Resilience: And why it is so Important
Mental health professionals love to talk about resilience, but just like the terms ‘stress’ and ‘wellbeing’, the term ‘resilience’ is a suitcase that needs to be unpacked. Here we take a deeper look at what resilience is, why it’s important, and how we can get more of it for ourselves and our families.
What is resilience?
When we talk about resilience, we are referring to the capacity of individuals, families, or communities to withstand stress and adversity and to recover quickly.
Here are two scenarios to illustrate resilience at work. In scenario one, a person loses an important job and their ability to pay the mortgage and other bills. It is normal that they experience feelings of anger, hopelessness, and low self-worth. They tell themselves that they were never good enough for that job and that they were stupid for giving it a go. They become ‘stuck’ in these feelings and thoughts, making it less likely that they will improve their situation. Without any close friends or family nearby to support them, they feel increasingly isolated, and a downward spiral of depression takes hold.
In scenario two, this person also experiences feelings of anger, hopelessness, and low self-worth. However, they tell themselves that although this job was a mistake, they have learned a lot and will find something better. With close friends and family providing financial and emotional assistance, they stop ruminating on where things went wrong and start actively seeking out new job opportunities. A friend of theirs has a connection with a different organisation and can set up an interview. Even in a ‘worst case scenario’, where they are unable to find work and do lose their home, it is likely that, after an adjustment period, this person will build a meaningful and fulfilling life, and look back on this period as an important time of growth and change.
These two scenarios highlight why resilience is so important, and such a high priority for family support agencies such as Kindred. These scenarios also highlight some of the key factors that contribute to individual resilience, such as self-esteem and a positive outlook, as well as whanaungatanga (connection) to family, and their wider social network.
A useful way of understanding the factors that contribute to an individual’s resilience is through Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā. This model draws on te ao Māori concepts and uses the symbol of the wharenui to illustrate the four dimensions of Māori wellbeing: taha tinana (physical health), taha wairua (spiritual health), taha whānau (family health) and taha hinengaro (mental health) (Rochford, 2004). Here, resilience is a robust wharenui, in which all four pillars (taha) are strong and healthy. While Te Whare Tapa Whā has a wellbeing focus, the holistic nature of the model means that it is equally useful for understanding individual resilience.
Note: Image taken from the Mental Health Foundation website.
For families and communities, resilience also refers to the inherent attributes of the group, such as a strong communal identity and sense of connection, as well as external factors, such as insurance and access to social services. The ability to recover from extreme weather events, such as those that have recently impacted our local communities in North-West Rodney, is a measure of resilience, with these events demonstrating the vital importance of community connectedness in promoting survival and recovery.
Why is resilience so important?
The above examples highlight why governments, support agencies, and mental health workers alike are so interested in resilience. Research demonstrates that resilient people have greater ambition, feel more hopeful, are emotionally more stable and resourceful, feel more connected to others, and have greater life satisfaction (Johnson, 2022). While according to Sideroff (2020), resilient families and communities are more connected, better resourced, experience fewer illnesses, and report a more positive effect (hopefulness and positivity).
“Research demonstrates that resilient people have greater ambition, feel more hopeful, are emotionally more stable and resourceful, feel more connected to others, and have greater life satisfaction”
It is thus a central goal of family support agencies such as Kindred to increase the resilience of individuals and families and create opportunities for community-wide discussions and initiatives that promote connectivity and positive identity. Children’s Day Family Fun Day and our Turning The Tide Fundraising Event are two examples of initiatives aimed at improving community resilience.
How does resilience develop?
The innate qualities that resilient individuals possess are largely a result of a healthy upbringing. Children who grow up in a safe, supportive, and loving environment are far more likely to grow into resilient adults. The most important factor being at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, or another adult (Harvard University). It is in these environments that a child develops a positive outlook, healthy self-esteem, and the ability to form strong and trusting connections with others (Harvard University).
