Type R: Transformative Resilience for Thriving in a Turbulent World

Daughter-mother team Ama, founder of a consulting firm, and Stephanie, a psychotherapist, take a thought-provoking stance on uncertainty and resilience, asserting that people need to regard the former condition “not as a passing state but as a condition of life.” They identify the quality of “transformative resilience” as the ability to treat personal challenges as learning opportunities. The authors maintain an optimistic tone, showcasing numerous instances of people who responded to adversity positively. Examples given here of “type R,” or resilient, personalities include Ursula Rakova, who is leading an effort to relocate the population of her homeland, a tiny South Pacific atoll steadily being consumed by the rising ocean, and Stephanie Decker, a double amputee whose advocacy resulted in Kentucky’s passage of a bill guaranteeing insurance coverage for prosthetic body parts. Seeking to define type-R people, the Marstons pinpoint six characteristics: adaptability, control, purposefulness, active engagement, the willingness to seek support, and openness to new information. This insightful road map to living in a world of uncertainty will leave readers hoping they too can be type Rs. (Jan. 2018)