Is There Always Value to Adversity?: Looking Beyond What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Author/Contributor(s):	Jayawickreme, Eranda
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date:	08/03/2026
Binding:	Hardcover
Condition:	NEW

In Is There Always Value to Adversity?, Eranda Jayawickreme examines whether post-traumatic growth--the positive changes people report after adversity--reflects real transformation or is simply a coping mechanism. As Jayawickreme explains, the idea that struggle, trauma, and adversity can be a catalyst for positive outcomes has a long intellectual history. He outlines the history of this thinking, tracking its development in different cultural, religious, and philosophical traditions. He then discusses its recent emergence as a popular topic and critically evaluates the current research, highlighting guidelines for how we should think about this phenomenon. Ultimately, Jayawickreme asks: is growth through suffering real, or just a comforting story we tell ourselves?