Ms. Andrea B.

Martinez
Department of Behavioral Sciences
UP College of Arts and Sciences
The Stories of Jeffrey
Dahmer and Alice Walker
Jeffrey Dahmer had a troubled
childhood. His parents constantly bickered
before they divorced, his mother had
emotional problems and doted on his
younger brother, and he felt that his father
neglected. When he was 8 years old, Jeffrey
was sexually abused by an older boy. But
most individuals who suffer through such
childhood pains never go on to commit
Dahmer’s grisly crimes.

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The Stories of Jeffrey
Dahmer and Alice Walker
In 1988, Dahmer murdered three
people. He first met a 14-year old boy at a
bus stop and asked him to pose nude photos.
Soon after they arrived at Dahmer’s
apartment, he had sex with the boy, drugged
him, strangled him, dismembered him and
smashed his bone with a sledgehammer. In
1991, when he was arrested, the police found
in Dahmer’s apartment at least 15
dismembered bodies, a head in the refrigerator
and a heart in the freezer, and a blue barrel
of acid for leftovers (Matthews, 1992)
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The Stories of Jeffrey
Dahmer and Alice Walker
Alice Walker was born in 1944.
She was the eighth child of Georgia
sharecroppers who earned $300 a year.
When Walker was 8, her brother
accidentally shot her in the left eye with
a BB gun. By the time her parents got
her to the hospital a week later (they
had no car), she was blind in that eye
and it had developed a disfiguring layer
of scar tissue.
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The Stories of Jeffrey
Dahmer and Alice Walker
Despite the counts against her, Alice
Walker went on to become an essayist, a
poet and an award-winning novelist. She
won the Pulitzer Prize for her book “The
Color Purple.” Like her characters,
especially the women, Alice Walker
overcame pain and anger to celebrate the
human spirit. Walker writes about the
people who “make it, who come out of
nothing…People who triumph.”
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Questions to Ponder:
1. What leads one child to grow up
and commit brutal acts of
violence and another to turn
poverty and trauma into a rich
literary harvest?
2. How can we explain how one
child picks up the pieces of a life
shattered by tragedy, while
another becomes unhinged by
life’s stress? 7
JPeople commonl y experiences
stress, and sometimes trauma.
JBut responses to these sources
of anxiety vary—others feel
defeated and depres sed, others
overcome and survive.
JThose who adapt more have hi gh
levels of resiliency.
JResiliency is the proces s of
adapting well in the face of
adversity, trauma, tragedy,
threats or other significant
sources of stress.
JResiliency is the ability to
“bounce back ” from difficult
experiences.
JCoping is the act to al leviate any
form of stress, and may be
temporary and situational.
JResiliency is a more or l ess
permanent trai t, a personality
trait that has been devel oped and
maintained through time.
JResilient individuals could
surpass even the mos t traumatic
event in their lives—they have
the inherent capaci ty to adjust to
any stressful situation.
JResilience is an inborn capaci ty
for self-righting and for
transformation and change.
JSocial competence:
þResponsiveness
þCultural flexibility
þEmpathy
þCaring
þCommunication skills
þSense of humor
þForms healthy relationships
þHealthy social support network
þUnderstands people and situation
JProblem-solving:
þPlanning
þHelp-seeking
þCritical thinking
þCreative thinking
þAccepts change as part of living
þSees problems as opportunities
þSees windows of opportunities and
make the most of them
JAutonomy:
þSense of identity
þSelf-efficacy
þSelf-awareness
þTask-mastery
þAdaptive distancing f rom negative
messages and conditions
þ“Good” at something
þManages strong f eelings and
impulses
JOptimism and direction:
þ Sense of purpose
þ Belief in the bright future
þ Goal directed and educational aspirations
þ Optimism and deep-rooted faith in a system
of meaning, spiritual connectedness
þ Sees difficult situation in perspective
þ Has self-confidence
þ Ability to “hang tough” when things are
rough
þ Continues despite difficulty, doesn’t give up
JCognitive aspect
þMental quieting
þReflection and insight
þPhilosophy and faith
þCreativity and mental stimulation
þMental discipline
þSense of humor
 JPhysical aspect
þRelaxation
þExercise
þNutrition
þSleep and rest

JBehavioral aspect
þConflict resolution
þEthical action
þTime management
þRecreation
JGender plays an
important role
þGirls adapt more eas ily
than boys mainly
because of social roles
expected from each
gender (Kirby & Fraser,
1987)
JLife difficulties provide
opportunities for
resiliency
þThose accustomed to hard
life exhibit more resiliency
with any form of life change
(Fraser & Galinsky, 1997)
JTemperaments are
associated w ith resiliency
þChildren born with “easy”
temperament s are more
easily nurtured by parents,
making a good disposition as
resilient trait at birth (Charity,
1997)
JFamily relations are
associated w ith resiliency
þChildren from families with
high degree of bonding,
communicat ion, problem-
solving skills, resourcefulness
and flexibility have high
tendencies to become
resilient even in adult life.
JParenting styles affect
resiliency
þChildren whos e parents allow
them to develop self-reliance
and independence have
greater chances of developing
resiliency later in life.
þOverprotection of children
during formative years may
lead to poor coping skills.
JQuality of friendship
affects resiliency
þIndividuals with social support
from the peer group will
become more resilient in
times of trouble.
JProtective or resiliency
traits
þAre strengths that help a
person cope with stress or life
difficulties, increasing the
likelihood of rebound from
difficult situations.
JRisk traits
þAre influences that may
interfere with a person’s
ability to cope during times of
stress
þExamples: living in a home
with domestic violence or
substance abuse, low self-
esteem
JResiliency Activity:
þGet a piece of paper
þNumber 1-20
þMake a list of 20 things that you like to do
(may not be the things you are currently
doing but anything you have ever
enjoyed)
þAfter completing the list, identif y whether:
for fun (F) or for accomplishment (A)
þDetermine if you did the items on your list
in the past week (W)