Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development.

doi:10.1037//0003-066X.56.3.227

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Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development.

Journal Article•DOI•

Ordinary magic. Resilience processes in development.

01 Mar 2001-American Psychologist (American Psychological Association)-Vol. 56, Iss: 3, pp 227-238

TL;DR: An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of resilience suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems.

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Abstract: The study of resilience in development has overturned many negative assumptions and deficit-focused models about children growing up under the threat of disadvantage and adversity. The most surprising conclusion emerging from studies of these children is the ordinariness of resilience. An examination of converging findings from variable-focused and person-focused investigations of these phenomena suggests that resilience is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems, with the greatest threats to human development being those that compromise these protective systems. The conclusion that resilience is made of ordinary rather than extraordinary processes offers a more positive outlook on human development and adaptation, as well as direction for policy and practice aimed at enhancing the development of children at risk for problems and psychopathology.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence

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Ilan H. Meyer¹•Institutions (1)

Columbia University¹

01 Sep 2003-Psychological Bulletin

TL;DR: It is shown that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals and a conceptual framework is offered for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress--explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems.

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Abstract: In this article the author reviews research evidence on the prevalence of mental disorders in lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) and shows, using meta-analyses, that LGBs have a higher prevalence of mental disorders than heterosexuals. The author offers a conceptual framework for understanding this excess in prevalence of disorder in terms of minority stress— explaining that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination create a hostile and stressful social environment that causes mental health problems. The model describes stress processes, including the experience of prejudice events, expectations of rejection, hiding and concealing, internalized homophobia, and ameliorative coping processes. This conceptual framework is the basis for the review of research evidence, suggestions for future research directions, and exploration of public policy implications. The study of mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations has been complicated by the debate on the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder during the 1960s and early 1970s. That debate posited a gay-affirmative perspective, which sought to declassify homosexuality, against a conservative perspective, which sought to retain the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder (Bayer, 1981). Although the debate on classification ended in 1973 with the removal of homosexuality from the second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association, 1973), its heritage has lasted. This heritage has tainted discussion on mental health of lesbians and gay men by associating— even equating— claims that LGB people have higher prevalences of mental disorders than heterosexual people with the historical antigay stance and the stigmatization of LGB persons (Bailey, 1999). However, a fresh look at the issues should make it clear that whether LGB populations have higher prevalences of mental disorders is unrelated to the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder. A retrospective analysis would suggest that the attempt to find a scientific answer in that debate rested on flawed logic. The debated scientific question was, Is homosexuality a mental disorder? The operationalized research question that pervaded the debate was, Do homosexuals have high prevalences of mental disorders? But the research did not accurately operationalize the scientific question. The question of whether homosexuality should be considered a mental disorder is a question about classification. It can be answered by debating which behaviors, cognitions, or emotions should be considered indicators of a mental

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8,696 citations

Cites background from "Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..."

...This peril should be heeded by psychologists who by profession study individuals rather than social structures and are therefore at risk of slipping from a focus on objective societal stressors to a focus on individual deficiencies in coping and resiliency (Masten, 2001)....
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...Like other individuals who cope with general stress, LGB people use a range of personal coping mechanisms, resilience, and hardiness to withstand stressful experiences (Antonovsky, 1987; Masten, 2001; Ouellette, 1993)....
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...Like other individuals who cope with general stress, LGB people use a range of personal coping mechanisms, resilience, and hardiness to withstand stressful experiences (Antonovsky, 1987; Masten, 2001; Ouellette, 1993)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?

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George A. Bonanno¹•Institutions (1)

Columbia University¹

01 Jan 2004-American Psychologist

TL;DR: Evidence is reviewed that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.

