Life doesn’t always go as planned. Setbacks, loss, illness, or personal challenges can make us feel vulnerable and unsure about the future. These experiences may shake our sense of self and leave us questioning what life is all about. Yet even in hardship there’s potential for growth. This process, known as post-traumatic growth (PTG), is about finding new strength and purpose in the face of adversity. Whether it’s struggles with fertility, career setbacks, or other personal difficulties, PTG offers hope for everyone.

Psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun (2004) describe PTG as positive change after dealing with trauma. PTG isn’t about ignoring pain but finding strength within it. That growth can look like:

PTG is about moving forward with a new sense of self, shaped by what we’ve gone through. This kind of growth doesn’t depend on a specific event but on how we process and find meaning in our challenges.

To understand PTG, it helps to consider the concepts of possible and feared selves, introduced by psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius (1986). Our possible self represents our hopes and dreams: who we want to become. Our feared self, on the other hand, represents our anxieties and what we want to avoid becoming. These two visions shape how we move through life.

When things are going well, we usually focus on our possible self—whether that’s a career goal, a meaningful relationship, or becoming a parent.........

© Psychology Today