When speaking of the power of forgiveness and resiliency, author Dr. Susan Gregg writes that, “our society is based on the concept of domination - the society and the individual are seen as separate - the problem and the solution are two different things. As long as we view the world that way judgment and comparison are very much a part of our thought process.”
Being Resilient
As we teach young people to be resilient, a large part of that teaching centers around moving away from comparing one healing process and ability to recover to another. Because you are able to still go to work after a loved one dies does not set the barometer of how quickly others heal and become functional after a loved ones passing. Examples can also be extended to how one recovers from a relationship break-up to a childhood of physical and sexual violence.
Gregg’s alternative to viewing tragedy in a context of comparison and domination is to, instead, accept circumstance within a context of dominion. “In dominion,” Gregg writes, “rather than judging events we embrace them. Life, relationships, and everyday events become an opportunity for us to see our filter system, which is composed of all of our assumptions, agreements, and beliefs.”
Prevention Programs and Resiliency
This practice assists youth workers in working with young people who are recovering from hardship by providing a base from which to offer support. This base is especially helpful for programs that are based on a prevention model. Prevention-modeled programs are based on the Department of Mental Health’s definition of the programming that seeks to divert the onset of behaviors determined as anti-social, inappropriate or harmful to one’s health or lifestyle. Coming from a perspective that already determines what is suitable and what is not, conveying non-judgment while promoting development is often tricky.
The following article will offer tips that can be helpful for youth workers seeking to promote a sense of resiliency using the concept of dominion vs. domination.
