Running Head: PERSONAL VALUES IN RESILIENCE
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Role of Personal Values in Resilience of Soldiers and Overall Correlation to Trauma
Webster University
Summer 2014
PERSONAL VALUES IN RESILIENCE 2
Abstract
Experiencing traumatic events affects each soldier differently. Some soldiers go on to develop
post- traumatic stress disorder while others are relatively unaffected. Many studies have looked
at variables such as hardiness, resiliency, prior mental health status, and such but very few look
at how a soldiers personal and military values could affect their overall resiliency in times of
trauma. Not only can values predict a possible mental health outcome but values can also predict
severity, longevity, and many other factors that are important to resiliency in soldiers. This study
will explore correlations between values and resiliency and how both are part of traumatic
experiences soldiers face in today’s wars.
PERSONAL VALUES IN RESILIENCE 3
Role of Personal Values in Resilience of Soldiers and Overall Correlation to Trauma
The purpose of this paper is to determine the role that personal and military values have
on resiliency of soldiers and the correlation to traumatic events. Prior written and published
research will be used to correlate how important values are in resiliency and if values can
determine resiliency before a traumatic event occurs. The research will also explore if values
can help explain other important factors of resiliency of soldiers after experiencing traumatic
events and how counselors and leaders can use value based methods to help increase soldier
resiliency.
Personal values for the purpose of this paper are “desirable, trans-situational goals,
varying in importance, that serve as guiding principles in the life of a person” (Zimmerman,
