Resiliency: Superhuman Strength or Normal Human Capacity?
 This article was first published in WestEd's R&D Alert™, 2003. Heartwarming stories of individuals succeeding against all odds are a favorite of the popular press. Time and again, though, these stories depict their subjects as extraordinary, almost superhuman. By doing so, they give an impression that is misleading and ultimately more harmful than good, according to WestEd’s Bonnie Benard. Based on decades immersed in research on how children and adults overcome adversity, Benard argues that the capacity commonly called resilience is not unique to a few exceptional individuals. It is a normal potential within every human being. It is also the subject of Benard’s book, Resiliency: What We Have Learned, in which she clears up numerous common misunderstandings about this key concept in the field of youth development. Here is a brief sampling of just a few of the “myths” that her work seeks to dispel: Myth #1: Some people are resilient, others are not. Contrary to popular belief, resilience is a normative process of human development and adaptation. On this subject, the words of a leading resiliency researcher, Ann Masten, are a keystone for Benard: “Resilience does not come from rare and special qualities, but from the everyday magic of the ordinary, normative human resources in the minds, brains, and bodies of children, in their families and relationships, and in their communities.”1 Myth #2: Identifying sources of “risk” for children is more important than focusing on their resilience. Early in Benard’s career, she grew dissatisfied with the approach of identifying children as “at risk” and anticipating how they were likely to fail. She began asking, “If we want to know what works, why is all this research looking at how kids mess up?” In fact, when Benard started digging into the research, she found that “risk factors” are relatively poor predictors of how a person develops. Only about 20 to 49 percent of a population facing adversity (e.g., poverty, abuse, family separation) actually develops the problems one might expect later in life. In contrast, the existence of “protective factors” (e.g., caring relationships, high expectations) that strengthen resilience appears to predict positive outcomes in anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of a “high-risk” population. For this and many other reasons, Benard argues that a shift from “risk” to “resilience” offers a more effective framework for supporting healthy development, including successful learning. Myth #3: Young children are resilient but gradually grow less so as they age. People of all ages have reversed their life trajectories. Politicians and the public have yet to recognize the policy implications of resilience research: that all young people, not just children up to age three, have the capacity for positive development — and that it is never too late to help them achieve it. Some of the most exciting work on resilience, Benard says, is being conducted in juvenile halls and prisons. Myth #4: Skills programs can strengthen resiliency. A long history of prevention program evaluation testifies to the short-lived effects of eight-week programs, for example, that attempt to teach the skills and attitudes associated with resilience (e.g., social competence, problem-solving).2 Resilience is not enhanced — for the most part or in a lasting way — through any such program. Instead, the best way to strengthen resilience is by focusing on the quality of the environment. Young people learn what is lived around them. The available supports, messages, and opportunities that young people find in the people, places, and experiences in their lives have the most significant impact on their ability to overcome adversity. So, resilience can best be engaged and strengthened through what Benard calls “the big three”: caring relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for meaningful participation and contribution. Not surprisingly, these three supports are beneficial to all young people, not just those facing risk. For a more thorough discussion of these and related issues, including guidance on how to strengthen resilience through supportive environments (families, schools, and communities), order a copy of Resiliency: What We Have Learned. 1 Masten, A. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56, 1–12. 2 Gorman, D. (2002). The “science” of drug and alcohol prevention: The case of the randomized trial of the Life Skills Training program. International Journal of Drug Policy, 13, 21–26. |
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“Resilience does not come from rare and special qualities, but from the everyday magic of the ordinary, normative human resources in the minds, brains, and bodies of children, in their families and relationships, and in their communities.” Contact Bonnie Benard Related Resources Resiliency: What We Have Learned R&D Alert® Vol. 5, No. 2 |