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The Resilient Self: How Survivors of Troubled Families Rise Above Adversity
An informative and inspiring guide to rebounding from childhood hardships to find uncommon strength and courage
“ The Resilient Self reminds us all of the importance of being aware of and building on the strengths of our young people, whatever their early life experiences. We must work to give them hope and to craft services and programs that are respectful of the resiliencies so thoughtfully characterized by the Wolins. This guide, although based on the experiences of adults, offers extremely useful insights too for those working on behalf of children and adolescents.” —Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children’s Defense Fund
“This book offers a strong sense of hope for everyone who has grown up in a troubled family. I salute the authors for their masterful synthesis of research, clinical experiences, and insights gleaned from the voices of poetry. The Wolins’ book cautions the reader that no one emerges from troubled childhood without some scars, but it challenges us to finds ways in which we can transforms pain into joy in our lives.” —Emmy E. Werner, Ph.D., author of Vulnerable But Invincible and Overcoming the Odds
“This marvelous book can turn the tide for people injured during their childhoods, not by ignoring the ashes of the past, but by winnowing out the precious elements from which the phoenix can triumphantly rise. It is a book that has been badly needed, and for which many will long be grateful.” —Timmen L. Cermak, M.D., former chairman, National Association for Children of Alcoholics
“At last, a compassionate and realistic challenge to abandon the idea that one is a passive object of an unhappy childhood. The Resilient Self encourages readers to recognize and appreciate their strong, insightful, and creative survival.” —Barbara Mathis, author of Between Secret Rivals, Intimate Friends
“ The Resilient Self shows adult children of dysfunctional families that they can escape a painful past and become resilient survivors. It describes the strategies which have been used successfully by those who grew up in troubled homes but who managed to work well, play well, and love well as adults. I recognized myself in this book with a survivor’s pride.” —Anonymous survivor
“ The Resilient Self reminds us all of the importance of being aware of and building on the strengths of our young people, whatever their early life experiences. We must work to give them hope and to craft services and programs that are respectful of the resiliencies so thoughtfully characterized by the Wolins. This guide, although based on the experiences of adults, offers extremely useful insights too for those working on behalf of children and adolescents.” —Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children’s Defense Fund
“This book offers a strong sense of hope for everyone who has grown up in a troubled family. I salute the authors for their masterful synthesis of research, clinical experiences, and insights gleaned from the voices of poetry. The Wolins’ book cautions the reader that no one emerges from troubled childhood without some scars, but it challenges us to finds ways in which we can transforms pain into joy in our lives.” —Emmy E. Werner, Ph.D., author of Vulnerable But Invincible and Overcoming the Odds
“This marvelous book can turn the tide for people injured during their childhoods, not by ignoring the ashes of the past, but by winnowing out the precious elements from which the phoenix can triumphantly rise. It is a book that has been badly needed, and for which many will long be grateful.” —Timmen L. Cermak, M.D., former chairman, National Association for Children of Alcoholics
“At last, a compassionate and realistic challenge to abandon the idea that one is a passive object of an unhappy childhood. The Resilient Self encourages readers to recognize and appreciate their strong, insightful, and creative survival.” —Barbara Mathis, author of Between Secret Rivals, Intimate Friends
“ The Resilient Self shows adult children of dysfunctional families that they can escape a painful past and become resilient survivors. It describes the strategies which have been used successfully by those who grew up in troubled homes but who managed to work well, play well, and love well as adults. I recognized myself in this book with a survivor’s pride.” —Anonymous survivor
- GenresPsychology
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 16, 1993
14 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 8, 2019
The book gives hope
Loved the real stories of those who not only survived but demonstrated hope for the orders. I appreciated how it is possible to help survivors see themselves differently through reframing.
Loved the real stories of those who not only survived but demonstrated hope for the orders. I appreciated how it is possible to help survivors see themselves differently through reframing.
August 26, 2020
This book was recommended to one of my Addiction Studies classes last year or the year before. I greatly enjoyed it. It was insightful and interesting. Some points seemed to be a bit redundant, but overall, I found it to be a wonderful read for anyone who's been a part of a dysfunctional family. Some chords will be struck and perhaps you will find yourself reflecting on your own experiences and using some of the techniques explored in this book to make peace with it.
My critique of the book is that it is presented as a research based book. It is not. Everything in this book is more or less a collection of anecdotal evidence in working with clients of troubled families. However (and this is a big however), the book is still immensely valuable. There are a lot of great ideas presented within the book and it is a pleasurable read. It is definitely worth your time!
My critique of the book is that it is presented as a research based book. It is not. Everything in this book is more or less a collection of anecdotal evidence in working with clients of troubled families. However (and this is a big however), the book is still immensely valuable. There are a lot of great ideas presented within the book and it is a pleasurable read. It is definitely worth your time!
Want to read
April 1, 2008Highly recommended to me by my friend, Nina.
Read
September 2, 2009Wonderful!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews