Resilience and Education

Resilience is broadly defined as the process of “bouncing back,” persisting and succeeding in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress. In the Western world, such challenges can include family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. However, being resilient does not mean that individuals faced with adversity will not experience stress or difficulty, but resilient individuals find ways to adapt to challenges, learn, evolve, and thrive despite difficult and unusual circumstances. The American Psychological Association (APA) explains that [Page 1328]resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have, and that it involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.