Portraits of Resiliency: Examining the Lives of Self-Defined Resilient Adults

Personal, health and economic pressures and a rapidly changing world present adults with daunting obstacles and difficult life choices.  Resilience is a key skill for surviving and thriving in these challenging times. Resiliency is defined as the ability to survive and thrive in the face of change, challenge, and disruption without exhibiting dysfunctional behavior. Resilient people overcome adversity and bounce back from setbacks, becoming stronger and wiser in the process. Research in the science of resiliency highlights specific traits and skills found in highly resilient people and necessary for leading a productive life.

 This study designed to investigate the process of resiliency as it relates to adults and their response when faced with adversity, explored what methods and/or practices adults employ to respond to stress, trauma, disappointment, loss, and depression and the factors and qualities that constitute resilient behavior. The six themes:  Self-worth and Self-concept, Family as Strength, Faith and Spirituality, Support and Connection, Exercising Choice as a Means of Empowerment, and Reflection as a Process of Continual Learning and Growth that emerged will be shared along with the important implications that arose.  A critical implication of this study is the need to provide individuals with language necessary to articulate their experiences with and understanding of the process of resiliency