Definitions & Images of Resilience

What is resilience? There is no one hard and fast definition of resilience and all fields of science have their own take on what it means to be resilient. Does an object return to its former shape when it has been manipulated in such ways that it is deformed? Does it bend but not break? Southwick & Charney (2018) describe it "as the ability to weather adversity" and that a person may not be untouched by tragedy but that they can continue to carry on. They also describe it as finding meaning in the event and being able to grow from it.

Rebekah

Resilience to me is having the ability to keep moving forward even when you want to sink to the ground and stop. It's not always about having the immediately ability to cope but the strength to know you will get past it with help and guidance of others. Resilience is knowing that you are suffering but can and will get better, that life will change and while you may forever be affected by it, you can be stronger because of it.

Hobson, K. (2021, February 10). Boston bombing Amputees Face lengthy recovery. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/130421-boston-marathon-bombing-amputees-injuries-medicine-victims-science-greg-gadson.

Crista

Resilience is a quality or personality trait that lets people overcome adversities in life and return to being at least as strong as they were before they faced the adversity. People that are resilient do not let traumatic events or failures ruin their resolve, instead they adapt, heal, and continue to move forward. They think of themselves not as victims, but as survivors.

(n.d.). shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/business-concept-young-businessman-pushing-large-430299556.

Josh

Resilience is the process by which we learn to process trauma, negative emotions, and find ways to bring ourselves into the process of healing and peace while learning to identify and reject maladaptive behaviors and thought patterns.

Hebrew University at Mt. Scopus. (2006, August 2). [Photograph]. Wikipedia - Hebrew University. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_University_of_Jerusalem#/media/File:HebrewU-MtScopus.JPG

Michelle

In my own words, I define resilience as the resulting effect or outcome of an event based on how you were able to adapt. Whether you were able to get back to baseline after a major life event.

Tolendonews. (2016, October 30). Powerful magnitude 6.6 quake RATTLES Italy. https://www.toledoblade.com/news/World/2016/10/30/Powerful-magnitude-6-6-quake-rattles-Italy-no-deaths-immediately-reported/stories/20161030166.

Helen

Resilience is the ability of an individual that can deal or cope with the significant stress or trauma he or she has experienced in life.

Cactus Flower In Desert (n. d.). 2021, April, 10 Retrieved from https://www.wallpapertip.com/wpic/Tmmmmx_596426-title-earth-cactus-wallpaper-cactus-flower-in/.

Roselyn

Resilience is the potential to continue living a positive life despite the scars left by the challenges in your life.

Yasmin

I define the term “resilience” as the following: the process of experiencing adverse effects, such as cognitive or emotional disturbance, from a stressful situation and actively utilizing available resources to endure the stressful experience. I recognize and appreciate that there are multiple definitions for the term “resilience”, and very much curious to read other students’ definitions of this term.

Waldencroft. (2019, October 1). Building resilience in teams. Waldencroft. https://waldencroft.com/building-resilience-in-teams/

Sol

Resilience is the ability to overcome a difficult situation by appropriately using/finding resources (financial, social, medical) and without experiencing lasting negative effects.

[Photograph of family gathering]. (n.d.). https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/reunion-seniors-vector-silhouette-vector-id165641924?k=6&m=165641924&s=612x612&w=0&h=WoF5BuW1PJLc_ne4AudfPA_uFlWfIwE1pqoC3vQGdlY=

Resilience looks different for everyone. For us, it is comprised of adaptation, coping, overcoming, processing and growing from adversity and becoming better as a result of it. How we do these things is individualistic, but also having the support of friends and family is important. There is no perfect way to be resilient as we all come to our resiliency in our own way, but as we have discovered, it is possible for anyone to develop it and use it for a better outcome and a better life.

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