Before we dive into whether or not resilience can be learned, let’s examine what makes for effective learning. In the West, formal education historically emphasized “book learning’, the accumulation of knowledge by passive reading. Book learning was accompanied by passive listening to lectures. Reading and listening were separate from experience, for example testing in a laboratory or in practice. Pause for a moment to imagine the challenges of learning about dynamic living systems by reading two-dimensional pages or chalkboards, often limited to black and white images, if any. Today, in a technologically enabled educational environment, it seems like an archaic way to learn. Book learning is not particularly accessible to those whose learning style is predisposed to kinesthetic and visual learning styles, as opposed to an auditory learning style (Markova, 1996).

Toward the end of the 20th century, educators recognized the limitations of passive, two-dimensional learning. They sought to improve learning outcomes with an eye toward comprehension, retention, and integration of cumulative knowledge with critical thinking in innovative ways such as assignments conducted in small groups (Springer, Stanne & Donovan, 1999). At the dawn of the 21st century, teaching emphasis shifted toward active student engagement – application of theory in practice - through experiential learning. During my dissertation research (2011, 2020), educators asked my thoughts about student learning through project teams. I observed that meaningful and long-lasting learning occurs when students not only combine theory and practice, but also when education incorporates regular reflection. Reflective learning through techniques like appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastava, 1987), especially deployed throughout experiential learning and particularly during debriefing, closes the loop to reinforce lessons for future application by students. In future posts, I will discuss appreciative inquiry, debriefing, and other ways learned resilience is effectively achieved.

Returning to the “teach-ability” question, in my experience learned resilience is similar to other complex processes that result in sustained competency and intelligence. Learning is ideally a continuous cycle throughout life – personal and professional. It begins with acquisition and organization of information resources. Then, cognitive and operational frameworks develop using that information. Mental models form and can be formalized through design incorporating emergent ideas. Depending on their suitability, models are tested in laboratories, through simulations, or put in practice. The outcomes of implementation determine the extent of success or failure of the model. Repeatability necessitates evaluation no matter what the outcome for future refinement and application. Three critical questions must be addressed during debriefing:

• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• What needs improvement and how will it be resolved before moving forward?

These three questions are essential in cultivating resilience (Edson, 2011). To foster resilience, it is important to understand what resilience is and what it is not. Learned resilience is a cycle of adopting its principles, applying them in practice, and reflecting on the experience. This adaptive cycle is the nature of learned resilience throughout personal and professional life.

References:
Cooperrider, D. L., & Srivastava, S. (1987). Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life in Research in Organizational Change and Development: An Annual Series Featuring Advances in Theory, Methodology and Research

Edson, M.C. (2020, forthcoming). Team Systems Theory: Building Stakeholder Value through a Learning Culture for Organizational Resilience in The Handbook of Systems Science. Singapore: Springer.

Edson, M.C. (2011). A Systems Perspective of Resilience in a Project Team. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest.

Markova, D. (1996). The open mind: Exploring the 6 patterns of natural intelligence. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press.
 
Springer, L., Stanne, M. E., & Donovan, S. S. (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: A meta-analysis. Review of educational research, 69(1), 21-51.

Learned resilience is a successful result of an individual's, team's, or organization's adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity is the extent to which an individual, team, or organization is effectively enabled to maintain  functional integrity during times of change, and adversity. Resilience is achieved through recovery and adjustment. Learned resilience is distinct in that learning is an essential competency in the construction of adaptive capacity. Reflective learning is applied during times of continual uncertainty to enable adaptation, innovation, and thriving.

Learned resilience contrasts with "learned helplessness". According the Maier and Seligman (1976, 2016), learned helplessness occurs when faced adversity, an individual "learns that its behavior and outcomes are independent, and this learning produces the motivational, cognitive, and emotional effects of uncontrollability." Learned helplessness stems from an individual's acceptance of their powerlessness. In sum, they give up. They discontinue attempts to escape or avoid the aversive stimulus, even when alternatives to it are evident.  They capitulate to circumstances, which results in undesirable outcomes. A common example learned helplessness is the overwhelmed college student who seeks the intervention of parents rather than proactively using university resources to address their concerns.

As opposed to learned helplessness, learned resilience enables awareness and agency to options available by cultivating self-reliance. Both terms are related to the psychological concept of "self-efficacy." According to Bandura (1982), self-efficacy is "how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations."  In coaching, our goal is to help clients achieve self-efficacy and self-reliance, which includes building competencies like adaptive capacity.  

As your coach, I will help you develop learned resilience to face life's obstacles confidently.  In future postings, you'll have opportunities to find out more about the cycle of learned resilience and how to make it work for you.

References:
Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist. 37 (2): 122–147.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.37.2.122
Maier, S. F., & Seligman, M. E. (1976). Learned helplessness: Theory and evidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 105(1), 3–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.105.1.3
Maier, S. F., & Seligman, M. E. (2016). Learned helplessness at fifty: Insights from neuroscience. Psychological review, 123(4), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000033