SG | Under Pressure: Stress to be The Best

Studium Generale Open Mind Lab lecture series explores stress, perfection and the frenzy for attention

What is the stress to be the best which many experience? To what extent is this a new phenomenon and why would it seem to be so widespread? Prof. Michael Ungar (Dalhousie University, Canada) reaches deep into the heart of this phenomenon and the tendency to focus on how individuals in dealing with it. His research on what is commonly referred to as ‘resilience’, draws on findings from around the world and examples from his clinical practice. If it seems as if  it is only ‘you’ who can’t seem to adequately deal with pressures, Prof. Ungar might just prove you wrong. He explores the evolution of the factors which shape how individuals make sense of the world around them and their place in it.  This includes the extent to which resilience should be understood from within the personal realm or as a dynamic at the heart of modern societies.  

About Michael Ungar

Michael Ungar Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. Since 2002, Dr. Ungar has directed the Resilience Research Centre, designing multisite longitudinal research and evaluation projects in more than a dozen low, middle, and high-income countries. Dr. Ungar has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the subject of resilience and is the author of 15 books for mental health professionals, researchers and lay audiences.