Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?

Bonanno, George A.

doi:10.1037/0003-066x.59.1.20

Cited by 4,948 publications

(3,323 citation statements)

References 67 publications

(89 reference statements)

Supporting

183

Mentioning

2,805

Contrasting

Unclassified

151

Order By: Relevance

“…made up of a variety of factors) construct; as such, the concept is difficult to measure and the term resilience has been applied in numerous ways in the literature. Thus, the existing research findings are disparate, with widely differing estimates of the prevalence of this phenotype in the post-trauma context (see Bonanno, 2004; Luthar et al, 2000, for review), leading to difficulties comparing resilience across studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resilience is often considered the rule rather than the exception (Bonanno, 2004; Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995), and while this has been demonstrated in numerous military samples (e.g. Johnson, Polousney, & Erbes, 2011; Nash et al, 2015; Polousny et al, 2017), low levels of self-reported resilience have also been reported (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring resilience models in a sample of combat-exposed military service members and veterans: a comparison and commentary

Sheerin

Stratton

Amstadter

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The term resilience is applied in numerous ways in the mental health field, leading to different perspectives of what constitutes a resilient response and disparate findings regarding its prevalence following trauma. Objective: illustrate the impact of various definitions on our understanding and prevalence of resilience, we compared various resilience definitions (absence of PTSD, absence of current mental health diagnosis, absence of generalized psychological distress, and an alternative trauma load–resilience discrepancy model of the difference between actual and predicted distress given lifetime trauma exposure) within a combat-exposed military personnel and veteran sample. Method: In this combat-trauma exposed sample (N = 849), of which approximately half were treatment seeking, rates of resilience were determined across all models, the kappa statistic was used to determine the concordance and strength of association across models, and t-tests examined the models in relation to a self-reported resilience measure. Results: Prevalence rates were 43.7%, 30.7%, 87.4%, and 50.1% in each of the four models. Concordance analyses identified 25.7% (n = 218) considered resilient by all four models (kappa = .40, p < .001). Correlations between models and self-reported resilience were strong, but did not fully overlap. Conclusions:The discussion highlights theoretical considerations regarding the impact of various definitions and methodologies on resilience classifications, links current findings to a systems-based perspective, and ends with suggestions for future research approaches on resilience.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring resilience models in a sample of combat-exposed military service members and veterans: a comparison and commentary

Sheerin

Stratton

Amstadter

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A relatively small body of work focuses on individual resilience in the context of 'highly disruptive' events, such as 'the death of a close relation or a violent or life-threatening situation, to maintain relatively stable, healthy levels of psychological and physical functioning' (Bonanno, 2004). Research in this category defines resilience in terms of psychological robustness, for example, Waldman, Carmeli, and Halevi (2011) highlight the role of compassion in creating the conditions for individual resilience in the face of terrorism.…”

Section: Quadrant 3: Individual Resilience In the Context Of Extreme mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why resilience managers aren’t resilient, and what human resource management can do about it

Branicki

Steyer

Sullivan‐Taylor

2016

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Namely, while resilience refers to restoring an original baseline, PTG refers to creating a new baseline as an outcome of a positive psychological change that occurs as the result of the struggle with a highly challenging, stressful, and traumatic event. According to Bonanno (2004), "resilient individuals might not engage in the kind of meaning-making behaviors associated with PTG for the simple reason that they tend not to struggle to the same extent as might other, more traumatized individuals" (p. 420). Therefore, living with more frequent or devastating circumstances, such as surviving a natural disaster, might be a manifestation of resilience when there are ample resources to restore the original way of living.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creative Soups for the Soul: Stories of Community Recovery in Talca, Chile, After the 2010 Earthquake

Bender¹,

Metzl²,

Selman³

et al. 2015

Psykhe (Santiago)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study, conducted in Talca, Chile, a year and a half after a massive natural disaster, focused on creative thinking and art production as manifestations of resilience. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants through community leaders and programs. Ten survivors whose houses were damaged or destroyed during the 2010 earthquake were willing to participate in semi-structured interviews that included verbal narratives and an art response. Systematic analysis illuminated conscious and latent psychological content. Three overarching themes were identified as central to survivors' recovery process and were then contrasted with data from New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, exploring universality and contextual factors in post disasters' creativity and resilience. Specifically, in Talca, the creation of craft for sale, instead of art making for emotional expression in New Orleans, was observed; idealism and future-oriented thinking were heightened in Talca, while humor and spirituality seemed more pronounced in New Orleans; and connections to natural surroundings in Talca were juxtaposed with New Orleans' residents' strong neighborhood affiliations and cultural festivities.Keywords: resilience, creativity, disaster, Chile, New Orleans Este estudio, desarrollado en Talca, Chile, un año y medio después de un desastre natural masivo, se centró en el pensamiento creativo y la producción artística, como manifestaciones de resiliencia. Se usó un muestreo intencional para reclutar a los participantes, a través de programas y líderes comunitarios. Diez sobrevivientes cuyas casas fueron destruidas o dañadas durante el terremoto de 2010 accedieron a participar en entrevistas semi estructuradas, las que incluyeron narrativas verbales y una respuesta artística. Un análisis sistemático iluminó los contenidos psicológicos, tanto conscientes como latentes. Tres temas principales fueron identificados como centrales en el proceso de recuperación de los sobrevivientes y fueron luego contrastados con datos obtenidos en New Orleans posterior al huracán Katrina, explorando universalidad y factores contextuales en la creatividad y resiliencia post desastre. En concreto, en Talca se observó la creación artística para la venta en lugar de la creación artística para la expresión emocional observada en New Orleans; el idealismo y pensamiento orientado en el futuro se acentuó en Talca, mientras que en New Orleans pareció pronunciarse más el humor y la espiritualidad; y las conexiones con el entorno natural en Talca se yuxtaponen con fuertes afiliaciones vecinales y festividades culturales en los residentes de New Orleans.Palabras clave: resiliencia, creatividad, desastre, Chile, New Orleans Natural disasters-earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, wild fires-are regular occurrences in many parts of the world, yet bring unimaginable challenges and irregular experiences to the daily lives of millions who are recovering from these events. How people react and what is effective in recovering from disasters seems to vary depending on a cultur...

show abstract

Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events?

Cited by 4,948 publications

References 67 publications

Exploring resilience models in a sample of combat-exposed military service members and veterans: a comparison and commentary

Exploring resilience models in a sample of combat-exposed military service members and veterans: a comparison and commentary

Why resilience managers aren’t resilient, and what human resource management can do about it

Creative Soups for the Soul: Stories of Community Recovery in Talca, Chile, After the 2010 Earthquake

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About