Eleanor Slagle's Study

To begin Part 2 on Eleanor Slagle’s study on resilience and human adaptability: I would like to start with the differences between meaningful and rewarding occupations. As mentioned in last week’s paper, occupation is not only related to one’s profession, but could all so means one’s calling or purpose in life. Some define such occupations by suggesting that they provide individuals with a sense of a meaningful existence. Others see them as constituting activities that a person perceives as important in his/her life. Meaningful occupations, among other things, provide people with a sense of control, identity, and a connection with others. However, as Ikiugu and Pollard argued, while meaningful occupations may provide one with a sense of purpose,

Perhaps it is sufficient to say that human capacities can flourish or simply just stop under circumstances of extreme stress. There are many intervening variables that affect a person’s coping skills. Some people are their own best facilitators, while others need help. Disruptions can provide us with a window of opportunity. Interruptions in life can have a significant impact on the process of building resilience. Murphy (1987) reminded us that “there is a need for order in all humans that impels us to search for systematic coherence in both nature and society, and when we can find none, we invent it” (p. 33). How durable is resilience? We know it is neither a single act nor a constant state. How and under what circumstances does it emerge, shift, or fail the person? Camus (as cited by Maquet, 1958) described its emergence: “In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” In contrast, Monette (1988) experienced its decline: “I used up all my optimism keeping my friend alive. Now that he’s gone, the cup of my health is neither half full nor half empty. Just half” (p. 2).. These capacities are also our most elegant professional tools for transforming adversity into possibilities, when we take the time to conceive of them as such. As always, Sacks (1984) captured the essence of this phenomenon best: Rehabilitation involves action, acts . . . [and] must be centered on the character of acts—and how to call them