La Carlota City College

Graduate School
City of La Carlota
Topic:
Adversity Quotient
Subject: Effective Communication
Reporter: Janet S. Abordo
Ma. Estrella M. Espaola
Professor: Dr. Fatima G. Bullos

I INTRODUCTION
Psychologists agree that, a persons career success depends on their
intelligence quotient, emotional quotient and adversity quotient. When IQ is
held constant, AQ plays an especially pivotal role.
A high AQ leads to first-rate accomplishments, productivity and creativity. It can
help people maintain their health, vitality and happiness. Research shows that,
people with higher AQs recover faster than those with lower AQs following
operations. Those with higher AQs also have much better sales performance
than those with lower AQs and get promoted faster at the workplace.
High AQs can be cultivated. As its best to start from a young age, many
educational organizations offer adversity education.
In most tests of AQ, the four main variables examined are control, ownership,
reach and endurance (CORE). Control refers to how much control an individual
has over the adversity. Ownership refers to the reason for the adversity and
the willingness of the individual to assume responsibility and take the necessary
measures. Reach refers to the extent to which the problem affects other areas
of the individuals life, like work and home life. Endurance refers to how long
the problem and its effects last.
As has been shown repeatedly, in a world filled with adversity, career success
and life achievements are not just a product of IQ and EQ, they also depend on
a persons AQ.

What is AQ?
AQ is the most scientifically robust and
widely used method in the world for
measuring and strengthening human
resilience.
Top leaders, industry-leading companies,
and governments worldwide use AQ to
enhance or transform:
Performance
Productivity
Innovation
Agility
Change

Pace
Problem solving
Optimism
Engagement
Morale
Retention
Energy
Hiring
Development
Coaching
People
Leadership
Culture

Adversity Quotient is about how you respond to life,

esp. the tough stuff. A gauge or measure of how you
respond & deal with everything, from everyday hassles
to the big adversities that life can spring on you. An
established science, theory, and approach for
becoming measurably more resilient. The more
resilient you are, the more effectively & constructively
you respond to lifes difficulties & the more fulfilling life
becomes.
The stronger your AQ, the more effectively you will
respond to adversity, and the less lifes events will take
a toll on your energy, performance, health and outlook.
The weaker your AQ, the more difficult it can be for you
to maintain the energy, optimism, and fortitude
required to optimize your talents and your life.

An adversity quotient (AQ) is a score

that measures the ability of a person to
deal with adversities in his or her life.
Hence, it is commonly known as the
science of resilience. The term was coined
by Paul Stoltz in 1997 in his book Adversity
Quotient:
Turning
Obstacles
Into
Opportunities.
To
quantify
adversity
quotient, Stoltz developed an assessment
method called the Adversity Response
Profile (ARP).

The AQ is one of the probable indicators of a

person's success in life and is also primarily
useful to predict attitude, mental stress,
perseverance,
longevity,
learning,
and
response to changes in environment.
"Adversity Quotient will show that you have
more control over events than you think. The
key is changing your beliefs. Believe it or not,
that can usually be done in One Minute." -Ken
Blanchard, co-author, The One Minute
Manager

Scientific Backbone of AQ

AQ is rooted in three sciences:

psychoneuroimmunology,
neurophysiology, and cognitive
psychology. They are its building
blocks. Hundreds of research
studies lend support to the role
AQ plays in determining ones
ability to triumph over obstacles.

Psychoneuroimmunology is a field in science

that examines the mind-body relationship.
In essence, it studies the relationship
between what one thinks and feels and
what goes on in the body. How do thoughts
and feelings affect the body and its overall
health?
Bottom Line Your thoughts and emotions
determine the strength of your body chemistry
down to the cellular level.

Neurophysiology is a field in science

that focuses on the brain. It studies
how the brain learns and functions.
How are habits formed and what
must occur to change habits once
they
are
established?
Bottom Line The brain is ideally
equipped to hardwire habits of
thought and behavior.

Cognitive Psychology is the most popular

aspect of psychology focusing on the
relationships
between
thoughts
and
feelings associated with ones mental
health. While there are many aspects to
cognitive
psychology,
of
particular
importance to AQ is the research
examining the human need for control or
mastery
over
ones
life.
Bottom Line Learned Helplessness,
considered to be the Landmark Theory of
the Century, explains why many people
give up or stop short when faced with lifes

Responding to Adversity
At the highest level people fall into two groups:
A. Pessimists
Consider any adversity to be permanent, all
pervading, and deeply personal.
They believe that any crisis will never end, and
that it will destroy everything.
They also believe it is their fault.

B. Optimists

See adversity and problems as

challenges
See problems as temporary, limited,
and external to themselves.
Do not internalize issues, and have a
This too shall pass philosophy.

Measuring Your Adversity Quotient

Below is a short sample of an adversity
response profile. It provides a snapshot into
how you respond to adversity, but it does
not provide a complete measure of your
"adversity quotient," or AQ. Some employers
are using AQ to predict employees' levels of
success, stress threshold, performance, risktaking, capacity for change, productivity,
perseverance, improvement, energy and
health.

Imagine the following situations as if

they were happening right now. Then
circle your answer to each one.
1) You suffer a financial setback.

How much control do you feel you have

in this situation?
No Control 1 2 3 4 5 Complete Control

2) You are overlooked for a

promotion.
To what extent do you feel responsible
for dealing with this situation?
Not responsible at all 1 2 3 4 5
Completely responsible

3) You are criticized for a big project

you just completed.

