A Reflection of the Elenor Clark Slagle Lecture by Susan B. Fine

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Resilience and Human Adaptability: Who Rises Above Adversity? 

1990 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture 
Susan B.Fine (AOTA, 1991)

                                         Photo by Hobart Historical Society      Photo by American Journal of Occupational Therapy
 
     

    The Elenor Clarke Slagle Lecture transcript I chose was written by Susan B. Fine who was recognized for one of the most distinguished awards in the occupational therapy profession in 1991. Fine chose to speak about adversity and how individuals can learn to adapt in the midst of adversity. 


I chose this article because of the words adapt and adversity. As a future occupational therapist, our whole job is helping clients adapt to their new or changing lifestyle, no matter the adversity. I grew up in a military household who moved every two years. My whole childhood was about adapting to new places and finding happiness in where I was. This is how it will be for my future clients. Say I have a client who had a stroke. That in itself is adversity. They are now challenged with a new way of living and moving. They need to adapt to this and with my help we can find a way for them to function with this new challenge. I was eager to read about skills and opinions about adaptations during difficult times. This is what I am passionate about and I felt as this article was right on top of helping others through their hardships and getting them into a stage of life where they know they will be okay the next time adversity hits. 

There were lots of terms in this article that stuck out to me, but the ones that related the most to occupational therapy in my opinion were adversity and problem solving (AOTA, 1191).  I kind of already mentioned adversity but this is something that anyone in any profession will deal with. Obstacles will be thrown in your way and you have to do your best to tackle them head on. That leads me into the next word which was problem solving. On page 494, Fine explains the importance of "concrete problem solving" (AOTA). This goes hand in hand with adversity and adapting. Being an occupational therapist is not a rule book occupation. I will have to adapt and be flexible during anytime with a client. Dr. Lancaster gave an example in class yesterday that really stuck out to me. She said "what if your client does not want to do the treatment you had planned for them. Then what?" (Lancaster, 2023). That is when you use problem solving to come up with something specific for your client. That is what Fine was trying to explain in her work. There is never a right answer in occupational therapy. We are flexible and ready to do something new the second the first task does not work out. 

There were a few things that happened in society in 1991. A man named Ryan White had two illnesses and then became an advocate for HIV/Aids. He turned his embarrassing situation into an amazing program for those with these diseases. He was resilient and turned a time of adversity into an amazing project of helping others with things he was once struggling with (Fine, 1991, p.496). Another one that really stuck out to me was the story of Victor Frankl. He is a Holocaust survivor who was angry with his feelings towards what he went through. He was able to step back and realize that he could use these feelings and experiences for good, and was able to use them in his psychology practice. He experienced things that were out of his control, but then once he took control back he was successful. He was dealt with extreme hurt and adversity but arose and made the best out of his situation (Fine, 1991, p.498). 


I believe Fine wrote about this topic because of her passion for rehabilitation and facing challenges. She gave great advice and tools that I am sure she has seen or used in her practice. It had everything to do with practice because of what we may see every day. As an occupational therapist, there will never be a day that is the same as the other. Learning to adapt to challenges within your facility or your clients will make everyone including yourself successful and able to adapt when needed. 

Reference:

Fine, S. B. (1991). Resilience and human adaptability: Who rises above adversity? The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 45(6), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.45.6.493







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