Factors and Processes Contributing to Resilience

198 K•rol L. Kumpfer
depends on direction or focus. Hence, the variables hypothesized for inclusion
are the following:
• Dreams and Goals (Bandura, 1989; Quinton et al., 1993; Rutter &
Quinton, 1984)
• Purpose in Life (Neiger, 1992)
• Existential Meaning for Life (Frankel, 1959)
• Spirituality (Dunn, 1994; Gordon & Song, 1994).
• Belief in Uniqueness or in Oneself (Gordon & Song, 1994).
• lnternal Locus of Control (Luthar, 1991a; Murphy & Moriarty, 1976;
Parker, Cowen, Work, & Wyman, 1990; Werner & Smith, 1992).
• Hopefulness and Optimism (Seligman, 1975)
• Determination and Perseverance (Bandura, 1989; Werner, 1986)
Dreams!Goals and Purpose in Life. One very important psychological
characteristic of resilient children living in high-risk environments is
their ability to dream (Bandura, 1989; Rutter & Quinton, 1984; Quinton,
Pickeles, Maughan, & Rutter, 1993), create plausible fantasies for themse]ves
and to deveJop a mission or purpose for their lives (Bernard, 1991;
Richardson, Neiger, Jensen, & Kumpfer, 1990). Surviving difficuJt chiJdhoods
often was achieved by a sense of uniqueness or specialness and
spiritual belief that they are here for some cosmic purpose-often a
general commitment to making the world a better place for similar types
of children.
This purpose in life or existential meaning (Frankel, 1959), helps these
resilient individuals to endure hardships, because they believe they must
survive to complete their mission. Beardslee's research (1983; 1989) on civil
rights workers in South and Segal's research (1986) on prisoners ofwar discovered
that a predominant characteristic of resilient individuals was
having a purpose in life reJated to helping others. Creating a perceived
purpose for their pain and suffering (Beardslee, 1989; Segal, 1986) and
healing through helping or caring for others (Werner, 1986; Segal, 1986)
helps individuals to regain environmental mastery and perceived control
(Taylor, 1983) which has been found critical to maintaining hope in adverse
life threatening situations ( e.g., concentration camps, prisons, war zones,
acute care hospital units, and abusive families). Neiger (1991) confirmed in
a structural equations modeling study of college students in South Carolina
that resiliency was the final pathway to positive life adaptation. The most
predictive variable in his multifactoriaJ resiliency duster was life purpose,
next was problern solving, followed by self-efficacy.
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