Resilience vs. Recovery Q&A

Resilience is often described as an innate characteristic that many are born with and others aren’t however this is not the case resilience can be learned. Resilience is really the ability of the individual to adjust and adapt well when faced with loss, tragedy, toxic stress, abuse, etc. Those who possess resilient characteristics are able to continue to function in spite of the adversity they’ve faced. This does not mean that they have not experienced intense emotions surrounding their traumatic events; however it does mean that they were able to cope and maintain their ability to function at their baseline with “minimal disruption” (Alim, Feder, Graves, et al, 2008). Some of the factors that contribute to resilience in children are having a history of healthy and supportive relationships with adults, having a basic trust for those around them, being able to identify positive role models, and an overall positive view of the self. Other factors that are often identified as being connected to resilient outcomes are an ability to cope with change, sense of motivation and the ability to identify life goals, and age appropriate problem solving skills, age appropriate communication skills, and age appropriate emotional regulation/coping skills.
Resilience is different from trauma recovery because recovery suggests that there has been a symptomatic period that has been significant and debilitating in some way, so much so, that intervention was needed to restore the individual’s ability to function at their baseline.