The reason I was criticized is
something that:
Relates to all aspects of my life 1 2 3 4
5 Just relates to this situation

4) You do not help a co-worker who

needs your assistance.

The reason I did not help will:
Always exist 1 2 3 4 5 Never exist
again

5) The highest priority project

you
are
cancelled.

working

on

gets

How much control do you feel you

have in this situation?
No Control 1 2 3 4 5 Complete
Control

6) Someone you respect ignores your

attempt
issue.

to

discuss

an

important

To what extent do you feel responsible

for dealing with this situation?
Not responsible at all 1 2 3 4 5
Completely responsible

7) People respond unfavorably to

your latest ideas.

The reason people responded
unfavorably is something that:
Relates to all aspects of my life 1 2 3 4
5 Just relates to this situation

8) You are unable to take a much-

needed vacation.
The reason you are unable to take this
vacation will:
Always exist 1 2 3 4 5 Never exist
again

Scoring Instructions:
Add together all the numbers you
circled to get your overall AQ. Insert
your total in the box:
Low AQ (8-18) indicates that you have
a difficult time dealing with adversity,
and/or adversity takes an unnecessary
toll on your energy, performance and
spirit. Strengthening your AQ can
improve your natural resilience and
lessen the fallout from adversity.

Moderate AQ (19-31) indicates you deal

with adversity fairly well, however your

performance can be enhanced with a
higher AQ.
High

AQ (32-40) indicates a high

tolerance for adversity and the ability to
persevere through changing times. You
may be strengthened by adversity,
especially over time. You probably
embrace the right kind of change and take
necessary risks.

C=CONTROL
To what extent can you influence the situation?
How much control do you perceive you have?
Those with higher AQs perceive they have
significantly more control and influence in
adverse situations than do those with lower AQs.
Even in situations that appear overwhelming or
out of their hands, those with higher AQs find
some facet of the situation they can influence.
Those with lower AQs respond as if they have
little or no control and often give up.

O = Ownership
To what extent do you hold yourself
responsible for improving this situation?
To what extent are you accountable to play
some role in making it better?
Accountability is the backbone of action.
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.

R = Reach
How far does the fallout of this situation reach
into other areas of your work or life?
To what extent does the adversity extend
beyond
the
situation
at
hand?
Keeping the fallout under control and limiting
the reach of adversity is essential for efficient
and effective problem solving. Those with
higher AQs keep setbacks and challenges in
their place, not letting them infest the healthy
areas of their work and lives. Those with lower
AQs tend to catastrophize, allowing a setback
in one area to bleed into other, unrelated
areas and become destructive

E = Endurance

How long will the adversity endure?

Seeing beyond even enormous difficulties is
an essential skill for maintaining hope. Those
with higher AQs have the uncanny ability to
see past the most interminable difficulties and
maintain hope and optimism. Those with lower
AQs see adversity as dragging on indefinitely,
if not permanently.
Note: The average ARP score is 147.5.

How to Improve AQ?

Listen to your response to adversity.
Explore all origins and your
ownership responses.
Analyze the evidence.
Do something.

CLIMBERS

10 TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR AQ

1. Be a Detective. As difficult situations arise,
immediately pinpoint at least one facet of the situation
you can influence, if not control.
2. Be a Lawyer. Silently or vocally question people who
say, Well, theres nothing we can do about it. Find
specific ways to prove them wrong. Prove your case with
real evidence.
3. Be a Judge. If you feel you lack control over a given
situation, try to be impartial in your assessment. Base
your judgment only on facts.
4. Be a Pioneer. Be the first to take ownership of difficult
situations, whether or hot you were the cause. Pick your
moment and step into the wilderness of responsibility by
declaring your accountability and intended action.

5. Be an Opportunist. Ask yourself what will

definitely happen as a result of a given situation
within the next 24 to 48 hours. Pick those
outcomes for which you feel most compelled to
take ownership and action.
6. Be a Firefighter. When adversity strikes,
immediately contain the blaze by acting with
urgency to prevent it from affecting other areas of
your life. Hose down emotional bushfires as they
pop up.
7. Be a Surgeon. As difficulties arise, prevent
them from bleeding into other areas of your
business, relationships, and life by surgically
clamping the damaged artery and operating on or
even removing damaged tissue.

8. Be a Visionary. No matter how severe a

setback may be, imagine life after it has passed.
Force yourself to rise above and see beyond the
adversity. Paint a mental picture of how life is
different now that adversity is history.
9. Be an Accountant. Create a balance sheet,
indicating on one side the likely result of
adversity over which you have no control, feel no
ownership, and which is far-reaching and longlasting. On the other side, put the implications of
adversity over which you feel a certain amount
of control, strong ownership, and which you see
as limited and short-lived. Apply your analysis to
the situation at hand or as difficulties arise.

10. Be a Catalyst. Take even the

smallest constructive action to
regain control, to take ownership,
or to limit the reach or endurance
of the adversity, and you will
immediately begin to see it
shrink.

III

CONCLUSION

For organizations, leaders,

and individuals, AQ is the
bedrock of human endeavor.
Enhance AQ for real gains in
productivity,
capacity,
performance,
innovation,
morale... and more.

Become more resilient now.

AQ is the most widely used
gauge in the world for
assessing
your
current
resilience and learning how to
deal with everything from
minor
hassles
to
major
setbacks more effectively

Thank
you!