Exploring the Psychological Benefits of Hardship ― A Critical Reassessment of Posttraumatic Growth

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. It puts forward its core argument 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, the book is comprised of five sections. It begins by giving a conceptual and interdisciplinary overview of posttraumatic growth as a phenomenon. Then, reviews how psychological research has conceptualized and assessed posttraumatic growth and makes a case for a ‘reset’ in the research’ the next section argues that posttraumatic growth is personality change, and should be studied as such. The following two sections look at posttraumatic growth in context, both in the long term, such as in the development of reflective knowledge and wisdom, and in specific situations such as the current crisis in Sri Lanka and survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Finally, the book concludes by offering recommendations for scholars and researchers that will improve the quality of research on posttraumatic growth, and will move this important and worthy field forward. 

Eranda Jayawickreme is an assistant professor of psychology at Wake Forest University. He received his PhD in positive and political psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in October 2010 and is broadly interested in questions related to well-being, moral psychology, posttraumatic growth and political psychology. Trained in both psychology and moral philosophy, he graduated with summa cum laude honors from Franklin & Marshall College in 2005 and was awarded the Henry S. Williamson Medal, the college’s highest student award presented annually to the outstanding senior of the graduating class. His awards include grants from the John Templeton Foundation, the Asia Foundation/USAID, the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism, and the Positive Psychology Center, a Mellon Refugee Initiative Fund Fellowship, and numerous academic awards from Franklin & Marshall College. He currently serves on the executive committee of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology as well as the Advisory Board for the Character Virtue Development Department of the John Templeton Foundation.

Laura Blackie received her Ph.D. in experimental social psychology from the University of Essex in the U.K in January 2012. Currently, she is a research fellow position at the University of Nottingham working on a project examining the testimonies of survivors and perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide. Her research interests are in the area of existential psychology, broadly focusing on what can motivate an individual to engage in intrinsically meaningful and authentic behavior that is specific and relevant to their needs, values, and character. Her research on this topic led to a recent publication in Psychological Science that demonstrated increased prosocial behavior as a function of specific and individuated mortality awareness. Her research has recently been cited in the Huffington Post, and Scientific American.