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Abstract: Many people are exposed to loss or potentially traumatic events at some point in their lives, and yet they continue to have positive emotional experiences and show only minor and transient disruptions in their ability to function. Unfortunately, because much of psychology’s knowledge about how adults cope with loss or trauma has come from individuals who sought treatment or exhibited great distress, loss and trauma theorists have often viewed this type of resilience as either rare or pathological. The author challenges these assumptions by reviewing evidence that resilience represents a distinct trajectory from the process of recovery, that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma is more common than is often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience. M ost people are exposed to at least one violent or life-threatening situation during the course of their lives (Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). As people progress through the life cycle, they are also increasingly confronted with the deaths of close friends and relatives. Not everyone copes with these potentially disturbing events in the same way. Some people experience acute distress from which they are unable to recover. Others suffer less intensely and for a much shorter period of time. Some people seem to recover quickly but then begin to experience unexpected health problems or difficulties concentrating or enjoying life the way they used to. However, large numbers of people manage to endure the temporary upheaval of loss or potentially traumatic events remarkably well, with no apparent disruption in their ability to function at work or in close relationships, and seem to move on to new challenges with apparent ease. This article is devoted to the latter group and to the question of resilience in the face of loss or potentially traumatic events. The importance of protective psychological factors in the prevention of illness is now well established (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Gruenewald, 2000). Moreover, developmental psychologists have shown that resilience is common among children growing up in disadvantaged conditions (e.g., Masten, 2001). Unfortunately, because most of the psychological knowledge base regarding the ways adults cope with loss or potential trauma has been derived from individuals who have experienced significant psychological problems or sought treatment, theorists working in this area have often underestimated and misunderstood resilience, viewing it either as a pathological state or as something seen only in rare and exceptionally healthy individuals. In this article, I challenge this view by reviewing evidence that resilience in the face of loss or potential trauma represents a distinct trajectory from that of recovery, that resilience is more common than often believed, and that there are multiple and sometimes unexpected pathways to resilience.

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5,415 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back.

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Bruce W. Smith¹, Jeanne Dalen¹, Kathryn T. Wiggins¹, Erin M. Tooley¹, Paulette J. Christopher¹, Jennifer F. Bernard¹ - Show less +2 more•Institutions (1)

University of New Mexico¹

01 Jan 2008-International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

TL;DR: The brief resilience scale (BRS) is a reliable means of assessing resilience as the ability to bounce back or recover from stress and may provide unique and important information about people coping with health-related stressors.

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Abstract: Background: While resilience has been defined as resistance to illness, adaptation, and thriving, the ability to bounce back or recover from stress is closest to its original meaning. Previous resilience measures assess resources that may promote resilience rather than recovery, resistance, adaptation, or thriving. Purpose: To test a new brief resilience scale. Method: The brief resilience scale (BRS) was created to assess the ability to bounce back or recover from stress. Its psychometric characteristics were examined in four samples, including two student samples and samples with cardiac and chronic pain patients. Results: The BRS was reliable and measured as a unitary construct. It was predictably related to personal characteristics, social relations, coping, and health in all samples. It was negatively related to anxiety, depression, negative affect, and physical symptoms when other resilience measures and optimism, social support, and Type D personality (high negative affect and high social inhibition) were controlled. There were large differences in BRS scores between cardiac patients with and without Type D and women with and without fibromyalgia. Conclusion: The BRS is a reliable means of assessing resilience as the ability to bounce back or recover from stress and may provide unique and important information about people coping with health-related stressors.

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3,285 citations

Cites background from "Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..."

...Key words: brief resilience scale, stress, recovery, pain, cardiac During the past decade, resilience has increasingly become a focus of research in the behavioral and medical sciences (Charney, 2004; Masten, 2001)....
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...During the past decade, resilience has increasingly become a focus of research in the behavioral and medical sciences (Charney, 2004; Masten, 2001)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Positive psychological capital: measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction

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Fred Luthans¹, Bruce J. Avolio¹, James B. Avey², Steven M. Norman³•Institutions (3)

University of Nebraska–Lincoln¹, Central Washington University², Colorado Mesa University³

01 Sep 2007-Personnel Psychology

TL;DR: In this article, two studies were conducted to analyze how hope, resilience, optimism, and efficacy individually and as a composite higher-order factor predicted work performance and satisfaction, and the results indicated that the composite factor may be a better predictor of performance than the individual facets.

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Abstract: Two studies were conducted to analyze how hope, resilience, optimism, and efficacy individually and as a composite higher-order factor predicted work performance and satisfaction. Results from Study 1 provided psychometric support for a new survey measure designed to assess each of these 4 facets, as well as a composite factor. Study 2 results indicated a significant positive relationship regarding the composite of these 4 facets with performance and satisfaction. Results from Study 2 also indicated that the composite factor may be a better predictor of performance and satisfaction than the 4 individual facets. Limitations and practical implications conclude the article.

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3,071 citations

Cites background or methods from "Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..."

...variance in outcome variables beyond existing measures. More specifically in this case, the utility of the composite PsyCap was compared with each of the individual dimensions to determine whether it was more “useful” than the existing measures of each facet. This process of comparing the composite to each component was also used by Judge and colleagues (2003) in assessing core self-evaluations....
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...In positive psychology, resilience is characterized by positive coping and adaptation in the face of significant risk or adversity (Masten, 2001; Masten & Reed, 2002)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Resilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back From Negative Emotional Experiences.

