The 0-6 age period, which we call early childhood, has a very important role in development. A critical period in which progress is made in terms of cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language development. Preschool years are also part of early childhood. In this period, which forms the basis of life, the concept of 'psychological resilience' has a special importance. Psychological resilience does not mean not being affected by anything, not being sad or afraid. Nor does it intend to be perfect. Psychological resilience, basically, means having the ability to overcome difficult life conditions and return to their former self. Under normal conditions, our system focuses on being in balance, both physically and spiritually. Psychological resilience is having the capacity to return to balance in the face of the difficulties we face.
Considering psychological resilience as the main topic, if we look at what happens in the sub-titles;
Problem Solving Skill: The problem-solving skill, which we examined in detail in last month's article, plays a key role especially in interpersonal communication. It is of great importance in order to continue life in an effective and harmonious way. It is known that children with low problem-solving skills are at risk in terms of peer rejection, exposure to bullying, and social withdrawal. Of course, the only reason for the situations I mentioned is not that I have problem-solving skills; however, it can cause it to become an important risk factor.
Attachment: John Bowlby, the theorist of attachment theory, defines any behavior that an infant displays in order to establish and maintain the desired closeness to its primary caregiver figure/mother as attachment behavior. In this respect, he argues that the baby aims to protect himself from dangers. It is the 'Secure Attachment' that we expect to occur ideally within the different types of attachment. Children with a "secure" attachment style receive messages such as "I am here, I hear you, I understand you, I value you" from their parents, and as a result, they develop beliefs about themselves such as "I am valued, I am cared for, I am loved, I can cope". All these are important resources in coping with stress factors. they become whites and invest in the psychological resilience of the child.
Self-Editing: Self-editing skill; It is the ability to control and manage the child's emotions, thoughts and behaviors. The risk of behavioral problems is higher in children who do not have a self-regulation strategy or who are inadequate. There are studies showing that the attachment style of the child significantly affects the self-regulation skill capacity.
Getting Help: Getting help is an important social interaction process. It is very important that the child's ego has the capacity to ask for and accept help. Getting help; It is also related to problem solving and self-regulation skills. Having the capacity to get help makes the child stronger in terms of problem solving and self-regulation and contributes to increased psychological resilience.
Delaying Satisfaction: One of the problems we encounter with children today is that the child cannot delay gratification by his own will. Reasons such as intensive screen use, over-tolerance of parents and difficulty in setting healthy boundaries can make it difficult for the child to develop this skill. In order to develop the ability to delay gratification, the child must have conscious control over his own behavior. Strengthening the child's awareness of feelings, thoughts and body sensations, setting healthy boundaries, being a guide and model contributes to the development of this skill. Postponing gratification is an important acquisition that also supports self-regulation skills.
Confidence: It is a general personality trait. It is not a temporary situation. However, some difficulties and traumas encountered in life can lead to a loss of self-confidence. The child's feeling of self-worth and competence makes an important contribution to high self-confidence. Studies have shown that there is a significant relationship between self-confidence and psychological resilience.
Social Competence: Basically, children who are accepted in the society, start play activities, find new activities interesting, are open to cooperation, adapt, empathize, and interact freely and easily with others. We can say that it has power. Not all of these skills can be seen in all age groups. In order to acquire some skills, a certain cognitive maturity must be reached. It is sufficient for the child to have behavioral gains specified in accordance with his age and development. Social competence; It also interacts with the areas of problem solving, self-regulation and getting help and contributes positively to psychological resilience.
Emotion Control: Emotions are very important for the process of establishing, maintaining and terminating relationships with the external environment. Emotion control is a dynamic process; It has basic components such as change, flexibility and adaptability. The first condition to develop emotion control skills is to recognize and accept emotion. It may then be possible to develop the strategy needed for control. It is very important that the parent be a guide and model for the child in this regard.
As a result; It is important to receive quality care from the early stages of life, to have learning opportunities, and to develop cognitive/social/self-regulation skills in a positive way. Children who have healthy attachment and internal harmony resources have basic protective resources, they are more competent and psychologically stronger in coping with the difficulties they encounter in life and returning to a state of balance.
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