Reframing Struggle as Strength

Photo by Edge2Edge Media on Unsplash

Many of the qualities we most admire, like resilience and perseverance, are forged in the face of difficulty. We celebrate this truth all the time in the stories we tell. Some of the most inspiring characters in literature, film, and history are those who grow stronger through hardship. Yet in public discourse, people seen as disadvantaged are often portrayed in terms of the hardships they experience rather than the strengths those experiences build.

When people are described as “at risk,” “disadvantaged,” or “underserved,” the intent is to show care and identify obstacles that can hold people back from reaching their potential. The problem isn’t recognizing challenges but what happens when well-intentioned efforts to highlight disadvantage become the prevailing narrative for how people are seen. When deficit language becomes the dominant theme, it sends a limiting message. People begin to seem fragile, defined by their difficulties rather than their capabilities. Over time, this framing can become self-fulfilling, encouraging people to internalize a view of themselves centered more on limitation than possibility.

Two recent studies suggest a more helpful approach might be to reframe challenging life experiences in terms of the strengths they cultivate. In this research, psychologists Christina Bauer, Gregory Walton, Veronika Job, and Nicole Stephens tested this idea with first-generation and lower-income college students. The researchers designed an exercise where students read stories from peers who had faced obstacles such as parents unable to help with money or advice, or the need to balance jobs with school, and how these experiences taught them perseverance, problem-solving, and the ability to seek help. Afterward, students reflected in writing on how their own challenges had cultivated strengths and how those strengths could help them succeed in college.

The first study was a lab experiment with a group of first-generation students. Those who completed the exercise were more than twice as likely to recognize strengths tied to their backgrounds compared to those in a control condition. They described qualities such as motivation, resilience, gratitude, and pride. They acknowledged the challenges, but they also recognized the strengths that grew from them. Students who took part in the exercise also performed better on an academic task than their peers in a control group.

A second, larger study tested the approach over the course of a full semester in an online biology class with nearly 800 students. Lower-income students were randomly assigned either to the reframing exercise or to a control activity focused on study strategies. The reframing activity again asked students to reflect on how challenges in their lives had helped them develop strengths they could draw on in college. Those who completed this exercise earned higher grades across the semester and showed greater engagement, completing more extra credit work than their peers. The researchers suggest the activity may create a reinforcing cycle in which recognizing strengths builds confidence, confidence improves performance, and stronger performance deepens a sense of competence.

This work highlights an important truth that extends beyond education. The way we talk about people can inform not just how we view them, but also how they view their own potential. When the story is only about deficits, it does little to inspire growth. When the story also includes strengths, it can spark hope and open new paths forward.

When you think about your own struggles, or the struggles of others, do you describe them only in terms of limitation? Or do you also recognize the strengths that might be growing in the midst of difficulty? That small shift in framing won’t solve every problem, but it can change the way we see ourselves and others, and open new possibilities for flourishing. Challenges don’t just create obstacles. They can also cultivate capabilities.

Have a great weekend!

Clay