Ms. Andrea B. MartinezDepartment of Behavioral Sciences

UP College of Arts and Sciences

The Stories of Jeffrey The Stories of Jeffrey DahmerDahmer and Alice Walkerand Alice Walker

Jeffrey Dahmer had a troubled childhood. His parents constantly bickered before they divorced, his mother had emotional problems and doted on his younger brother, and he felt that his father neglected. When he was 8 years old, Jeffrey was sexually abused by an older boy. But most individuals who suffer through such childhood pains never go on to commit Dahmer’s grisly crimes.

2

The Stories of Jeffrey The Stories of Jeffrey DahmerDahmer and Alice Walkerand Alice Walker

In 1988, Dahmer murdered three people. He first met a 14-year old boy at a bus stop and asked him to pose nude photos. Soon after they arrived at Dahmer’sapartment, he had sex with the boy, drugged him, strangled him, dismembered him and smashed his bone with a sledgehammer. In 1991, when he was arrested, the police found in Dahmer’s apartment at least 15 dismembered bodies, a head in the refrigerator and a heart in the freezer, and a blue barrel of acid for leftovers (Matthews, 1992)

3

http://www.pdfcomplete.com/cms/hppl/tabid/108/Default.aspx?r=q8b3uige22

The Stories of Jeffrey The Stories of Jeffrey DahmerDahmer and Alice Walkerand Alice Walker

Alice Walker was born in 1944. She was the eighth child of Georgia sharecroppers who earned $300 a year. When Walker was 8, her brother accidentally shot her in the left eye with a BB gun. By the time her parents got her to the hospital a week later (they had no car), she was blind in that eye and it had developed a disfiguring layer of scar tissue.

5

The Stories of Jeffrey The Stories of Jeffrey DahmerDahmer and Alice Walkerand Alice Walker

Despite the counts against her, Alice Walker went on to become an essayist, a poet and an award-winning novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her book “The Color Purple.” Like her characters, especially the women, Alice Walker overcame pain and anger to celebrate the human spirit. Walker writes about the people who “make it, who come out of nothing…People who triumph.”

6

Questions to Ponder:Questions to Ponder:1. What leads one child to grow up

and commit brutal acts of violence and another to turn poverty and trauma into a rich literary harvest?

2. How can we explain how one child picks up the pieces of a life shattered by tragedy, while another becomes unhinged by life’s stress? 7

☺People commonly experiences stress, and sometimes trauma.☺But responses to these sources

of anxiety vary—others feel defeated and depres sed, others overcome and survive.☺Those who adapt more have hi gh

levels of resiliency.

☺Resiliency is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or other significant sources of stress.☺Resiliency is the ability to

“bounce back ” from difficult experiences.

☺Coping is the act to al leviate any form of stress, and may be temporary and situational.☺Resiliency is a more or less

permanent trai t, a personality trait that has been developed and maintained through time.

☺Resilient individuals could surpass even the mos t traumatic event in their lives—they have the inherent capaci ty to adjust to any stressful situation.☺Resilience is an inborn capaci ty

for self-righting and for transformation and change.

☺Social competence:þResponsivenessþCultural f lexibilityþEmpathyþCaringþCommunication skillsþSense of humorþForms healthy relationshipsþHealthy social support networkþUnderstands people and situation

☺Problem-solving:þPlanningþHelp-seekingþCritical thinkingþCreative thinkingþAccepts change as part of livingþSees problems as opportunitiesþSees windows of opportunities and

make the most of them

☺Autonomy:þSense of identityþSelf-efficacyþSelf-awarenessþTask-masteryþAdaptive distancing f rom negative

messages and conditionsþ“Good” at somethingþManages strong f eelings and

impulses

☺Optimism and direction:þSense of purposeþBelief in the bright futureþGoal directed and educational aspirationsþOptimism and deep-rooted faith in a system

of meaning, spiritual connectednessþSees difficult situation in perspectiveþHas self-confidenceþAbility to “hang tough” when things are

roughþContinues despite difficulty, doesn’t give up

☺Cognitive aspectþMental quietingþReflection and insightþPhilosophy and faithþCreativity and mental stimulationþMental disciplineþSense of humor

☺Physical aspectþRelaxationþExerciseþNutritionþSleep and rest

☺Behavioral aspectþConflict resolutionþEthical actionþTime managementþRecreation

☺Gender plays an important roleþGirls adapt more eas ily

than boys mainly because of social roles expected from each gender (Kirby & Fraser, 1987)

☺Life difficulties provide opportunities for resiliencyþThose accustomed to hard

life exhibit more resiliency with any form of life change (Fraser & Galinsky, 1997)

☺Temperaments are associated w ith resiliencyþChildren born with “easy”

temperaments are more easily nurtured by parents, making a good disposition as resilient trait at birth (Charity, 1997)

☺Family relations are associated w ith resiliencyþChildren from families with

high degree of bonding, communicat ion, problem-solving skills, resourcefulness and flexibility have high tendencies to become resilient even in adult life.

☺Parenting styles affect resiliencyþChildren whose parents allow

them to develop self-reliance and independence have greater chances of developing resiliency later in life.þOverprotection of children

during formative years may lead to poor coping skills.

☺Quality of friendship affects resiliencyþIndividuals with social support

from the peer group will become more resilient in times of trouble.

☺Protective or resiliency traitsþAre strengths that help a

person cope with stress or life difficulties, increasing the likelihood of rebound from difficult situations.

☺Risk traitsþAre influences that may

interfere with a person’s ability to cope during times of stressþExamples: living in a home

with domestic violence or substance abuse, low self-esteem

☺Resiliency Activity:þGet a piece of paperþNumber 1-20þMake a list of 20 things that you like to do

(may not be the things you are currently doing but anything you have ever enjoyed)þAfter completing the list, identify whether:

for fun (F) or for accomplishment (A)þDetermine if you did the items on your list

in the past week (W)