”The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult.”
That is not to say that childhood adversity prevents resilience. In fact, research suggests that a degree of adversity is actually important to ‘unlocking’ resilience, in that it can teach children that it is possible to survive and thrive following an adverse event (Johnson, 2022). The important thing, according to the Centre on the Developing Child (Harvard University), is that the experience of adversity is outweighed by the positive resilience-building factors outlined above.
Factors that contribute to resilient families and communities are broad and interwoven. A healthy economy, legal environment, natural environment and cultural identity are just some of the broad range of factors that may impact a given communities resilience. Note that ‘community’ does not just relate to a particular location, but may also denote an ethnic group, social category, or group linked by other means, such as shared interests or beliefs. Resilient families are far more likely to develop within resilient communities that offer a secure and positive environment in which families can thrive.
How can we develop resilience further?
Some of the ways that mental health agencies foster resilience in individuals is through tools and techniques that enhance emotional regulation, such as mindfulness, as well as through therapeutic interventions that resolve internal conflicts and boost self-efficacy, self-determination, and self-esteem. Promoting social connection through shared interests and community activities is also an important way of enhancing resilience.
At the community level, initiatives that foster cohesiveness, belonging, equality, and a positive community vision are just some of the ingredients that can enhance resilience at the community level (Sideroff, 2020). Partnership, self-determination, and the equitable distribution of resources for tangata whenua are widely understood as being essential to enhancing resilience for communities across Aotearoa.
Limitations of resilience
Resilience is not the same as invincibility. Even the most resilient person will eventually crack under the pressure of sustained stress and adversity. This is particularly true for people who see no way of changing or removing themselves from the stressful situation, such as those in abusive and controlling relationships.
“Resilience is not the same as invincibility. Even the most resilient person will eventually crack under the pressure of sustained stress and adversity.”
The ‘she’ll be right’ attitude that New Zealand is famous for evokes the image of a resilient population, and yet in reality, we have worryingly high suicide statistics when compared to other OECD nations, particularly for youth (Mental Health Foundation)
It is, therefore, important to incorporate healthy boundaries and help-seeking behaviour, in any comprehensive model of resilience, which ultimately protects the individual, family, or community, from the harm caused by chronic or prolonged stress.
Summary
Resilience is the capacity to withstand and recover quickly from stress and adversity, and building resilience in individuals, families, and communities is an important goal for Kindred Family Services and other agencies like us. Resilient people have greater ambition, feel more hopeful, and are emotionally more stable and resourceful (Johnson, 2022), while resilient families and communities are more connected, better resourced, and report a more positive effect (Sideroff, 2020). The innate qualities that resilient individuals possess are largely a result of a healthy upbringing, and most importantly, a secure and stable relationship with at least one parent or another adult (Harvard University). While for families and communities, resilience develops through initiatives that foster cohesiveness, belonging, equality, and a positive vision (Sideroff, 2020).
Our commitment to resilience
Kindred Family Services works to improve the resilience of individuals, families, and communities in North-West Rodney. We do this through subsidised counselling, wrap-around family support, group programs and workshops, family harm support, and by providing refuge for women and children in crisis.
To be a part of positive change in our community, please consider becoming one of our 100 founding Kindred Spirits by committing to a regular monthly donation.
References:
Harvard University (n.d.). Resilience. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/resilience/
Johnson (2022). What is resilience? Benefits, limitations, how to boost it. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/what-is-resilience
Mental Health Foundation (n.d.). Suicide Statistics. https://mentalhealth.org.nz/suicide-prevention/suicide-statistics
Rochford, T. (2004). Whare tapa wha: A Māori model of a unified theory of health. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 25(1), 41-57. https://doi-org.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/10.1023/B:JOPP.0000039938.39574.9e
Sideroff (2020). What defines a resilient community and why strive for it?. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/path-optimal-living/202011/what-defines-resilient-community-and-why-strive-it
