| In the past, treating a teen from troubled | | | | own life. |
| backgrounds involved a technique based on | | | | Relationship resilience - the child first bonds with |
| retelling bad memories of the past. Although this | | | | another adult to enlist an active parental figure or |
| may be at times a very effective treatment, it | | | | care giver. The relationship progresses into an |
| focuses only on the negative, never allowing the | | | | attachment period in which the child is able to give |
| teen to fill emptiness left by expressing pain. A | | | | and receive positive attention and love. Those |
| new approach to therapy allows the teen to | | | | with this character strength search for and find |
| recognize and name the good character traits he | | | | many positive, close relationships including |
| she learned in order to survive his/her abusive | | | | marriage into a more stable family. |
| backgrounds. By making a teen aware of learned | | | | Initiative - the child searches out positive outlets, |
| survival instincts, he/she is able to gain a sense of | | | | works toward finding answers, begins to generate |
| hope and a more optimist outlook of his/her own | | | | his/her own problem solving activities whether |
| future. | | | | they be school work, research, business, or |
| Below are seven character strengths or survival | | | | worthy causes. He/she uses motivation to |
| instincts: | | | | survive. |
| Insight - the ability to become aware of parental | | | | Creativity & Humor - the ability to escape |
| differences that alert to danger, knowing why the | | | | from the destructive situation in a positive way |
| parental figures act as they do, and then finally | | | | by playing or pretending to be someone or |
| understanding the reasons behind the parents' | | | | something else, then shaping this into a |
| actions and how they relate to the family | | | | constructive talent which changes into a skill, or |
| structure. | | | | recognizes the humor in it all. |
| Independence - the ability of the child to separate | | | | Morality - the ability to judge rights and wrongs, |
| him/herself from conflict. The child first drifts | | | | valuing principles, and acting on those principles by |
| from the conflict, and then he/she extricates him | | | | serving others. |
| herself from the emotional hold of the parents, | | | | By identifying these developed traits, surviving |
| finally completely disconnecting him/herself | | | | dysfunctional family situations, teens gain a sense |
| emotionally as well as physically from the | | | | of pride, no longer looking at the past, but |
| dysfunctional family unit, gaining control of his/her | | | | focusing on a better future. |