Massimo Masserini, Italian racer athlete of great technical depth (master world slalom champion IFCA 2006, FW world champion GMaster 2009, WORLD CHAMPION GMaster FORMULA WINDSURFING 2010) But even clinical psychologist, Sport psychologist, Educationalist, Hypnotist and clinical sexologist, Professor at University Popolare di Bergamo Nicholas Flamel, he prepared his second installment RIWmag to developing the concept of resilience in sport.
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" F. Nietzsche
The term resilience, in physics, indicates the property of a material to resist stress, i.e. to stress and shock, RI-returning to his original position or shape.
Many psychological definitions were developed on the concept of resilience in literature: Rutter (1985) It considers that resilience is the ability to "bounce" or cope successfully with difficulties; Gordon (1995) focuses on the ability to grow well ", mature and increase their skills in the face of adverse circumstances;
Walsh (2003) defines "the ability to resist" and cope with the destructive challenges sometimes life requires, a dynamic process that supports, encourages and promotes the ability to fight, overcome obstacles and build new projects of the subject, in order to fully experience in a positive way.
In psychology and in particular in sport psychology, This term is useful for providing the actor in demand, tools to increase your self-confidence, believing in yourself, use your own ability, setting goals and projects. The Resilience you must have a "cause-effect"; a precedent and a consequent: a fix, a hardship, trauma etc. and followed by a consequence ( a thought, a behavior etc.). Each model is unique and unrepeatable, as a consequence will react to events of life in a rational way and/or unconscious differently; everyone will find, or will not find its own and unique way to "resist". But only people "resilient", Learn to use the own quality, its ability to reorganize their emotional sphere, cognitiva, emotional and behavioral.
In a nutshell the resilient subjects are actors of their changes to be in a situation of well-being, others will be unable to change and will be destined to suffer life adapting "passively" to it.
The resilient person tends to "see" negative events with serenity and temporary and perceived self-efficacy, think you have a very good control over their lives and their environment; is active in wanting to change, is brought, as the sportsman racer, to take challenges as opportunities, and not as threats.
The phrase "bend but don't break me" is iconic in sport; should be used in clinical settings and in everyday life, to face the difficulties with the understanding, with the right desire and motivation.
You can bend, but never break up permanently. The champion faces defeat with grit and determination , analyzing the defeat, and his motivation is geared to the desire to rebuild, to continuously improve, returning to try to "win". The resilient person emerges strengthened from defeat, trying to find the right paths to try to win. In the character of each subject we can already see from young as you can be "resilient". Champions are born, hardly becomes. Nevertheless, each subject can over time, and especially if followed appropriately, improve their ability to be resilient.
In individuals who suffer injuries or losses, being resilient may help to overcome the painful time, without falling into depression, in post-traumatic stress disorder, panic, and the painful experience they will come out stronger and refreshed.
The main characteristic of resilient people, It is above all the courage; the courage to face life without escape, without hiding, open face. Courage does not mean recklessness, but on the contrary, awareness of their limitations, and especially of its great resources and opportunities, and awareness of how to use them.
Other characteristics of resilient people is flexibility, opposite of rigidity, of thought but also physical. Flexibility brings the subject to adapt to the new situation, to the new environment and planning can change process, the new solution.
Sports athletes, accustomed to competition, know how to adapt better to take immediate decisions, aware and oriented to try the new direction, to reach their new target.
For To. Maslow: "Stress is able to annihilate the people if these are beginning too weak to tolerate anxiety and difficulties; otherwise, If you are already sufficiently strong to deal with adversity at open face, the pass and will strengthen, tempered and stronger "
Each person is never alone, It is surrounded by people and activities that if "views" with the right optics are resources, the possibilities. Very often the people next door are seen only as a "shoulder to cry on" and not as useful for a strong and determined reboot.
Often call people in trouble to do sports, physical activity and movement, to create new challenges, objective setting (goal setting in sports psychology), and so’ in order to have a more physical mind and ready to overcome any difficulties.
Many people, following a negative event remain "trapped" in pain, they lose control of their lives and not rearrange, Some people then explode on an emotional level, unload on whoever their anger and tension, also becoming violent. Others instead close themselves, come into a State of confusion and depression: they feel powerless toward events and not try to change the situation, Indeed, many times escaping from it. Finally other people feel "victimized" and they always blame others and injustice of life or to bad luck.
The resilient people, and in this sports teach agonists (but not all), outweigh the difficulties, or however there always try, focus on the new context, and face to face new challenges, always learning from your mistakes: rise stronger and determined than before.
Bibliography
Bailey,(B). (2008). Besides the mistreatment: Resilience the ability to overcome the trauma. Milan: Franco Angeli.
Block, J.H.,&Block,(J). (1980). The role of ego-control and ego-resiliency in the origination of behavior. In C. WA (Ed.),The minnesota symposia on child psychology. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Bologna: Il Mulino
Connor, K. D., (J). (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The resilience scale connor Davidson. Depression and Anxiety.
Malaguti, And. (2005). Educate yourself to resilience: How to deal with crises and difficulties and improve. Trento: Editions Erickso.
Maslow, A. H. (1971). Toward a psychology of being. Rome: Astrolabio Ubaldini.
text: Massimo Masserini 4 www.RIWmag.com
photo courtesy: Challenger Sails, Adele Fernandez Photography, Jason Polakow, MaverX, Naish Windsurfing, Reptile, Simmer, Witchcraft Sailboards Fuerteventura
