How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Post-traumatic growth

Explanations > Behaviors > Coping > Post-traumatic growth

Description

In post-traumatic growth, an individual who has suffered a traumatic experience somehow finds ways to turn it into something good. Typically:

Interpersonal relationships are improved, with friends and family valued more, and more time being spent in helping others.
Self-perception changes through the increase in resiliency gained from realizing you can cope with hardship.
Life philosophy changes, for example with acceptance of mortality and appreciation of each day.

A mother who has lost a child to cancer raises significant money for cancer charities.

After a terrorist attack, people are friendlier with others nearby and help out.

This is often a form of sublimation, where the energy created by the trauma is turned to something positive.

This helps people cope and make meaning in trauma in that they can say 'at least something good came of it'.

So when bad things happen, find ways of turning them to your advantage, making them good. Help others to do likewise.