Running head: A LEARNING MACHINE AND QUESTION OF RESILIENCE 1

Human Growth & Development Signature Assignment

A Learning Machine and Question of Resilience
Chrispin Sangano
Salt Lake Community College






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How is it that some children show a certain resilience after experience a trauma and others
do not?(Bazelon, 2006). What is resilience and what is neuroplasticity? According to
psycologytoday.com, Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked
down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and
drain their resolve, they find a way to rises from the ashes. Psychologists have identified some
of the factors that make someone resilient, among them a positive attitude, optimism, the ability
to regulate emotions, and the ability to see failure as a form of helpful feedback. Otherwise,
neuroplasticity is defined by the Posit Science Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Merzenich as the
capacity of continuous alteration of the neural pathways and synapses of living brain and nervous
system in response to experience or injury that involves the formation of new pathways and
synapses and the elimination or modification of the existing one. According to him, this means
that our body and minds adapt and change to world around us. As I continue with this paper, we
will see how why this happen in our physical and mental mind.
Human life is characterized by different steps, from conception to infancy, from puberty to
adolescence, and so one. As all other creatures on earth, human faces changes that are physical
and mental. The ability to adapt is different for each species as well as each person (positscience.
Com, n.d.). Nelson stated that Rutter and his associates after evaluating the behavioral
development of children who were adopted from Romanian orphanages By UK families after the
fall of Ceausescu regime; they studied a sample of such children at ages four, six, and eleven
years. The result of this evaluation was that in only six months those children, who were studied,
were able to adapt in school even more than those who have been there for a while. When we
face changes, sometime it is hard to familiarize to them like it was for me when I came from
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Africa. Adaptation is very important because it help us to survive and understand the world
around us. When we move from one place to another, we come across different chances that are
physical and mental as I say previously, and the ability to adapt to these changes differ for each
species as well as each person. During lifespan, human body faces transformation too. We get
old. What is important is that the brain is able to adapt to these changes because its one part of
our body that can that can be trained to be young that we are (positscience. Com, n.d.). Also,
from each generation to anther there are different changes that occur, and the brain continue to
maintain its capacity to be used to these changes. Im just imagining if our brain could not be
adaptive to these changes during lifespan what could happen?
Psychological state of mind can be directly affected by biological factors. According to
Banzelo, researchers have found out that 5-HTT is critical for the regulation of serotonin. Proper
regulation of serotonin helps promote well-being and protects against depression in response to
trauma or stress. 5-HTT gene has two alleles. Each of them exists in either a long or a short.
People with two long alleles are prone to be more resilience, and these are not what could be
called depression gene. Under extreme circumstances or traumatic events much like abuse,
relationships, war, excess stress is when these genes can be generated. The gene itself does not
cause depression. Depression has many variables to it causes.
Everyone has differences experiences. Different things happens us and some people
express it in different way. Two people may come across to some situation, but one may be more
resilience than the other. As the article explained, some people may have genes that cause them
to have plasticity.
These two articles make me reflect how resilience I am. My life has been characterized
by different steps. Form Congo to Uganda where I was a refugee with any hope of being who I
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am today then from Uganda to USA. All the time when I was thinking about what happened to
my family in Congo after the death of my beloved father, I had a heart of rebelling. My heart was
full of sorrows. But after learning how to forgive, I decided focus on what could help me
improve my life. It was so hard to live in Uganda with any help. Sometime what could come in
your mind was just killing yourself. Life has other meaning.
When I received my approval letter of coming into the United States of America, I was
another person. What came in mind first was everything I used to see on TVs. How beautiful
America looks. Then, I pictured myself in classroom because I really love school, but miss the
chance of studying. Today I thank God I am going to school and I am able to support myself.
What is in my mind now is what is around me.











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References
Banzelon, E. (2006). A question of resilience. The New York Times. n.d.
Merzenich, M. (2012). The posit science plasticity and resilience. n.d. Retrieved
from http://www.positscience.com.
Nelson, L. (2006). A learning machine: plasticity and change throughout life. Association
for Psychological Science, 27-28

http://www.positscience.com

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/resilience