Resiliency

Linquanti (1992) defines resiliency as "that quality in children who, though exposed to significant stress and adversity in their lives, do not succumb to the school failure, substance abuse, mental health, and juvenile delinquency problems they are at greater risk of experiencing."

Resilient attributes in children and young people help them avoid, minimize, or overcome risk factors. Research by Benard (1991) as well as other researchers identifies five major categories of traits within individuals that help make them resilient:

Social Competencies or the Exhibition of Pro-Social Behaviors: These traits increase children's ability to find and keep healthy relationships with others.

• Personal responsiveness, and the ability to generate positive responses from others

• Flexibility

• Empathy and caring

• Good communication skills

• Sense of humor

Well-Developed Problem-Solving Skills: This category should not be confused with high achievement in school. Instead, it refers to the ability to recognize social influences in the environment and make choices about those influences.

• Planning

• Critical consciousness

• Imagination

• Resourcefulness and initiative

Autonomy:

• A strong sense of identity and worth; self-esteem and self-efficacy

• Self-discipline

• The ability to act independently

• The ability to separate, or engage in "creative distancing" from dysfunctional environments and situations

• Resistance

Religious/Spiritual Commitment:

• Stable belief system

• Sense of usefulness/belonging to a community

Sense of Purpose and Future:

• Special interest

• Goal directedness

• Achievement motivation

• Educational aspirations

• Healthy expectations

• Persistence

• Hopefulness

• Belief in a compelling, attainable future

The NCREL Monograph Developing Resilience in Urban Youth provides further information on the topic of resiliency.

References