Thought for the Week

Timothy D. Stein, MFT, CSAT

July 29, 2013

The Stockdale Paradox

Admiral Jim Stockdale was the highest-ranking naval officer held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.  When asked what it took to survive the Vietnam POW experience, Admiral Stockdale said it required simultaneously holding to contradictory perspectives: faith that you will survive and succeed as well as brutal honesty about how bad the situation is.  If you only held one of these, you didn’t survive the POW experience.  This can be applied to many situations in everyday life and especially life in recovery.  Recognizing the brutal reality of your situation is important but it can be overwhelming.  Having faith that you can get through your situation and succeed is important but does not prepare you for the trials ahead.  By holding both of these perspectives you create hope tempered with preparedness.

Do I have faith that I can survive and succeed through my current struggles?  Have I accepted the brutal truth about the severity of my situation?  How might my experience and the way I manage my situation change if I hold these two perspectives simultaneously?