Initiative

Led by members of the Fujiwara Lab, researchers who have been studying children's growth will gather to clarify which new and alternative skills can be developed through adversity and which individual and environmental factors can cause this type of growth. The goal is to improve mental health. The physical aspect is the process of human transformation. Professor Murofushi, who has been studying the capabilities of the human body, will lead the research on the mobility of adults and people with physical disabilities.

Can people change? Can they transform? The biographies of famous individuals suggest that adversity can foster new skills and growth, but there is no empirical research on this topic. We will explore the possibility of alternative personal growth by clarifying which individual and environmental factors cause such growth and which growth can only be obtained in uncertain times. There are also physical possibilities. For example, there are sensations that can only be experienced with physical disabilities. By empirically clarifying this reality, we will examine whether new, alternative human skills can be discovered and utilized in the future.

To study mental transformations, we will collaborate with researchers studying cancer, severe accident, and war survivors to understand how adversity has affected them. The physical aspect of the project will be conducted in collaboration with Professor Takebe of Osaka University, who is researching the multifunctionality of organs.