Eranda Jayawickreme – författare

The literature on post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been instrumental in highlighting the human capacity to overcome adversity, illuminating the different pathways people may follow when confronted with adversity. Although the theme of strength from adversity is central to many disciplines and certain cultural narratives, these claims lack robust empirical evidence. This literature gap can be traced to a reliance on retrospective assessments for methodology and difficulty in determining which outcomes are most appropriate for studying PTG. Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth offers new directions for PTG research. The book illustrates the benefits of research designs that incorporate multiple methods of assessment and highlights the value of integrating various disciplines, such as philosophy and multiple areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, health, and personality) for more holistic understanding of the human capacity to overcome adversity. The book is divided into four sections: current challenges in examining PTG, methodological advancements, research in specific populations, and opportunities for further research. Introductory chapters identify the limits of traditional PTG assessments and find solutions in prospective longitudinal studies. From here, this methodology is put into practice with unique case examples from studies with Syrian refugees, older adults, and couples coping with a cancer diagnosis. The book concludes with calls for further research on event characteristics of adversity, as well as narrative identity, wisdom, and open-mindedness as key growth outcomes. Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth will serve as the starting point for the next generation of research on PTG

The literature on post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been instrumental in highlighting the human capacity to overcome adversity, illuminating the different pathways people may follow when confronted with adversity. Although the theme of strength from adversity is central to many disciplines and certain cultural narratives, these claims lack robust empirical evidence. This literature gap can be traced to a reliance on retrospective assessments for methodology and difficulty in determining which outcomes are most appropriate for studying PTG.Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth offers new directions for PTG research. The book illustrates the benefits of research designs that incorporate multiple methods of assessment and highlights the value of integrating various disciplines, such as philosophy and multiple areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, health, and personality) for more holistic understanding of the human capacity to overcome adversity. The book is divided into four sections: current challenges in examining PTG, methodological advancements, research in specific populations, and opportunities for further research. Introductory chapters identify the limits of traditional PTG assessments and find solutions in prospective longitudinal studies. From here, this methodology is put into practice with unique case examples from studies with Syrian refugees, older adults, and couples coping with a cancer diagnosis. The book concludes with calls for further research on event characteristics of adversity, as well as narrative identity, wisdom, and open-mindedness as key growth outcomes. Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth will serve as the starting point for the next generation of research on PTG

The literature on post-traumatic growth (PTG) has been instrumental in highlighting the human capacity to overcome adversity, illuminating the different pathways people may follow when confronted with adversity. Although the theme of strength from adversity is central to many disciplines and certain cultural narratives, these claims lack robust empirical evidence. This literature gap can be traced to a reliance on retrospective assessments for methodology and difficulty in determining which outcomes are most appropriate for studying PTG.Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth offers new directions for PTG research. The book illustrates the benefits of research designs that incorporate multiple methods of assessment and highlights the value of integrating various disciplines, such as philosophy and multiple areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, developmental, health, and personality) for more holistic understanding of the human capacity to overcome adversity. The book is divided into four sections: current challenges in examining PTG, methodological advancements, research in specific populations, and opportunities for further research. Introductory chapters identify the limits of traditional PTG assessments and find solutions in prospective longitudinal studies. From here, this methodology is put into practice with unique case examples from studies with Syrian refugees, older adults, and couples coping with a cancer diagnosis. The book concludes with calls for further research on event characteristics of adversity, as well as narrative identity, wisdom, and open-mindedness as key growth outcomes. Redesigning Research on Post-Traumatic Growth will serve as the starting point for the next generation of research on PTG

Clear and compelling, Is There Always Value to Adversity? presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the age-old idea that adversity can lead to personal growth. Can adversity have an upside? Is there a purpose to suffering? Can difficult experiences involving trauma and hardship make us stronger? These age-old questions, both intuitively compelling yet scientifically problematic, have fascinated philosophers and researchers for centuries.In Is There Always Value to Adversity?, Eranda Jayawickreme examines whether post-traumatic growth--the positive changes people report after adversity--reflects real transformation or is simply a coping mechanism. As Jayawickreme explains, the idea that struggle, trauma, and adversity can be a catalyst for positive outcomes has a long intellectual history. He outlines the history of this thinking, tracking its development in different cultural, religious, and philosophical traditions. He then discusses its recent emergence as a popular topic and evaluates the current research, highlighting guidelines for how we should think about this phenomenon. Throughout the course of the book, Jayawickreme interrogates the quality of the research on post-traumatic growth. In the current age of worries about replication and the credibility revolution in science, can we trust this research at all? Is it possible to do good science on a topic with such intuitive appeal? Ultimately, Jayawickreme asks: is growth through suffering real, or just a comforting story we tell ourselves?

How to develop good character is a question that resonates with many people. Parents wonder how to instill virtues in their children, educators seek effective ways to build character in their students, and researchers study how moral qualities can be cultivated in citizens. This broad interest reflects a fundamental human concern: can we intentionally develop better character? Although different stakeholders may emphasize different aspects-from parental focus on raising ethical children to organizational interest in developing principled leaders; to therapists and counselors focused on individual self-improvement; as well as software developers considering how games and online learning environments support curiosity, interest, and knowledge -they share a common goal of understanding how to foster positive character development. This Element speaks to these varied interests by examining how insights from personality psychology and intervention science can inform practical approaches to character development.

How to develop good character is a question that resonates with many people. Parents wonder how to instill virtues in their children, educators seek effective ways to build character in their students, and researchers study how moral qualities can be cultivated in citizens. This broad interest reflects a fundamental human concern: can we intentionally develop better character? Although different stakeholders may emphasize different aspects-from parental focus on raising ethical children to organizational interest in developing principled leaders; to therapists and counselors focused on individual self-improvement; as well as software developers considering how games and online learning environments support curiosity, interest, and knowledge -they share a common goal of understanding how to foster positive character development. This Element speaks to these varied interests by examining how insights from personality psychology and intervention science can inform practical approaches to character development.

Can adversity lead to enduring positive change across the lifespan? Providing a thoughtful and considered exploration of this question, this book presents a critical reassessment of posttraumatic growth, based on correcting prior theoretical and methodological limitations in the current research. Its core argument is that posttraumatic growth should be reconceptualized as positive personality change, and thus should be studied using novel methodological approaches from the field of personality psychology. Broadly, this argument is put forward in five progressive sections.   Beginning by giving a conceptual and interdisciplinary overview of posttraumatic growth as a phenomenon, the volume then reviews the current academic conceptualization of posttraumatic growth and makes a case for a ‘reset’ in the research.  The next section maintains that posttraumatic growth is in fact a form of positive personality change and should be analyzed using personality science methodology.  Using positive personality change as a theoretical foundation for posttraumatic growth,  the following two sections look at posttraumatic growth in context. It is explored both in the long term, such as in the development of reflective knowledge and wisdom, and in specific situations such as with refugees in Sri Lanka and survivors of the Rwandan genocide.  Lastly, Exploring the Psychological Benefits of Hardship: A Critical Reassessment of Posttraumatic Growth concludes by offering recommendations for scholars and researchers  that will improve the quality of research on posttraumatic growth, and will advance this important and worthy field.