Penn Resiliency Programme, Essay Example

Penn Resiliency Programme (PRP) created by Dr. Martin Seligman (along with colleagues) is a “skill-based depression prevention programme” (Jackson & Watkin, 2004, p. 13). In this programme human responses to success and failure are measured. The human mind’s neuroplasticity plays a role in this determination. Flexibility is key to overcoming residual depression. When faced with certain events the human mind becomes a dichotomy between success and failure and the person that is able to “envisage” (p. 14) alternatives to problems will not suffer through depression as much as a person who sees no way out of their current circumstances. Due to the human mind’s capability for flexibility, certain cues can be retrained through emotional responses: responses that can be measured with the Resilience Factor Inventory (RFI). This tool “acts as a mirror for individuals to understand and recognize some of their non-resilient thoughts and behaviors” (p. 114). This tool lead researchers to devise a seven-step skill set to boost a person’s resiliency: these seven steps are: recognizing a person’s habitual reaction to situations, thinking traps, detecting icebergs, calming and focusing, challenging beliefs, putting it in perspective, and real time resilience (p. 14). These skills help participants to analyze their belief structure (this aids in self-awareness), transfer a person’s attention back to the problem instead of the depression or emotional response, and finally changing a person’s belief structure. Some of these skills are learned either fast or slow. Worker performances in corporate tests showcased a boost in resiliency from participants proving adaptive behavior was possible.