The Seeds of Life: Significant Health Challenges and Posttraumatic Growth Among Chinese Executives in Midlife

Abstract

Despite many studies on the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth in health-related contexts such as cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, qualitative research is scarce in understanding how such growth happens. This study used in-depth interviews, narrative analysis, and Tedeschi and Calhoun’s 1996 Posttraumatic Growth Inventory data to explore 24 male and female Chinese executives’ posttraumatic growth and meaning-making after significant midlife health challenges. The study examined gender differences in growth aspects, processes, mechanisms, meaning-making, and influence factors. Five main posttraumatic growth aspects were found for male and female participants: better relationship with family members, more attention paid to health, better self-acceptance, softened inner self, and better work-life balance. These 5 factors differ from those found by Tedeschi and Calhoun: better relationship with others, seeing new possibilities, personal strength, spiritual growth, and appreciation of life. Four secondary posttraumatic growth factors emerged: Female participants had more growth in spirituality, calmness, benevolence, and authenticity; and male participants had more growth in reverence for life, appreciation of life, reprioritizing in life, and acceptance of imperfection. Nine stages of experiences were summarized: diagnosis, confrontation, emotional wave, “Why me?” questioning, acceptance, new awareness, growth as a new self, making meaning, and finding new identity. Seven themes emerged: Posttraumatic growth is linked to the severity of the illness and individual spiritual maturity; it stimulates recovery of balance of health, family, career, and inner peace; it connects Chinese and Western culture through a triad of gratitude, humanity, and mindfulness in one’s relationships with the world, others, and self; female executives had greater posttraumatic growth than male executives, and their families experienced more cross-generational growth; midlife career transitions are catalyzed with proactivity, courage, and spiritual growth for female executives, more so than for more risk-averse male executives; spiritual growth can accumulate through multiple traumatic events; and posttraumatic meaning-making is an ongoing process involving traditional, modern, proximate, and distal sociocultural impact factors. Life crises are seeds of life, which may make existing challenges more visible, noticeable, or unbearable, and through confrontation with those crises, people have the opportunity to learn, grow, and live a different life.

Alternate abstract:

在世界范围内，关于患病后获得创伤后成长的研究案例中鲜见具有纵深发现的定性研究。本研究运用深度访谈、叙事分析、以及Tedeschi和Calhoun 在1996年提出的创伤后成长量表对 24位曾经身患重大疾病的中国中年高管进行研究，探究他们患病后的经历、获得的创伤后成长、以及康复后对生命意义的思考，同时也从性别差异这个角度对比了男女受访者的成长历程以及影响其探究生命意义的社会文化因素。

本研究发现男女对比组共通的前五项创伤后成长维度：与家人更亲密、更注重健康、更加自我接纳、内心世界更柔软、以及工作生活更平衡。这一发现与Tedeschi 和Calhoun的成长五大维度有所不同：与他人更好的关系、看到新的可能性、个人能力提升、精神层面成长、以及感恩生活。本研究还发现男女对比组呈现差异的后四项成长维度：女性受访者在精神层面、平和、慈悲以及真诚等与内心世界相关的四个方面有所成长，男性受访者在敬畏生命、感恩生活、生活要务重新排序以及接受不完美等与生活态度相关的四个方面有所成长。研究发现获得创伤后成长所经历的九个阶段：确诊、艰难面对、情绪波澜、思考“为什么是我？”、接受和接纳、新的觉察、获得成长、探究意义、以及成为全新自我。

本研究还发现七个关于创伤后成长的特点：1) 创伤后成长与疾病的严重程度以及个人精神世界成熟度相关; 2) 创伤后成长引发个体重新找回曾经失去的健康、家庭、职业发展以及内心世界的平衡; 3) 创伤后成长在中西方文化底层紧密相连，构建了感恩、仁爱、正念这三个成长引擎； 4) 女性受访者比男性受访者有更加明显的创伤后成长，同时她们的家人获得更加明显的代际成长; 5) 催生中年职业转型的因素中，女性受访者呈现出更加积极、更有勇气、以及精神层面的成长，男性受访者呈现出量力而行和远离风险的特质; 6) 精神层面的成长在经历多重创伤事件后呈现累积效应; 7) 探索生命意义与传统和现代文化，以及近端和远端社会文化影响因素相关。

磨难如生命的种子，它会带来难以忍受的痛苦，同时也会激发人们直面真相的勇气，继而获得学习和成长的机会，开启崭新的生命篇章。

关键词：中国高管，创伤后成长，重大疾病，中年职业转型，性别差异，探究生命意义，逆境中成长