Your Resilience Profile

Learn more about your personal resilience by completing this assessment tool. Read each of the 13 statements below and select one or two of the responses to each statement that best describe the reaction or response you might have had during the past three months. Some of these statements may be more difficult than others for you to complete. Be honest with yourself, and remember that there are no right or wrong answers. And, you don’t have to tally up your answers at the end. Your combined responses to all of the statements will produce a personal resilience profile.

Once you’ve completed your responses, click the submit button to receive your personal resilience profile. You may continue further to find out the relationship of each characteristic to resilience. The additional information will give you some context for your own answer.

Return to this assessment tool as often as you like to produce your updated personal resilience profile.

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Assessment Tool:

1. While something bad is happening  
a. I believe that things will get better.
b. I believe that things will only get worse.
c. I believe that good things and bad things happen equally and they balance one another.

2. When I am faced with adversity  
a. I still find the ability to see humor in things.
b. I fail to see the humorous side of life.
c. I see humor in things but feel guilty for it.

3. When there is a permanent change  
a. I usually take some actions to overcome problems caused by the change, but I never fully accept the new reality.
b. I tend to use change as an opportunity for learning and growth.
c. I tend to procrastinate in dealing with problems associated with the change.

4. When I am in distress  
a. I soothe my painful feelings in healthy, and not self-destructive, ways.
b. I soothe my painful feelings in unhealthy ways.
c. I don’t soothe my painful feelings because I believe I should tough it out.

5. When I’m not working  
a. I rarely make time to engage in fun activities with friends or family.
b. I feel comfortable with the amount of time that I engage in enjoyable activities with others.
c. I tend to believe that I should have fun only when there are no unresolved issues in my life.

6. When something is bothering me  
a. I don’t confide in others because I don’t trust others with my inner life.
b. There are people in my life that I can and do confide in.
c. I can count on others for practical help, but I do not confide in them.

7. When I can’t overcome a problem without others’ help  
a. I deal with the problem on my own because I don’t want to be perceived as incompetent.
b. I ask for help when I need it.
c. I would rather not deal with a problem than ask others for help.

8. When I face an obstacle  
a. I usually have a hard time overcoming obstacles without luck or other people’s ideas.
b. I usually find ways to overcome obstacles.
c. I feel stronger for having overcome an obstacle.

9. When things change unexpectedly  
a. I try to control everything, even when I can’t.
b. I accept that change is part of living, and I stay flexible in my plans.
c. I accept that change is part of living, and that’s why I don’t make any plans.

10. When I think of my abilities  
a. I have unique skills and abilities, and I feel appreciated by others.
b. I don’t feel as if I have any unique talents.
c. I have unique skills and abilities but feel unappreciated by others.

11. When there is something I want to accomplish  
a. I make personal goals and take concrete, decisive steps to achieve them.
b. I make personal goals but fail to take steps to achieve them.
c. I don’t make personal goals.

12. When I reflect on my purpose in life  
a. I find the demands of life mostly not worthy of my efforts.
b. I have a strong sense of purpose in life.
c. I believe that I’m just a smaller player in the big game of life.

13. When there are no clear or easy solutions to my problems  
a. I tend to believe that it doesn’t matter anyway, because life has no higher purpose.
b. I tend to believe that the universe or a higherpower is being mean-spirited and doesn’t want to help me with my problems.
c. I tend to believe that with the help of the universe, a higher power, or the good in all people I will find a good solution to my problems.