in views of others and the world that result from the experience of vulnerability, the receipt of needed support, and the search for meaning in adversity. Thinking about benefits may help survivors of traumatic events process painful information. This article offers guidance on how to introduce and manage benefit content within a therapeutic relationship and encourages social workers to cautiously reflect clients' unstated benefits, encourage self-assessments in areas where benefits may accrue, explore any benefits discovered, and help clients plan for positive changes. This process converges well with the strengths perspective and constructivist approaches to social work practice.

Key words: adversity; resilience; strengths perspective; theory

The social work profession has long been concerned with how people's lives are altered by adverse experiences. For many years, theory development emphasized how people were harmed by adversity. Although these theories added depth to social work's understanding of clients' troubles, they were criticized for, among other things, accentuating the negative. During the past 20 years, many social workers have preferred models that emphasize human potential in the face of adversity. A number of models based on these approaches have been developed, including the strengths perspective (Saleeby, 1997), resilience (Fraser, 1997; Werner & Smith, 1992), hardiness (Kobasa, 1979), empowerment (Gutierrez, Parsons, & Cox, 1998), and solution-focused approaches (DeJong & Miller, 1995). Primarily, these models have been concerned with learning how people overcome and resist the effects of adversity. A recent line of scholarly inquiry challenges social workers to take an additional step and consider ways people may benefit from adversity. During the past 15 years, several researchers asked people who had experienced negative events to comment on the ways that they have benefited from their troubles. As reported in this article, perceptions of benefit were common and a wide range of benefits were reported. This article introduces and discusses this line of inquiry into the positive by-products o...

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