Skip to main content
Book cover

Handbook of Resilience in Children pp 39–55Cite as

Reconceputalizing Resilience

Abstract

The deceptively simple construct of resilience is in fact rife with hidden complexities, contradictions, and ambiguities. These have been recognized in earlier reviews of the relevant literature (Kaplan, 1999). More recent reviews have reaffirmed many of these difficulties and have offered suggestions in some cases for resolution of these problems (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000; Olsson, Bond, Burns, Vella-Brodrick, & Sawyer, 2003). By and large, however, problematic aspects of the concept of resilience persist.

Keywords

  • Personal Trait
  • Homeless Youth
  • Mortality Salience
  • Benign Outcome
  • Trait Resilience

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Deceased

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-3661-4_3
  • Chapter length: 17 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-1-4614-3661-4
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Hardcover Book
USD   349.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adger, W. N. (2000). Social and ecological resilience: Are they related? Progress in Human Geography, 24(3), 347–364.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Anthony, E. J. (1987). Risk, vulnerability and resilience: An overview. In E. J. Anthony & B. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable child (pp. 3–48). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asgeirsdottir, B., Gudjonsson, G., Sigurdsson, J., & Sigfusdttir, I. (2010). Protective processes for depressed mood and anger among sexually abused adolescents: The importance of self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 402–407.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Bartelt, D. W. (1994). On resilience: Questions of validity. In M. C. Wang & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city America (pp. 97–108). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benetti, C., & Kambouropoulos, N. (2006). Affect-regulated indirect effects of trait anxiety and trait resilience on self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 41, 341–352.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Block, J. H., & Block, J. (1980). The role of ego control and ego resiliency in the organization of behavior. In W. A. Collins (Ed.), Development of cognition, affect, and social relations (pp. 39–101). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Canvin, K., Marttila, A., Burstrom, B., & Whitehead, M. (2009). Tales of the unexpected? Hidden resilience in poor households in Britain. Social Science & Medicine, 69(2), 238–245.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Garmezy, N. (1993). Prospects and promises in the study of resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 497–502.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2009). Adaptive coping under conditions of extreme stress: Multilevel influences on the determinants of resilience in maltreated children. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2009(124), 47–59.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Clauss-Ehlers, C. S., & Levi, L. L. (2002). Violence and community, terms in conflict: An ecological approach to resilience. Journal of Social Distress & the Homeless, 11(4), 265–278.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cohler, B. J. (1987). Adversity, resilience, and the study of lives. In E. J. Anthony & B. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable child (pp. 363–424). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conger, R. D., Rueter, M. A., & Elder, G. H., Jr. (1999). Couple resilience to economic pressure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(1), 54–71.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human nature and the social order. New York: Scribners.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, L., & Romero, A. (2008). Coping with discrimination among Mexican descent adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavior Sciences, 30(1), 24–39.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Filbert, K. M., & Flynn, R. J. (2009). Developmental and cultural assets and resilient outcomes in First Nations young people in care: An initial test of an explanatory model. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(4), 560–564.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Greenbaum, C. W., & Auberbach, J. G. (1992). The conceptualization of risk, vulnerability, and resilience in psychological development. In C. W. Greenbaum & J. G. Auerbach (Eds.), Longitudinal studies of children at psychological risk: Cross-national perspectives (pp. 9–28). Norwood: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haan, L. D., Hawley, D. R., & Deal, J. E. (2002). Operationalizing family resilience: A methodological stratedgy. American Journal of Family Therapy, 30(4), 275–291.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hartling, L. M. (2008). Strengthening resilience in a risky world: It’s all about relationships. Women and Therapy, 31(2–4), 51–70.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, P. (2002). Resilience in families and communities: Latin American contributions from the psychology of liberation. Family Journal—Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 10(3), 334–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, J. (2003). Resilience in sheltered battered women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 24(2), 137–152.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • James, W. (1915). Psychology. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1972). Toward a general theory of psychosocial deviance: The case of aggressive behavior. Social Science & Medicine, 6, 539–617.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1975). Self-attitudes and deviant behavior. Pacific Palisades: Goodyear.