Psychological resilience

Psychological resilience, or mental resilience, is the ability to cope mentally and emotionally with a crisis, or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. Resilience is generally understood either as a developmental process that can be cultivated over time, or as a relatively stable personality trait. Researchers have identified numerous internal factors that influence resilience, including self-esteem, self-regulation, optimism, and emotional intelligence, as well as external factors such as social support from family, friends, and community.

The term was popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by psychologist Emmy Werner, who conducted a forty-year longitudinal study of children from low socioeconomic status backgrounds in Kauai, Hawaii. Werner found that roughly one-third of at-risk children developed into well-adjusted adults despite adverse circumstances, which she attributed to protective factors in their personalities, families, and communities.

Biological research has linked resilience to neurotransmitter systems involving dopamine and endogenous opioids, as well as to epigenetic modifications and brain structures such as the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Positive emotions play a significant role in resilience, helping individuals recover from stress and build enduring social resources. People can enhance their resilience through cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, social support, and other psychological interventions.

Resilience has been studied across diverse contexts including childhood adversity, natural disasters, bereavement, workplace stress, and military service. Research indicates that cultural factors influence how resilience manifests. Individualist and collectivist societies show different patterns of coping and recovery. While resilience is widely regarded as beneficial, some researchers have criticized the concept for potentially shifting responsibility for disaster recovery from institutions to individuals.