Post-traumatic growth is a term that grew from the field of positive psychology. It differs from resilience, which refers to the ability to endure traumatic events and recover, in the sense that the traumatic event can make the person grow in a significant manner. In other words, the person grows and gains from the experience as opposed to simply recuperating.

A baby is much more open to the world than an adult is. A baby new into the world is trying to learn as much as it can about its surroundings since it's vital information to its survival.

Extraversion and openness to new experience are personality traits that are often associated with one's ability to achieve post-traumatic growth. Extraversion would theoretically lead someone to seek social support to construct a meaning from their experiences. The openness to new experience disposes someone to accept and embrace change, and while this doesn't necessarily help in negative situations, it allows a person the flexibility to deal with unexpected events.

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are ways for the ego to protect the conscious mind from the anxiety that arises from unacceptable impulses.

Projection is when someone attributes his or her own feelings to another person or group (e.g. Sue projecting her feelings of fear onto her boss).

While intriguing, the other choices are incorrect. Displacement is when someone takes their negative emotions and focuses them on a different, safer target. Denial is when someone acts as if the negative feelings or events that cause negative emotions do not exist. Sublimation is when someone channels his or her unacceptable feelings toward a more productive, socially acceptable activity/goal. Identification is when someone takes on the characteristics of someone else in order to give himself or herself more power.

Gordon Allport's trait theory outlines 3 types of traits: Cardinal Traits (dominant traits/ruling passions), Central Traits (characteristics found (at least somewhat) in most or all people), and Secondary Traits (traits exhibited only on certain occasions). While Allsport assigned differing levels of dominance to these traits, he believed a thorough examination of all kinds of traits was needed to accurately reflect a person's personality.

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are ways for the ego to protect the conscious mind from the anxiety that arises from unacceptable impulses.

Displacement is when someone takes their negative emotions and focuses them on a different, safer target (e.g. Leah taking out her frustration on her TV).

While intriguing, the other choices are incorrect. Rationalization is when someone decides or comes up with a seemingly logical explanation to justify an event and avoid the true explanation. Reaction formation is when someone expresses an exaggerated, opposite version of how they actually feel. Denial is when someone acts as if the negative feelings or events that cause negative emotions do not exist. Identification is when someone takes on the characteristics of someone else in order to give himself or herself more power.

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are ways for the ego to protect the conscious mind from the anxiety that arises from unacceptable impulses.

Rationalization is when someone decides or comes up with a seemingly logical explanation to justify an event and avoid the true explanation (e.g. Tom stating that he never liked his job after getting fired).

While intriguing, the other choices are incorrect. Displacement is when someone takes their negative emotions and focuses them on a different, safer target. Reaction formation is when someone expresses an exaggerated, opposite version of how they actually feel. Denial is when someone acts as if the negative feelings or events that cause negative emotions do not exist. Identification is when someone takes on the characteristics of someone else in order to give himself or herself more power.

As humans, we are constantly trying to adapt to our circumstances which disposes us to almost a constant state of change. There are also developmental stages that every person goes through that can and do make marked changes in one's personality, beliefs, values, habits, and physical appearance. This is the field of developmental psychology.

According to the "Maturity Principle", between the ages of 20-65 people's negative personality traits decrease and positive ones increase. Over time, people tend to develop more accountability for themselves, acceptance over things they cannot control, and more emotional stability. Moreover, they easily "ride the waves" of highs and lows in life. This is counter to what most people view the process of aging as a state of decline into bitterness and remorse, it is in fact the opposite. We tend to become better people.

According to Freud, defense mechanisms are ways for the ego to protect the conscious mind from the anxiety that arises from unacceptable impulses.

Reaction formation is when someone expresses an exaggerated, opposite version of how they actually feel (e.g. Travis’s hyper-masculinity in response to his worries about not being masculine enough).

While intriguing, the other choices are incorrect. Denial is when someone acts as if the negative feelings or event causing the negative feelings does not exist. Identification is when someone takes on the characteristics of someone else in order to give himself or herself more power. Projection is when someone attributes his or her own feelings to another person or group. Sublimation is when someone channels his or her unacceptable feelings toward a more productive, socially acceptable activity/goal.