Perceived control - This is one of the most important elements that determines how individuals respond to and handle adversity. It's all about understanding the extent to which an individual can influence the situation and how much perceived control they have. In other words, it's about empowerment and influence, resilience and gritty determination. People with a high perceived sense of control will take action which in turn results in even more control. Perceived control can be experienced by anyone -- a student who tackles a challenging course load, a child who in learning to ride a bicycle falls and who gets up to try again, to an executive who leads a company turnaround. On the other hand, those with a lack of perceived control feel there is "nothing I can do about it" or "you can't fight city hall."
Origin and ownership - This element consists of the perception of responsibility for improving a situation and the extent to which the individual needs to play a role in improving the situation. Those with higher AQs hold themselves accountable for dealing with situations regardless of their cause. Those with lower AQs deflect accountability and most often feel victimized and helpless. In other words, accountability is the backbone of action.
Reach - This relates to the scope and extent of the "fallout" from a situation into other areas of one's life. Individuals who can compartmentalize and keep the fallout under control, limiting the impact of the adversity, seem to engage in much more efficient and effective problem-solving. Those with a lower AQ tend to think in terms of catastrophe and engage in twisted thinking that holds them back and allows negativity to bleed into other areas of their life. They quickly feel overwhelmed.
Endurance - People who see adversity as simply temporary tend to believe that the future will get better; they see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Their sense of hope creates energy and optimism and increases the likelihood of action. Those with a lower AQ can be quite fatalistic and see the adversity as longer lasting, perhaps going on indefinitely.
Thankfully, science has shown that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. In other words, with effort, you can change a negative attitude and your ability to more effectively confront adversity. Stoltz provides a simple strategy that can help destroy your destructive responses to life's events and help strengthen your sense of control and commitment to act. This strategy, called LEAD is outlined below:
