p.4 resilience is not a static personality trait, but rather is part of a dynamic process that includes
individuals' interactions with their surrounding environments. Resilience can be situation-specific and therefore,
it is unlikely that an individual will demonstrate resilience across all situations
p.4 There are multiple paths to resilience [section title]
No single or specific factor will determine resilience or poor functioning. It
is the interaction between numerous factors that ultimately determines whether an individual or family will
be resilient in the face of adversity.
p.6 Chronic stressors present an ongoing threat to the individual, the ever-present potential
to erupt in ways both large and small in an individual's daily life. Daily hassles, in contrast, include
the vast array of minor disruptions that actually do occur, forcing the individual to act on them. ...the combined
effect of the two types of stressors is greater than the additive effects of both
p.13 Because resilience focuses on responses to adverse events, there is considerable overlap between the
study of resilience in adults and the study of coping.
p.18 A promising area for research is identifying best practices for building resiliency...
the latest literature suggests that... resilience can be taught... Self-enhancement is a form of pragmatic coping with a particular
stressor event. However resilience has also been linked to flexible coping or flexible adaptation... Since
flexible adaptation can be measured and manipulated under different stressor conditions, it should be possible to determine
how and under what conditions it might be learned.
p.19 Because resilience can only be observed as individuals and families cope with adverse events,
it is difficult to be certain in advance that someone will be resilient.
p.20 studies have shown that resilience is largely a learned capability that is not necessarily stable across
settings or over time... There is evidence that resilience-related skills and abilities can be systematically improved
p.20 Each of these stressors increases the risk of negative outcomes, and the occurrence of one
kind of stressor may increase the likelihood that others will occur. Stressors that 'pile up' are more likely to exceed the
resources that individuals, families or communities can marshal to cope... Given the need for constant readiness...
ongoing stressors may need to be monitored to ensure they are not compromising readiness... Stressors have
characteristics, and coping with particular kinds of stressors may require particular kinds of skills. For example, coping
with stressors that are highly ambiguous may require different skills than coping with stressors that are very clear. It
may be wise to identify the most common characteristics of the stressors faced... and develop strategies
to maximize the development of skills that are a good match to those stressors.
p.21 Environmental factors also can affect the degree to which adults are able to successfully secure the
resources needed to cope with challenges. Large-scale challenges... can interfere with adults' abilities to cope... it
appears wise to focus on approaches that promote skills likely to be useful in a variety of settings, and approaches
that address... systems as well as individual skills and abilities... Fundamentally, readiness is about resilience.
'Ready' families are well-prepared with the skills and abilities they will need to respond with resilience when they are faced
with challenging circumstances, whether those be chronic stressors, daily hassles, or traumatic events.
