Resource Loss among Adults, Groups, and Communities

Conservation of Resources Theory

COR theory divides resources into four categories: object, personal, condition, and energy. Object resources (e.g., car, house) are tangible items that are valued for their practical use and for the status that is often associated with them. Personal resources (e.g., self-esteem, self-efficacy) are internal or psychological characteristics of an individual that can be used to acquire further resources and enhance coping and stress resistance. Condition resources (e.g., familial or marital relationships) refer to one's social status and relationships with others. These resources foster the acquisition of other resources and provide social support, which fosters coping. Energy resources (e.g., time, knowledge, finances) are resources that can be obtained after engaging in effortful participation in other activities that are valued because they can then [Page 564]be used to obtain needed resources from the other categories. In the wake of a traumatic event, whether personal or communitywide, rapid and compounding resource loss from all categories is unfortunately common.

Loss Spirals in the Aftermath of Trauma

Research and development of COR theory spanning more than 20 years has identified several specific principles and corollaries associated with resource loss. The focus of this entry is directed chiefly to the principle of loss cycles because this is most relevant in the face of traumatic events. COR theory proposes three specific principles that are important to understand the etiology of loss spirals. These principles state that (1) stress follows resource loss, (2) resource loss is more salient and impactful than resource gain, and (3) individuals must rely on existing resources to offset the loss of other resources. Given these principles, it follows that those with fewer initial resources are more vulnerable to resource loss, which is especially true for individuals exposed to traumatic stressors because the very resources they need to cope are often rapidly depleted. These same individuals are more susceptible to losing the few resources they have and are at risk for continued, future loss. This results in a loss spiral, whereby people use resources to combat initial stress, but in turn, this loss of resources further depletes their resource reservoirs. In this manner, the initial experience of a traumatic event leaves individuals faced with the loss of things that are highly valuable to them, which begins suddenly, cycles rapidly, and often has severe consequences. Resources are not distributed evenly throughout a community, so these loss spirals are even more destructive for individuals or communities that are lacking sufficient resources before the trauma (e.g., individuals in a lower socioeconomic class or communities with high concentrations of ethnic minority individuals).

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