Resilience of women and elders survivors of domestic violence

The joy of having a family can not be ignored even in the most dysfunctional families. The family is considered to be "the most active center of aggression" [4], family members being exposed to much greater risks, as victims of domestic violence than as potential victims in any other type of violence [5]. Since 1980 Straus, Gelles and Steinmetz claimed that it is more likely for a person to be hit or killed in his/her own family by another family member than anyone else on the street. However, building a family which ensures a secure and protective space is a major hope of life for each of us. At the time we are children, satisfied or dissatisfied with our own family, hope to build a family in which we can give and receive love and affection, as future adults. At the time we are adults, happy or hurt due to dysfunctional family relationships, we are proud of our family or we assign blame for its failures. Concerned about the mental health rather than identifying the causes and treatments for mental disorders, I developed an approach for assessing the characteristics of "survivor personality", which is a resilience personality that continues to live despite adverse conditions. The approach of assessment was applied to adult victims of domestic violence: women and elders. Women endure suffering and humiliation for the sake of children and family. Elders forgive children nonsense and hope that children would remember fondly their parents, after death. Capacity of resilience develops as there are increased educational benefits that the external environment has on the individual. The proposed assessment approach valorises principles of participatory practice, non-formal education and outcome evaluation in the single systems.