Psychological Resilience

Psychological resilience is a person’s capacity to maintain a relatively stable equilibrium in the face of adversity. It is the ability of a person to go through difficulties across a continuum of severity—from daily hassles to unexpected change, crises, or tragedy—and experience relatively minimal abnormal psychological functioning. People with a high level of psychological resilience are more prone to adapt positively to adverse circumstances than those who are less resilient. Because of its positive benefits, it is increasingly relevant for organizations operating in turbulent environments.

Although sometimes defined as a person’s ability to bounce back from unexpected hardship, most scholars conceptualize resilience as more than recovery. Resilience involves a person’s experiencing relatively minimal psychological abnormalities during and following an adverse event, whereas recovery describes the process ...