Although there is a significant amount of research on resiliencehowever, there is a limited agreement on a single definition of the same. The term was borrowed from the science of materials, which would have the ability to endure impacts and maintain their structure after being exposed to pressure or deformations.
In psychology the construct is defined in various ways. Richardson and colleagues (1990) defined the resilience As “the process faced with stressful, traumatic life events, or events that represent challenges for the subject, in order to provide coping strategies and additional protective skills compared to the moment preceding the ‘break’ caused by the event itself”.
Similarly, Higgins (1994) describes the resilience As “the process of growth and recovery of the self”, while Wolins (1993) defines it as “the ability to recover, to resist the difficulties and to ‘repair’ himself”.
There resilience It is commonly explained and studied in the context of two dimensional constructs: exposure to adversity And the positive adaptation to such adversity (Luther & Cicchetti, 2000). Resilience has recently been studied on a psychological, biological, and social level and includes an interaction of individual and environmental characteristics (Almedon & Glandon, 2007; Smolka et al., 2007).
Even if it is complex to determine exactly how biological, genetic and environmental factors interact to determine the level of resilience of each individual, there are psychological data supported by neurological evidence in support of the hypothesis that people may be in relation to high or low resilience (Waugh, Wager, Freddickson, Noll & Taylor, 2008).
Research has shown how the most resilient people, when exposed to stressful situations, return to heart and neurological basal conditions before those with low resilience (Tugade & Freddickson, 2004; Waught et al.). On the contrary, the participants with low resilience reacted to stressful stimuli, such as threats or potential threats, before and for longer periods of time, as indicated by the activity detected in the areas of the amygdala and the brain island (Waught et al., 2008).
Although many progress have been carried out in the field of research on resiliencehas not yet been found a homogeneous and definitive set of risk or protection factors (Hoge et al, 2007). These factors would constitute variables capable of increasing or decreasing the probability of a variety of positive or negative results in response to adversity.
Risk factors are often defined as environmental factors that have often originated in childhood and sometimes they find the opposite protective factors (for example, strong social skills vs scarce social skills; safe attachment against insecure attachment).
The main protective factors in the research on resilience They consist of: a safe attachment style and a healthy relationship with a significant adult during childhood, the temperament (McAdam-Crisp, 2006), The internal control locus (Hemenover, 2003; Keltner & Walker, 2003), The sense of consistency (Hart et al., 2006;), and finally biological and genetic factors (Hoge et al., 2007; Kim-Cohen, 2007; The factors that determine a higher level of resilience They are therefore characterized by:
- the support of safe relationships aimed at promoting trust and security;
- a positive perception of self and aware of one’s resources and skills;
- a good communication and problem solving skills;
- the tendency to put objectives and plan the phases and strategies to achieve them;
- The ability to regulate one’s mental states (emotions, thoughts, impulses).
However tools on the resilience They were developed only a short time ago, making it very difficult to generalize the results or compare their studies (Fribourg et al., 2005).
Anyway the resilience It constitutes a fundamental psychic process that allows you to re -read your life in a positive way in front of difficult events and to “bounce” in front of painful experiences. It is a function that varies over time and on the basis of the subjective experience of individuals and the underlying mental mechanisms.
The most resilient people show greater commitment and involvement in activities; A greater control, or the feeling of being able to manage events without being overwhelmed and the trust of being able to dominate them and finally the predisposition for challenges and the tendency to accept the change. These characteristics can be developed over time and therefore be learned by any individual.
A technique to increase the resilience It consists of seeking in the past experiences in which resources and strengths have been put in place and actively experienced.
In conclusion it can be said that developing a good level of resilience It does not mean being infallible or untouchable compared to the stressful events, but it means not being overwhelmed by them and being available to accept any errors and change, where it is necessary, to finally develop an adaptation to the most positive life.
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