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The Ramifications for Clinical Practice of a Focus on Family Resilience

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Handbook of Family Resilience

Abstract

The study of family resilience has exploded over the past 2 decades. Fueled by the mystery of why some people seem to thrive under challenging circumstances when others unravel, the study of resilience has sought to answer the question of what distinguishes individuals and families that rise above the fray of adversity. Findings in developmental psychopathology have provided insights into what contributes to resilience in children and the positive and negative effects of family on their development. Family stress theory and the study of family strengths have extended the exploration of resilience to the family level, searching for characteristics in the interactions among family members and with their outside environments that are consistent with successfully weathering crises and promoting growth. Gradually, a picture of resilience has emerged. Initially described in terms like “stress-resistant” and “invulnerable,” families displaying resilience are now depicted in more subtle terms. Instead of viewed as “super families,” they often are described as families who struggle and experience significant loss but who also are able to muster the resources to survive and to meaningfully integrate the challenges they face into the fabric of their lives.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This topic is addressed in depth in Chap. 1.

  2. 2.

    This topic is addressed in depth in Chap. 17.

  3. 3.

    This topic is addressed in depth in Chap. 25.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, USA

    Dale R. Hawley

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  1. Dale R. Hawley
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Correspondence to Dale R. Hawley .

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  1. , School of Social Work, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, 63105, USA

    Dorothy S. Becvar

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Hawley, D.R. (2013). The Ramifications for Clinical Practice of a Focus on Family Resilience. In: Becvar, D. (eds) Handbook of Family Resilience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3917-2_3

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