More on the Definition of Resilience

Resilience:

• A process
• An outcome
• A dynamic steady state in the face of adversity
• A defiance of risk & vulnerability
• More than just the absence of PTSD
• A multidimensional and multifaceted construct
• To recoil, rebound, resume shape and size after stretching or compression
• To have or show elasticity or buoyancy or recuperative power
• Readily recovering from depression
• In one study, the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale is used as both the definition and measurement for resilience.  By combining quantitative data (SOC-13 scores) and qualitative data in tandem, the study examined resilience in its multidimensional context, factoring in sociocultural, psychological, historical, economic, political, and ecological differentials.
• The complexity of resilience - a dynamic steady state that cannot be measured in isolation from its context of generalized resistance resources, including social support.  Meaning making is an integral part of human nature and the capacity to overcome adversity - only the SOC accounts for it in quantitative terms.
• The evidence of two studies, from Western and non-Western multi-ethnic study samples, find that resilience to crisis events and experiences is more normal than previously acknowledged.

From:
Almedom, A., & Glandon, D. (2007). Resilience is not the Absence of PTSD any More than Health is the Absence of Disease, Journal of Loss and Trauma, 12(2), 127-143.