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1980). Deviant behavior in defense of self. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1984). Patterns of juvenile delinquency. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1986). Social psychology of self-referent behavior. New York: Plenum Press.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1996). Psychosocial stress from the perspective of self theory. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.), Psychosocial stress: Perspectives on structure, theory, life course, and methods (pp. 175–244). San Diego: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1999). Toward an understanding of resilience: A critical review of definitions and models. In M. D. Glantz & J. L. Johnson (Eds.), Resilience and development (pp. 17–83). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (2001). Self esteem and deviant behavior: A critical review and theoretical integration. In T. J. Owens, S. Stryker, & N. Goodman (Eds.), Extending self-esteem theory and research: Sociological and psychological currents (pp. 375–397). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (2003). Testing an integrative theory of deviant behavior: Theory syntonic findings from a long-term multigenerational study. In T. Thornberry & M. Krohn (Eds.), Taking stock of delinquency (pp. 185–204). New York: Springer.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (2006). Self-theory and emotions. In J. Turner & J. Stets (Eds.), Handbook of the sociology of emotions (pp. 224–253). New York: Springer.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (2007). Self-referent construct and medical sociology: In search of a integrative framework. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48(June), 99–114.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H., & Johnson, R. (2001). Social deviance: Testing a general theory. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. & Kaplan, D. (2004/2005). The structural integrity of the humanities: Self-related constructs as integrative mechanisms. International Journal of the Humanities, 2, 705–715.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidd, S., & Shahar, G. (2008). Resilience in homeless youth: The key role of self-esteem. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78(2), 163–172.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Kjølseth, I., Ekeberg, O., & Steihaug, S. (2009). “Why do they become vulnerable when faced with the challenges of old age?” Elderly people who committed suicide, described by those who knew them. International Psychogeriatrics/IPA, 21(50), 903–912.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, R. M. (2005). Resilience against discrimination: Ethnic identity and other-group orientation as protective factors for Korean America. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(1), 36–44.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Liddle, H. A. (1994). Contextual resiliency. In M. C. Wang & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city America (pp. 167–177). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindström, B. (2001). The meaning of resilience. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. Special Issue: Resilience and Adolescence: A Tribute to Emanuel Chigier, 13(1), 7–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lösel, F., Bliesener, T., & Köferl, P. (1989). On the concept of invulnerability: Evaluation and first results of the Bielefeld project. In M. Brambring, F. Lösel, & H. Skowronek (Eds.), Children at risk: Assessment, longitudinal research, and intervention (pp. 186–219). New York: Walter de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S. (1993). Annotation: Methodological and conceptual issues in research on childhood resilience. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 441–453.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71(3), 543–562.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Masten, A. S. (1994). Resilience in individual development: Successful adaptation despite risk and adversity. In M. C. Wang & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city America (pp. 3–25). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGregor, I., Nash, K., & Inzlicht, M. (2009). Threat, high self-esteem, and reactive approach-motivation: Electroencephalographic evidence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2009), 1003–1007.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mäkikangas, A., Kinnunen, U., & Feld, T. (2004). Self-Esteem, dispositional optimism, and health: Evidence from cross-lagged data on employees. Journal of Research in Personality, 38(6), 556–575.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Olsson, C. A., Bond, L., Burns, J. M., Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & Sawyer, S. M. (2003). Adolescent resilience: A concept analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 26(1), 1–11.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, R. F. (2002). Resilience within the family networks of lesbians and gay men: Intentionality and redefinition. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64(2), 374–383.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Overbeek, G., Zeevalkink, H., Vermulst, A., & Scholte, R. (2010). Peer victimization, self-esteem, and ego resilience types in adolescents: A prospective analysis of person-context interactions. Social Development, 19(2), 270–284.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Park, L., Crocker, J., & Kiefer, A. (2007). Contingencies of self-worth, academic failure, and goal pursuit. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2007(33), 1503.