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Michele M. Tugade¹, Barbara L. Fredrickson²•Institutions (2)

Boston College¹, University of Michigan²

01 Feb 2004-Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

TL;DR: Mediational analyses revealed that the experience of positive emotions contributed, in part, to participants' abilities to achieve efficient emotion regulation, demonstrated by accelerated cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal and by finding positive meaning in negative circumstances.

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Abstract: Theory indicates that resilient individuals “bounce back” from stressful experiences quickly and effectively. Few studies, however, have provided empirical evidence for this theory. The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (B. L. Fredrickson, 1998, 2001) is used as a framework for understanding psychological resilience. The authors used a multimethod approach in 3 studies to predict that resilient people use positive emotions to rebound from, and find positive meaning in, stressful encounters. Mediational analyses revealed that the experience of positive emotions contributed, in part, to participants’ abilities to achieve efficient emotion regulation, demonstrated by accelerated cardiovascular recovery from negative emotional arousal (Studies 1 and 2) and by finding positive meaning in negative circumstances (Study 3). Implications for research on resilience and positive emotions are discussed.

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2,948 citations

Cites background from "Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..."

...Finally, given the critical role that appraisals have in the emotion generation and coping processes (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and that resilient individuals are said to more effectively regulate their emotions (e.g., Lazarus, 1993; Masten, 2001; Rutter, 1987), Study 1 predicts that high-resilient participants would appraise a stressful task as less threatening, compared with low-resilient participants....
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...Block & Kremen, 1996; Klohnen, 1996; Wolin & Wolin, 1993) and by the capacity to rebound from negative circumstances despite threats to the individual (e.g., J. H. Block & Block, 1980; Lazarus, 1993; Masten, 2001)....
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...…coping processes (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and that resilient individuals are said to more effectively regulate their emotions (e.g., Lazarus, 1993; Masten, 2001; Rutter, 1987), Study 1 predicts that high-resilient participants would appraise a stressful task as less threatening, compared with…...
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...Although there may be merit to this interpretation, it fails to acknowledge the two coexisting preconditions that describe resilient individuals, which include their abilities (a) to recognize the effects of stressful situations and (b) to experience positive outcomes despite sources of adversity (Masten, 2001)....
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...…that resilient individuals are characterized by high positive emotionality (e.g., J. Block & Kremen, 1996; Klohnen, 1996; Wolin & Wolin, 1993) and by the capacity to rebound from negative circumstances despite threats to the individual (e.g., J. H. Block & Block, 1980; Lazarus, 1993; Masten, 2001)....
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References

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Open Access

More filters

Journal Article•DOI•

Positive psychology: An introduction.

[...]

Martin E. P. Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi¹•Institutions (1)

Claremont Graduate University¹

01 Jan 2000-American Psychologist

TL;DR: The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in the authors' knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.

...read moreread less

Abstract: A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions promises to improve quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless, The exclusive focus on pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline results in a model of the human being lacking the positive features that make life worth living. Hope, wisdom, creativity, future mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance are ignored or explained as transformations of more authentic negative impulses. The 15 articles in this millennial issue of the American Psychologist discuss such issues as what enables happiness, the effects of autonomy and self-regulation, how optimism and hope affect health, what constitutes wisdom, and how talent and creativity come to fruition. The authors outline a framework for a science of positive psychology, point to gaps in our knowledge, and predict that the next century will see a science and profession that will come to understand and build the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish.

...read moreread less

12,650 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work

[...]

Suniya S. Luthar¹, Dante Cicchetti², Bronwyn E. Becker¹•Institutions (2)

Columbia University¹, University of Rochester²

01 May 2000-Child Development

TL;DR: A critical appraisal of resilience, a construct connoting the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite experiences of significant adversity, concludes that work on resilience possesses substantial potential for augmenting the understanding of processes affecting at-risk individuals.

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Abstract: This paper presents a critical appraisal of resilience, a construct connoting the maintenance of positive adaptation by individuals despite experiences of significant adversity. As empirical research on resilience has burgeoned in recent years, criticisms have been levied at work in this area. These critiques have generally focused on ambiguities in definitions and central terminology; heterogeneity in risks experienced and competence achieved by individuals viewed as resilient; instability of the phenomenon of resilience; and concerns regarding the usefulness of resilience as a theoretical construct. We address each identified criticism in turn, proposing solutions for those we view as legitimate and clarifying misunderstandings surrounding those we believe to be less valid. We conclude that work on resilience possesses substantial potential for augmenting the understanding of processes affecting at-risk individuals. Realization of the potential embodied by this construct, however, will remain constrained without continued scientific attention to some of the serious conceptual and methodological pitfalls that have been noted by skeptics and proponents alike.

