ABSTRACT
Individuals live in character, in and out of crisis. Enduring personality traits and patterns of behavior do not change. Human nature, in response to stress, moves us to what is most familiar and predictable as a way of restoring personal safety and balance. One woman said it this way: “I was my mother’s primary caregiver during her elder years. That, in and of itself, was stressful and demanding. She began to have a series of small strokes but wasn’t ready for a nursing home, so I brought her back to my home. Her personality changed in subtle, but distinct ways. I got more and more worried but believed I could handle it. I always did in the past. Unfortunately, all the tried-and-true approaches didn’t work. I couldn’t believe that those ways that I knew to help weren’t working anymore. By the time I finally got it through my thick skull I had to do something different, I was in terrible shape trying to care for my mother.”