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, J. M. (2002). Understanding family resilience. Journal of Clinical Psychology. Special Issue: A second Generation of Resilience Research, 58(3), 233–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips-Salimi, C. R., Haase, J. E., Kintner, E. K., Monahan, P., & Azzouz, F. (2007). Psychometric properties of the Herth Hope Index in adolescents and young adults with cancer. Journal of Nursing Measures, 15(1), 3–23.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Pietrantoni, L., Prati, G., & Lori, G. (2009). Risk and resilience factors in posttraumatic stress disorder when working in the Municipal Police Force. Psicoterapia Cognitiva e Comportamentale, 15(1), 63–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radke-Yarrow, M., & Brown, E. (1993). Resilience and vulnerability in children of multiple-risk families. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 581–592.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Radke-Yarrow, M., & Sherman, T. (1990). Hard growing: Children who survive. In J. Rolf, A. S. Masten, D. Cicchetti, K. H. Nuechterlein, & S. Weintraub (Eds.), Risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology (pp. 97–119). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rauh, H. (1989). The meaning of risk and protective factors in infancy. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 4(2), 161–173.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Richters, J., & Weintraub, S. (1990). Beyond diathesis: Towards an understanding of high-risk environments. In J. Rolf, A. S. Masten, D. Cicchetti, K. H. Nuechterlein, & S. Weintraub (Eds.), Risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology (pp. 67–96). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1990). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. In J. Rolf, A. S. Masten, D. Cicchetti, K. H. Nuechterlein, & S. Weintraub (Eds.), Risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology (pp. 181–214). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, J. A., & Moos, R. A. (1992). Life crises and personal growth. In B. N. Carpenter (Ed.), Personal coping: Theory, research, and application (pp. 149–170). Westport: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmeichel, B., Gailliot, M., Filardo, E., McGregor, I., Gitter, S., & Baumeister, R. (2009). Terror management theory and self-esteem revisited: The roles of implicit and explicit self-esteem in mortality salience effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 1077–1087.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Schuldberg, D. (1993). Personal resourcefulness: Positive aspects of functioning in high research. Psychiatry, 56, 137–152.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, J. P. (2002). Family resilience and pragmatic parent education. Journal of Individual Psychology, 58(3), 250–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seifer, R., & Sameroff, A. I. (1987). Multiple determinants of risk and invulnerability. In E. J. Anthony & B. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable child (pp. 51–69). Guilford: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, K., Barakat, L. P., Patterson, C. A., & Dampier, C. (2009). Symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents with sickle cell disease: The role of intrapersonal characteristics and stress processing variables. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 40(2), 317–330.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Sorenson, L. G., Forbes, P. W., Bernstein, J. H., Weiler, M. D., Mitchell, W. M., & Waber, D. P. (2003). Psychosocial adjustment over a two-year period in children referred for learning problems: Risk, resilience, and adaptation. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 18(1), 10–24.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, M. B., Cole, S. P., Dupree, D., Glymph, A., & Pierre, P. (1993). Self-efficacy among urban African American early adolescents: Exploring issues of risk, vulnerability, and resilience. Development and Pschopathology., 5, 719–739.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Terras, M., Thompson, L., & Minnis, H. (2009). Dyslexia and psycho-social functioning: An exploratory study of the role of self-esteem and understanding. Dyslexia, 15(4), 304–327.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Walsh, F. (2002). A family resilience framework: Innovative practice applications. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 51(2), 130–137.

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, K., Horsey, K., Palmieri, P., & Hobfoll, S. (2010). The role of protective self-cognitions in the relationship between childhood trauma and later resource loss. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(2), 264–273.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wanberg, C., & Banas, J. (2000). Predictors and outcomes of openness to changes in a reorganizing workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(1), 132–142.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Yi, J., Vitaliano, P., Smith, R., Yi, J., & Weinger, K. (2008). The role of resilience on psychological adjustment and physical health in patients with diabetes. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13(2), 311–325.

    PubMed  CrossRef  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by research grants (R01 DA 02497 and R01 DA 10016) and by a Research Scientist Award (K05 DA 00136) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to the author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Howard B. Kaplan Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Howard B. Kaplan Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    Sam Goldstein

  2. McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA

    Robert B. Brooks

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Kaplan, H.B. (2013). Reconceputalizing Resilience. In: Goldstein, S., Brooks, R. (eds) Handbook of Resilience in Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3661-4_3

Download citation