Abstract:

The main goal of the longitudinal research was the identification of significant protective factors that allow development towards the resilient personality. The research was carried out for 16 years in participants, who came from a risk environment. The implementation of the study took place between the years 2002-2018 at Czech (97 participants) and Slovak (27 participants) universities. Participants came from risk primary families that were demonstrably characterized by: low cohesion among family members, weak emotional bond between parents and participants and incessantly punishment of children in the manner of verbal reproof and corporal punishments. Four interviews per year were conducted with each participant throughout the research. In the course of 16 years of the research over 8432 interviews were realized with all participants in total. The obtained data was analyzed by the ATLAS.ti 7th Edition software package in order to identify the most important protective factors. The ability to immerse in and merge with activity – so-called flow – has been proven as the key factor. The presence of natural authority was also confirmed as significant factor, in particular in the form of dignified communication towards the participant, participant’s orientation to the patterns of good behavior, the authority’s enthusiasm for the participant’s goals and the investment of the authority’s enthusiasm to help participant discover her/his personal specific abilities and qualities. The studies carried out in the Czech Republic have not explored the population in such details yet. The participants are now nearly 40 year old. The results of the ongoing research are being continuously processed and compared with samples from other countries (Argentina, Chile, Spain). However, there is preliminary evidence that these two key protective factors are strong elements in the development of personality with resilient features, regardless of the cultural context.

Keywords:

Personality resilience, primary family, risk factors, protective factors, flow.