Problem:
If asked to think about a crisis, what comes to mind? Natural disasters? School shootings? Suicide? Domestic violence? How do some people survive crisis events adaptively and with resilience, while others endure mental health issues for months, years, or a lifetime? To begin, situations such as tornadoes, earthquakes, acts of terror, and suicide do not in and of themselves constitute crises. A crisis is an event that may or may not be perceived as a disruption in life. A crisis does not necessarily lead to trauma. Typically, a crisis is described using a trilogy definition; that is, there are three essential elements that must be present for an event to be considered a crisis: (1) a precipitating event, (2) a perception of the event that leads to subjective distress, and (3) diminished functioning when the distress is not alleviated by customary coping mechanisms or other resources. Using the trilogy definition, some experience diminished functioning following a crisis event experience, while others, however affected or horrified, usually continue to function as normal. For these individuals, the crisis event was not perceived as traumatic, and it did not disrupt their everyday lives. James and Gilliland (2017) reviewed numerous definitions of crisis that exist in the literature and summarized crisis as "a perception or experiencing of an event or situation as an intolerable difficulty that exceeds the person's current resources and coping mechanisms" (p. 3). Need Assignment Help?