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7,392 citations

"Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..." refers background or result in this paper

...On the other hand, convergent findings in the context of such diversity are compelling (Luthar et al., 2000)....
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...A related issue is whether to define resilience on the basis of external adaptation criteria (such as academic achievement or the absence of delinquency) or internal criteria (psychological well-being or low levels of distress) or both (Luthar, 1999; Luthar et al., 2000; Masten, 1999b)....
[...]
...These include connections to competent and caring adults in the family and community, cognitive and self-regulation skills, positive views of self, and motivation to be effective in the environment (Garmezy, 1985; Luthar et al., 2000; Masten et al., 1990; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Masten & Reed, in press; Wyman, Sandier, Wolchik, & Nelson, 2000)....
[...]
...Research on resilience phenomena has changed the nature of the frameworks, goals, assessments, strategies, and evaluations in fields of prevention and treatment (Cicchetti, Rappaport, Sandier, & Weissberg, 2000; Cowen, 2000; Luthar et al., 2000; Masten, 1999a; Masten & Coatsworth, 1998; Masten & Reed, in press; Wyman et al., 2000)....
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...and results generally have not been consistent, perhaps because of the methodological variability across studies or the general difficulty of detecting interactions or both (Jessor et al., 1995; Luthar et al., 2000)....
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Psychosocial Resilience and Protective Mechanisms

[...]

Michael Rutter¹•Institutions (1)

Medical Research Council¹

01 Jan 1990

TL;DR: The concept of mechanisms that protect people against the psychological risks associated with adversity is discussed in relation to four main processes: reduction of risk impact, reduction of negative chain reactions, establishment and maintenance of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and opening up of opportunities.

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Abstract: The concept of mechanisms that protect people against the psychological risks associated with adversity is discussed in relation to four main processes: reduction of risk impact, reduction of negative chain reactions, establishment and maintenance of self-esteem and self-efficacy, and opening up of opportunities. The mechanisms operating at key turning points in people's lives must be given special attention.

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5,519 citations

"Ordinary magic. Resilience processe..." refers background in this paper

...This is because most risk indicalors are arbitrarily labeled this way (Kraemer et al., 1997; Masten, 1994; Rutter, 1990; Sameroff et al., 1997; Stomhamer-Loeber el al., 1993)....
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...The most complex person-oriented models of resilience discussed in the literature focus on healthy versus maladaptive pathways of development in lives through time and give special attention to turning points in people's lives (e.g., Bergman & Magnussen, 1997; Cairns & Cairns, 1994; Cicchetti & Rogosch, 1997; Egeland, Carlson, & Sroufe, 1993; Masten, 1994; Rutter, 1990; Sameroff, 1982; Werner & Smith, 1982)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development

[...]

Vonnie C. McLoyd¹•Institutions (1)

Duke University¹

01 Feb 1998-American Psychologist

TL;DR: The link between socioeconomic disadvantage and children's socioemotional functioning appears to be mediated partly by harsh, inconsistent parenting and elevated exposure to acute and chronic stressors.

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Abstract: Recent research consistently reports that persistent poverty has more detrimental effects on IQ, school achievement, and socioemotional functioning than transitory poverty, with children experiencing both types of poverty generally doing less well than never-poor children. Higher rates of perinatal complications, reduced access to resources that buffer the negative effects of perinatal complications, increased exposure to lead, and less home-based cognitive stimulation partly account for diminished cognitive functioning in poor children. These factors, along with lower teacher expectancies and poorer academic-readiness skills, also appear to contribute to lower levels of school achievement among poor children. The link between socioeconomic disadvantage and children's socioemotional functioning appears to be mediated partly by harsh, inconsistent parenting and elevated exposure to acute and chronic stressors. The implications of research findings for practice and policy are considered.

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3,753 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments. Lessons from research on successful children

[...]

Ann S. Masten, J. Douglas Coatsworth

01 Feb 1998-American Psychologist

TL;DR: Signals are drawn from studies of naturally occurring resilience among children at risk because of disadvantage or trauma and also from efforts to deliberately alter the course of competence through early childhood education and preventive interventions.

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Abstract: The development of competence holds great interest for parents and society alike. This article considers implications from research on competence and resilience in children and adolescents for policy and interventions designed to foster better outcomes among children at risk. Foundations of competence in early development are discussed, focusing on the role of attachment relationships and self-regulation. Results from studies of competence in the domains of peer relations, conduct, school, work, and activities are highlighted. Lessons are drawn from studies of naturally occurring resilience among children at risk because of disadvantage or trauma and also from efforts to deliberately alter the course of competence through early childhood education and preventive interventions. Converging evidence suggests that the same powerful adaptive systems protect development in both favorable and unfavorable environments.

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3,034 citations