title: The Challenge Model: examining resilience in Pelzer's A Child Called "It".
abstract: The rapidly emerging field of positive psychology has yielded theories, research, and best practice standards that may complement the work of nursing professionals as they assess and build upon individuals' unique areas of strength in the context of daily hassles, major life events, and exceptional circumstances. In this article, we summarize Wolin and Wolin's Challenge Model and illustrate its potential usefulness as a tool for examining resilience in pediatric patients. Through our own teaching and consultation experiences, we have found that the pairing of the Wolins' clinical model of human psychology and Dave Pelzer's A Child Called "It" provides a salient means of furthering current and prospective professionals' empathic regard for young patients and clients by promoting a more balanced and comprehensive understanding of children who face adversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. mduncan@bloomu.edu
authors.forename: Mary Katherine
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Waibel-Duncan
authors.forename: Jennifer Whitehouse
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yarnell
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D008093:Literature, Modern; D008297:Male; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D016294:Models, Nursing; D008960:Models, Psychological; D035863:Moral Development; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D029181:Spirituality