Resilience Theory

Introduction

In a world full of problems, resilience becomes essential for survival. Resilience theory is based on the premise that therapists or social workers should focus on helping clients build strengths. The goal of resilience theory is to leverage existing resources and build core strengths instead of focusing on problems. This sample essay will describe what resilience theory is, where and how it is applied, and how it is related to other theoretical orientations in professions like psychology and social work.

Resilience theory began within the social work domain. Now that resilience theory is in its maturity, it has been applied to diverse fields including organizational behavior, leadership, and sociology. When resilience theory was first proposed, it was considered a “cutting edge…paradigm shift,” (Van Breda, 2018, p. 1). Now, the so-called strengths-based approaches to psychology have become commonplace. Resilience theory can help any individual or organization thrive in an uncertain, chaotic, and complex world.

What Is Resilience?

Resilience can become a global construct, allowing a person or an organization to withstand varying types and degrees of stressors and threats. However, as Moore (2020) points out, resilience often emerges more sporadically than that. A person may be “more resilient in some aspects of their lives than others,” or “be more resilient at one point in their lives, and less during another,” (Moore, 2020, p. 1). Therapists, coaches, and social workers can work with clients to transfer skills and strengths from one domain to another. Building competence in one area may help an individual gain traction and also self-efficacy in another.

In addition to leveraging existing strengths and applying those to other areas of life, resilience also entails cultivating a realistic outlook on any situation. Problems and unexpected events are assumed to be givens. From a realistic vantage point, the person or organization can focus more on what can be done to prevent small problems from turning into catastrophes. Some of the ways to boost resilience include attitudinal and behavioral changes, as well as assessing the environment and reducing the frequency, number, or valence of risk factors.

Resiliency is not an inborn trait; it is learned. Among theorists of resilience, “all agree that resilience is not a special quality that only some children are born with,” (Shean, 2015, p. 26). By extension, an organization will not automatically become resilient simply because it dominates the market. Resilience needs to be cultivated and honed over time. 

Features of Resilience

A number of variables have been empirically linked to the quality of resilience in leaders. Ledesma (2014) found the following factors particularly relevant to resilience: “positive self-esteem, hardiness, strong coping skills, a sense of coherence, self-efficacy, optimism, strong social resources, adaptability, risk-taking, low fear of failure, determination, perseverance, and a high tolerance of uncertainty,” (p. 1). Self esteem and self-efficacy are also qualities associated with resiliency among youth, and therefore important protective factors for improving outcomes for adolescents (Zimmerman, 2013). Self-esteem and self-efficacy are also qualities that can be internally cultivated regardless of contextual variables, thereby increasing a person’s locus of control and creating a positive feedback loop.

Resilience can also be built through the leveraging of resources exogenous to the individual or organization. Exogenous resources may include finances, access to quality medical care, a robust social network, or social services safety nets. For adolescents, resources could also include school programs, sports, and extracurricular activities. Creative leveraging of resources builds hardiness within the system. Individuals and organizations can be taught to recognize resources they might have ignored or undervalued. Taking those neglected resources, improving upon them, or merging them with other resources can create a resilient climate conducive to positive growth and change. 

Resilience as Both Process and Outcome

Resilience is both a process and an outcome (van Breda, 2018). Understood as a process, resilience involves building strengths, competencies, and capacities. The process of resilience also entails becoming less averse to risk, and less afraid of failure. Resilience must also be reinforced, because risk factors will change over time as new agents or variables are introduced to the environment. As a process, resilience means amassing all the protective factors available to a person. Protective factors are those that buffer the person or organization from severe harm, even when some damage must be accepted as par for the course. Some protective factors are endogenous and largely a matter of luck, such as genetics.

By the same token, protection against harm can also be generated actively reducing one’s exposure to risk or to reduce the severity of the risk. Reducing exposure to risk or reducing risk severity are procedures involving risk assessment. The process of building resilience can mirror a risk assessment process. Building resilience includes leveraging what Zimmerman (2013) calls promotive factors, including both assets and resources. Assets in this context refer to the internal resources such as self-esteem and self-efficacy. Resources are external to the individual, such as family and social networks. For example, individuals who cultivate strong social ties and meaningful relationships may protect themselves against various forms of mental illness. Or individuals might count their religion as a protective factor. 

Assets can be innate, or they can be cultivated through practice. Because resilience is correlated with various success and achievement parameters, it is important to consider the unique ways individuals and organizations can cultivate internal strengths. For example, Ledesma (2014) proposes that determination and perseverance are important promotive assets both for individuals and for organizations. Viewing problems realistically, taking a step back and seeing the big picture, and not getting bogged down by setbacks or rejections are all ways to build resiliency. Determination to succeed might mean reassessing one’s strategies and even one’s goals in order to thrive. Having a high tolerance for uncertainty and being adaptable are in fact important protective assets that can help a person or company to weather storms (Ledesma, 2014). A resilient person recognizes that proactive change can prove more efficient and effective than reactions to risks and threats. Likewise, an individual or organization can opt to reconsider its relationship to the environment or to its adversaries instead of blaming. Resilience empowers, making it easier to choose an effective strategy to respond to incoming threats.

As an outcome, resilience can mean many things such as hardiness or thriving.   Beyond tangible and measurable goals, all individuals or organizations ultimately need to aim for resilience as an outcome or goal. After all, resilience implies longevity and endurance. Ledesma (2014) defines thriving as “a person’s ability to go beyond his or her original level of functioning and to grow and function despite repeated exposure to stressful experiences,” (p. 1). An individual or company thrives because of adversity, not in spite of it.
Vulnerability is the opposite of resilience. An individual or organization vulnerable to threats is one that is ill-prepared. Not having enough savings would make a person vulnerable to a sudden crisis such as unemployment, illness, or any unforeseen expenditure. Similarly with organizations, not having a cogent financial plan would render the company unable to withstand a crisis. Being vulnerable is not an inevitability, even though risk may be. Even when vulnerability is inevitable, as it is with at-risk populations facing tremendous adversities such as poverty, it is still possible to witness the power of resilience among those who see threats as opportunities for growth. Applied to organizational behavior, a growth mindset helps leaders to understand how they can use relatively few assets and resources to bring an organization into thriving.