Although psychological resilience is defined differently in different sources, it can generally be defined as emotional resilience, not being fragile and positive attitudes of the individual despite threats. In order for psychological resilience to exist, there must be a threat or negative situation in the environment and positive attitudes and gains in spite of this. Many sources include risk factors and protective factors in their definition of psychological resilience. Risk factors may not be valid for everyone, therefore measurements are necessary for them.
Psychological resilience has many components: social competence, low risk factors, high protective factors, environmental characteristics, interpersonal relationships, culture are a few of them. Risk factors and protective factors among the components are important in psychological resilience. The most common risk factors we encounter include individual risk factors, school system risk factors, family risk factors and environmental risk factors. There are protective factors that come into play in response to these. These factors soften or reduce the effects of risks or threats.
So how is psychological resilience developed?
The priority is to reduce risks and provide the person with the skills to regulate against the effects of risks. It is very important to organize activities where children and adolescents can express themselves in environments such as schools. Artistic practices are encountered in many studies, and their effect on psychological resilience is undeniable. It is very important to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships, develop coping strategies, and be able to express oneself in social environments.
There are both external stimuli and internal stimuli in traffic. People tend to exaggerate their existing abilities while in the vehicle. As the level of consciousness increases, this becomes controllable. A mistake made in traffic, sometimes the right thing to do, can cause bilateral discussions. Noise, traffic congestion, communication between drivers and sometimes even the models of cars can cause discussions in traffic. Various emotions come into play while driving, the most common of which are excitement and fear.
If we are good at driving while in the vehicle, we can see a tendency to exaggerate our abilities here, increased speed and dangerous driving. When the self is left alone in situations it cannot handle while in the vehicle, it can become defensive. Here too, it can often turn into a person who creates an environment of swearing and arguments. It is not possible to interpret human behavior clearly. In every environment, each individual can show different reactions. This is the same in traffic.
Conscious/unconscious mistakes made in traffic can also affect other drivers. However, while some individuals tend to imitate mistakes and enter into a kind of race with the wrong driver, on the other hand, some individuals see the environmental effects of obeying the rules while driving and adopt them and may tend to imitate this behavior. For this reason, every behavior and driving style made in traffic is very likely to affect other drivers.
At the same time, there are individuals who feel the need to respond to disrespect (getting out of the car and starting a fight, swearing, etc.) and another group who show that not responding will make them look weak. This poses a danger like other situations and turns the situation in question into a power struggle rather than driving.
So what is psychological resilience good for in traffic?
We are likely to be exposed to violence and insults in traffic. What can we do against these? There are two primary issues here: the first is that individuals (regardless of gender) should get into traffic after completing their relevant training and becoming competent in driving and reading signs. The second is the person’s temperament, coping strategies and psychological resilience.
Even if you behave in a way that complies with the rules and is respectful in traffic, other drivers may not behave in the same way. Here, your driving competence and coping strategies come into play and you can manage this negative situation. In the face of a mistake you make in traffic or disrespect or bullying by other drivers, your psychological resilience will help you manage the situation and minimize the negative situation.
In situations such as the other driver approaching you too much from behind, cutting in front of you, constantly honking at you, or trying to corner you in traffic, being able to use your driving skills, coping strategies and psychological resilience can get you out of this negative situation. Being psychologically strong can protect you from drivers who have negative attitudes in traffic, help you manage your mistakes or errors, and prevent possible dangers/accidents.
Sanctions are also important here. With the new sanctions that have been updated recently, people can apply a gain/loss scale by considering the costs of making mistakes, and this can affect their psychology in traffic. But of course, this will not be true for every individual. Again, we may encounter people who are open to experiencing situations such as disregarding the rules, endangering traffic, and violence. For this reason, developing our emotional resilience will help us in traffic.
As a result:
Psychological resilience is the person’s ability to not get offended easily and to manage negative situations. In traffic, as in daily life, human behavior varies. Individuals may not react to the same situations in the same way. Even if the risk factor is the same, its levels may vary from person to person and this may not be a threat to everyone.
Exaggerating one’s ability in traffic, power struggles and impulsive behaviors are among the situations examined by traffic psychology. The relationship between psychological resilience and traffic psychology is important. The more we can develop resilience, the better we can manage both ourselves and other drivers in traffic and the more we can eliminate possible negative situations.