Growth Following Adversity is Rare: Evidence from a Multi-Informant Longitudinal Study of Children and Adolescents

The idea that adversity is necessary for psychological growth pervades cultural narratives and lay theories. We empirically tested this notion with a multi-informant, longitudinal study of children and adolescents (n = 682). Initial adversity was not associated with change in effortful control and emotional stability, while increasing adversity was negatively correlated with growth. However, a small sub-group of individuals still managed to grow despite adversity. The narrative that adversity is crucial for growth likely originated, and continues to survive, because scholars and laypeople focus on this minority who grow despite adversity, while overlooking the overall null or negative association. The accumulated evidence suggests that researchers should look elsewhere for the life experiences that reliably lead to growth and not distress.