Are you a lucky person or do you see yourself as someone who makes your own luck? Resilience as a concept is wrapped up in layers of perspectives on why good and bad things happen to us. Are the bad things due to luck and the good things due to personal skill? Or are all the events in our life down to a co-ordinated matrix of predestination?
There are many ideas in psychology that conjure up the possibility that control over events in our lives is possible. Concepts such as attribution theory, self-efficacy of resilient people, internal locus of control personality variables, hardiness, competent mastery, to name but a few, not to mention the centrality of control in cognitive behaviour therapy (behaviour determines the outcome).
One of the most influential thinkers of his generation is Albert Bandura (1) who has had a hugely influential impact on the way resilience is viewed. His essential proposition is that people possess:
- intentionality
- forethought
- self-reactiveness
- self-reflectiveness
Intentionality
An intention is a proactive commitment to a future course of action. Individuals can choose to behave in certain ways and to build intentions.
Forethought
People set goals for themselves, anticipate future consequences of actions and choose those that are likely to produce desired outcomes. Through the exercise of forethought, people motivate themselves and guide their actions in anticipation of future events.
When projected over a long time course on matters of value, a forethought perspective provides direction, coherence, and meaning to ones life. (p.7)
Self Reactiveness
This is regulated action. People evaluate what needs to be done to achieve their future, plan goals and motivate their action towards it.
Self Reflectiveness
People are not only agent of action but self-examiners. People evaluate their motivation, values and the meaning of their life. People judge the correctness of the predictive thinking against the outcomes of their actions.
Among the mechanisms of personal agency (controllability) none is more central or pervasive than peoples belief in their capacity to exercise control over what they do. Unless people believe they can produce desired results and forestall detrimental ones they have little incentive to act or persevere in the face of difficulties. (p10)
But what about luck? Making chance happen...
Bandura says that there is much that people do designedly to exercise control over their life, but there is also a lot of fortuity in the course their lives take. Indeed, some of the most important determinants of life paths occur through the most trivial of circumstances...including the influence of fortuitous events in the formation of marital partnerships...a fortuitous encounter by two people who find themselves sat next to each other at the airport can lead to a marriage...
Fortuity does not mean uncontrollability. There are ways people can capitalise on the fortuitous character of life. They can make chance happen...Chance favours the inquisitive and venturesome. People also make chance work for them by cultivating their interests, enabling self-beliefs and competencies. These personal resources enable them to make the most of opportunities that arise unexpectedly. Proactive self development gives people a greater hand in shaping their destiny. (p12)
(1). Bandura, A. (2001) Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective. Annual Review of Psychology. vol 51, pp1-26
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