Resilience

Resilience Brings Balance 

Tunmore (cited in Regel & Roberts, 2002, 73) outlined various mental health promoting factors (based on evidence) that are relevant to adolescent kids and to parents alike to reflect upon. They include:

Individual

  • Self-esteem, sociability and autonomy
  • Social support systems that encourage personal effort and coping
  • Good communication skills
  • A sense of humour
  • Religious faith
  • The capacity to reflect

Family (Group)

  • Family compassion, warmth and absence of parental discord
  • At least one good parent-child relationship
  • Affection
  • Appropriate and consistent discipline
  • Family support for education

Environment

  • A wider support network within the community
  • Good housing
  • A high standard of living
  • A range of positive sport and leisure activities
  • A high morale school offering a safe and disciplined environment with strong academic and non-academic opportunities

Whilst there are some important factors here, you need to have a bit of caution in places, because for example a high morale school is clearly a value-laden assumption. It is not unreasonable to argue that for some well off children, they are at greater advantage economically and socially, than their poorer counterparts, in gaining a quality education. However if this could be achieved then yes a high morale school as described could be beneficial for social and emotion health.

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