Graduate School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Graduate Studies

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirement for the Subject

ADVERSITY QUOTIENT (Turning Obstacles into Opportunities)

PAUL G. STOLTZ, Ph.D
Book Review

Submitted to:

Dr. Gerry J. Caño

Cagayan de Oro College

Cagayan de Oro City

Submitted by:

Rose Tonie A. Banate

(MS Crim II Student)

 The book Adversity Quotient (Turning Obstacles into Opportunities) by Dr.
Paul G. Stoltz talks about how does someone overcome struggles in life towards
achieving success, how does someone deal from a misfortune and recover. What is
Adversity Quotient by the way?

Adversity Quotient according to Dr. Stoltz (1997) is the most widely used way
of measuring and strengthening human resilience.  AQ is rooted in three sciences:
cognitive psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, and neurophysiology.  Stoltz (1997)
further suggested AQ is about how one responds to life especially the tough times
many people encounter every day.  AQ is a gauge to measure how you respond and
deal with challenges and adversities that many times catch us totally off guard and
unprepared.

The book classified three type of person namely; quitters, campers and
climbers.

Quitters are those people who doesn’t mind trying or if they will try, they will
easily back out because they prefer much easy way. The song of Freddie Aguilar
that states “ang umaayaw ay di nag wawagi, and ang nagwawagi ay di umaayaw”
makes it true that quitters really never win. In reality a lot of people are quitters just
like some students who are poor they believe that they cannot go to school due
financial instability where in fact a lot of scholarships are being offered, all they need
to do is submit their application but they still choose not to. They are stagnant people
and are afraid of changes.

Campers are the playing safe people. They try to achieve their dreams and
when they feel satisfaction, they will already stop striving for they believe it’s the best
choice they can made. Their most line is “this is good enough” where in fact they can
still try to reach the peak of their success. They are afraid to fall down from where
they started because they have already found their safe place. Just like gambling in
carnival, one person places his bet on one game and he won for five consecutive
times, he won’t place his bet again in the sixth time he will go home with the money
he already won. He is afraid to take the risk of placing his bet again because there is
no assurance that he will win again.
 This book featured Beck Weathers who in spite of the impossibility he still
made it. It was already believed that he already died but what happen he is the living
proof that no matter what it takes, what risks will you be experiencing in achieving
your dream all you need to is continue reach for it. And that is the attitude of a
climber. A climber never stops until he reaches the peak of the mountain, no matter
how many setbacks he will experience, whatever trials and struggles, it will not
hinder him to achieve what he wants. Just like singers, they have auditioned a lot of
competition, they have also experienced a lot of rejections before they become a
famous and renowned singer. Climbers are risk takers.

Does having a high Intelligent Quotient an assurance that your future will be
bright? The book answered this question, it said that it does not mean a person
having a high IQ also mean that a person will be successful, what if he will face
adversity? Can he be able to handle that? A fact which I agree because I have
witness person who was a very intelligent but still, fails to achieve what he dreamed
of. My cousin who was also an intelligent person committed suicide because of just a
small problem. See, IQ is not an assurance that your future will be brighter than
those persons who has a lower IQ. In reality, most of the lower IQ became
successful in life because they know how to handle difficult situations in life. It seems
that they have higher adversity quotient. We are calling them “wais” wise person who
knows what to do in times of trials, they know how to overcome obstacles in life.

Adversity quotient has four core dimension that describe your pattern of
response to adversity. First is control which is extent to which someone perceive
they can influence whatever happen next. It talks about resiliency, hardiness, health
and tenacity. We Filipino has high adversity quotient especially in situation of floods,
typhoons and any other calamity. We just smile and continue like never really
happen, we take control of the situation, we won’t let the situation control us. Instead
of worrying, we find ways and provide solutions.

Second is the ownership and origin that talks about accountability,

responsibility, action and engagement. It is how much you place blame on yourself
for adversity you are suffering and how much responsibility you take for correcting
the adversity you are facing. The book entails that it is better to put blame on
yourself in order for you to learn so that you will take caution and be responsible of
your action in the future.

Third is reach which pertains to the extent to which someone perceives in

adversity will “reach into” and affect other aspects of the situation or beyond which
includes burden, stress, energy and effort; it tends to have cumulative effect. It is
related to how extensively you allow adversity to affect your life. Person with
disability who still choose to work despite the fact that there is lacking in them. Did
their adversity stop them? No, they still continue and prove that life must go on.

Lastly is endurance, the length of time the individual perceives the

situation/adversity will last or endure. A person’s hope, optimism and the willingness
to persevere. How long will you continue in order to get back? How will you be able
to find a way in your adversity. It talks about how strong the person is, who is
enduring unpleasant or difficult process without giving way. It is how you fight your
adversity. It’s just liked a game that you play where you feel like you’re already losing
but you continue and find the weak spot of the opponent and then knock him down
and win the game.

Which is better optimist or pessimist? Dr. Stoltz stated an optimist is much

better than pessimists which I agree for they are the people who believe that
whenever adversity came its just another chance or another means to improve
yourself. Turning problems into opportunity or to a new discovery of new things that
might change your life in a better way. “All adversity is really an opportunity for our
soul to grow”, John Grey.

Socrates stated “know thyself”. Of course, we should know who we are what
are our strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to know our weak spot so that we
can improve it, whenever there will be adversity, we can surpass it and continue with
our life like nothing happen.

I am happy to have read this book for it help me to know myself more, if I
were to rate this book it will be “satisfied” for I was really satisfied with content of the
book.