Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-28T04:58:14.855Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 17 - Overcoming Obstacles

Persisting, Pivoting, and Paying Attention to Unforeseen Opportunities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2022

By
Rachel Pruchno
Edited by
Jamila Bookwala  and
Nicky J. Newton
Jamila Bookwala
Affiliation:
Lafayette College, Pennsylvania
Nicky J. Newton
Affiliation:
Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario
Get access

Summary

The obstacles we face determine the people we become. In this chapter I look back on my life and show how an obstacle I experienced early in my professional career – failing my qualifying exam – prepared me to navigate the inevitable failures that come with being a scientist. Not only did this early obstacle help me as I faced subsequent obstacles in my professional career, so too did it help me in my personal life. The obstacles I faced taught me that there are times to persist, times to pivot, and times to pay attention to unforeseen opportunities.

Type
Chapter
Information
Reflections from Pioneering Women in Psychology , pp. 216 - 227
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Borup, J. H., Gallego, D. T., & Heffernan, P. G. (1978). Geriatric relocation. Ogden, UT: Weber State College Press.Google Scholar
Bourestom, N. C., & Tars, S. (1974). Alterations in life patterns following nursing home relocation. The Gerontologist, 14(6), 506–510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Depp, C. A., & Jeste, D. V. (2006). Definitions and predictors of successful aging: A comprehensive review of larger quantitative studies. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14(1), 6–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pruchno, R. (2014). Surrounded by madness: A memoir of mental illness and family secrets. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Pruchno, R. (2021). Beyond madness: Serious mental illness and what to do about it. Johns Hopkins.Google Scholar
Pruchno, R., Heid, A. R., & Wilson-Genderson, M. (2016). The Great Recession, life events, and mental health of older adults. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 84(3), 294–312. Published online October 4, 2016. doi:10.1177/0091415016671722CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pruchno, R., Wilson-Genderson, M., & Cartwright, F. (2010). A two-factor model of successful aging. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 65B(6), 671–679. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbq051CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pruchno, R., Wilson-Genderson, M., & Cartwright, F. P. (2012). The texture of neighborhoods and disability among older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67B(1), 89–98. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr131CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pruchno, R., Wilson-Genderson, M., Heid, A. R., & Cartwright, F. P. (2019). Type of disaster exposure affects functional limitations of older people six years later. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 75(11), 2139–2146. doi:10.1093/gerona/glz258Google Scholar
Wang, Y., Jones, B. F., & Wang, D. (2019). Early-career setback and future career impact. Nature Communications, 10 (4331). doi:10.1038/s41467–019-12189-3Google ScholarPubMed
Wilson-Genderson, M., Heid, A. R., & Pruchno, R. (2018 ). Long-term effects of disaster on depressive symptoms: Type of exposure matters. Social Science & Medicine, 217, 84–91. doi:10.1016/j.soc.scimed.2018.09.062Google Scholar
Wilson-Genderson, M., & Pruchno, R. (2013). Effects of neighborhood violence and perceptions of neighborhood safety on depressive symptoms of older adults. Social Science & Medicine, 85, 43–49. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.02.028CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson-Genderson, M., Pruchno, R., & Heid, A. R. (2017). Modeling successful aging over time in the context of a disaster. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 72(2), 328–339. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbw127Google ScholarPubMed
Young, Y., Frick, K. D., & Phelan, E. A. (2009 ). Can successful aging and chronic illness coexist in the same individual? A multidimensional concept of successful aging. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 10(2), 87–92. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2008.11.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×