Does Adversity Build Character?

There's an old saying:

Adversity Builds Character.

During one of the hardest points in my life I had a good friend who said something I've never forgotten on that topic.

Adversity does not build character, it demonstrates character.

His position was that character is something we obtain throughout our lives. From family, school, church, neighbors, work and the people around us. It is instilled within us from the youngest age, it's a part of socialization.

However, when adversity strikes us, we have the opportunity to stand up to that adversity and face it head on or run from it. Some will stand, that we know, others will run and even some will do what's called just riding the wave.

Now, for those who stand we claim that adversity built their character and made them who they are. For those who run and hide with a bottle of alchohol or drugs we often comment that adversity destroyed them, it's not their fault. Then of course we have the wave riders who never run from adversity or stand up to it, rather they just go wherever it takes them and have a "whatever" type attitude towards life.

So, in your opinion, does Adversity Build Character or does Adversity Demonstrate Character? And if Adversity does not build character, then what in your opinion does build character?

I voted demonstrates, but I think a more accurate word would be "reveals"

rof If you have MPD, adversity builds lots of characters.

But I think character is built by life in general, the good and the bad, my life hasn't been particularly adverse, but I have plenty of character (or so I'm told), so I agree with the adversity demonstrates character.

It can build character up to a point. I am a fan of a sports franchises that is a perpetual loser. Repeatedly losing can build character and be beneficial if one learns what one is doing wrong and learns from it the next time around. At a certain point losing and adversity stops building character and starts instilling a culture of despair and hopelessness.

I learned more from my failures than my successes. In my opinion adversity builds character. The harder one has to work for something the more battle tested one can become.

I would say both. Eventually, I would think that you would start to demonstrate more than you would build.

i think it just depends on the person... some people are just tuned to depression and some are not. Depends on how strong willed someone is, and i think the majority of people would not be considered "strong willed".

Overcoming adversity builds character. Adversity by itself doesn't do anything.

I would agree it both demonstrates and builds but it also gives perspective. When someone is screaming, "My god, I broke a fingernail. What am I going to do?" I tend to wonder if they've ever had a real problem.

It builds character...... usually. Every time someone is up against a problem it builds them up or it tears them down.

It depends on how you handle adversity. I've seen it make people immature.

Just about every experience builds character. Whether it builds good character is a different question, and the answer is not necessarily.

StillBallin75 said:

It can build character up to a point. I am a fan of a sports franchises that is a perpetual loser. Repeatedly losing can build character and be beneficial if one learns what one is doing wrong and learns from it the next time around. At a certain point losing and adversity stops building character and starts instilling a culture of despair and hopelessness.

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You described the Atlanta Thrashers perfectly

It depends on the person and the adversity. It takes a certain strength to endure extreme hardship, not everyone has that strength and will just be beaten down by it and give up.