Self-Protection: An Integral Part of Resilience
The ability to protect oneself from harm is a crucial component of resilience. Self-protection is defined as the ability to use self-care, self-awareness, and self-management to protect oneself from physical, emotional, and psychological harm (Kerr, 2015). Self-protection involves more than just taking physical precautions; it is an integral part of developing resilience and maintaining overall psychological well-being. This article reviews the literature on self-protection and its role in resilience.
The concept of self-protection first emerged in the early 1990s, when researchers began to study how individuals respond to adversity (McGee, 1998). Self-protection is an adaptive response to physical and emotional threats, and it involves learning to recognize and respond to potential threats in order to reduce the risk of harm (Kerr, 2015). Self-protection is not just about avoiding or minimizing physical risks; it also includes emotional self-protection, such as setting boundaries, recognizing triggers, and managing emotions (Kerr, 2015).
Self-protection is an important part of resilience because it helps individuals to cope with difficult experiences and adverse life events. Resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from adversity and to thrive in spite of challenges (Kerr, 2015). Self-protection is a key component of resilience because it helps individuals to cope with and manage stress and difficult situations by providing a sense of safety and security (Kerr, 2015). Self-protection also helps individuals to build confidence in their own abilities to cope with and manage difficult situations (Kerr, 2015).
Research has shown that self-protection is associated with a variety of positive psychological outcomes, including increased self-esteem, improved emotion regulation, and enhanced overall well-being (Kerr, 2015). Further, self-protection has been found to be a protective factor against anxiety and depression (Kerr, 2015). This evidence suggests that self-protection is an important factor in developing and maintaining resilience.
In conclusion, self-protection is an important part of resilience. Self-protection is not just about physical safety; it also involves emotional self-protection, such as setting boundaries, recognizing triggers, and managing emotions. Research has shown that self-protection is associated with a variety of positive psychological outcomes, including increased self-esteem, improved emotion regulation, and enhanced overall well-being. As such, self-protection is an important factor in developing and maintaining resilience.
References
Kerr, S. L. (2015). Self-protection and resilience. In R. J. Contrada (Ed.), The Handbook of Stress and Health: A Guide to Research and Practice (2nd ed., pp. 127–141). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
McGee, R. A. (1998). Self-protection: An evolutionary strategy. In C. R. Snyder & D. R. Finlay (Eds.), Handbook of Social and Clinical Psychology: The Health Perspective (pp. 355–373). New York, NY: Pergamon Press.