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“The book's value lies in its evidence-based consideration of resilience across a range of domains and at many levels of analysis....The book is well organized, coherent, and accessible. Also, the concept of resilience travels well across subject boundaries, providing obvious linkages between seemingly disparate topics. The book's holistic approach fills a big gap in the literature and it should prove a valuable resource for students, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers with theoretical or applied interest in this fascinating and increasingly important topic.”

—The Psychologist


“The coverage of topics is comprehensive, and the organization of the book is useful to the reader in that there is a logical sequence going from the individual (biologic) to the social....It covers a wide range of topics on resilience, including not only resilience of individuals but also of communities and neighborhoods, and even cities. It raises issues and future research concerns, and the chapters are well written, with fluidity and authority. Furthermore, whereas most of the literature on resilience so far has been on children, this is the first handbook to focus on resilience in individuals of adult age, which makes it an important addition to the literature....Highly recommended to a wide variety of individuals, from academic and practicing psychologists to social workers, physicians, stress researchers, sociologists, occupational therapists, community workers, and many others interested in understanding the development of healthy personas and in helping individuals coping with loss and adversity.”

—PsycCRITIQUES


“Provid[es] readers with a thorough, thoughtful, and varied treatise of psychological resilience in adulthood....Laudably, the volume includes perspectives that run the gamut of the behavioral sciences, including biological, cognitive, behavioral, and social psychology, as well as applied sub-disciplines spanning organizational, cultural, and health contexts. Such heterogeneity is very much a strength of the present volume….The volume contains several freestanding allusions to intriguing research findings and insightful observations, which further enhance the readers’ experience….The volume represents a hugely valuable resource for researchers and policy-makers interested in notions of resilience and their applicability to real-life contexts. The editors have successfully captured the vibrancy and diversity of this research area, and have certainly laid convincing groundwork for a case to be made that resilience research represents a coherent and viable subdiscipline-in-waiting.”

—Journal of Positive Psychology


“Framed brilliantly, this book is the mother lode of scientific knowledge on a profoundly important topic. The editors recognize that understanding why some individuals prevail in the face of adversity—and even flourish—must encompass numerous influences, from personal qualities to social networks and communities. Importantly, the final section presents resilience-promoting interventions designed to build the strengths required to surmount major life difficulties. It will be the definitive source on adult resilience for years to come.”

—Carol D. Ryff, PhD, Director, Institute on Aging, and Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison


“Resilience is a psychological concept that has excited many investigators and practitioners, but it has been difficult to define clearly or measure reliably. This handbook gathers together the clearest thinkers in the field to tackle this idea from biological, emotional, cognitive, developmental, social, and even policy perspectives. There is no other book available with this kind of reach, and it should be on the shelf of anyone contemplating research on resilience or for whom the idea of resilience helps to organize clinical and community-based interventions. This volume includes a fabulous group of contributors writing at the cutting edge of the field.”

—Peter Salovey, PhD, Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology, Yale University


“Scholars and students alike will find the Handbook of Adult Resilience to be invaluable. Simply stated, this is the most important book to date on the topic of resilience.”

—John T. Cacioppo, PhD, Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor and Director, Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago


“I have used the Handbook of Adult Resilience as the main text in my course on Psychological Resilience at Harvard for two years. Both graduate- and undergraduate-level students have found the text to be clear, informative, up-to-date, and interesting. I thank the editors for bringing together the best researchers in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of resilience in a single volume.”

—Shelley Carson, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Harvard University


“This text offers a balanced examination of resilience at multiple levels of psychological analysis. Students appreciate the direct, approachable writing and the comprehensive, current understanding of the topic. I rely heavily on this text in my teaching.”

—Jackson Rainer, PhD, ABPP, Director of Clinical Training and Professor of Psychology, Georgia Southern University

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Table of Contents

I. Resilience at Many Levels of Analysis

1. Resilience: A New Definition of Health for People and Communities, Alex J. Zautra, John Stuart Hall, and Kate E. Murray

II. Basic Dimensions of Resilience

A. Biological Dimensions of Resilience

2. Psychobiological Mechanisms of Resilience to Stress, Adriana Feder, Eric J. Nestler, Maren Westphal, and Dennis S. Charney

3. Genes and Environments: How They Work Together to Promote Resilience, Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant

B. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Models of Resilience

4. Positive Emotions as a Basic Building Block of Resilience in Adulthood, Anthony D. Ong, C. S. Bergeman, and Sy-Miin Chow

5. Personal Intelligence and Resilience: Recovery in the Shadow of Broken Connections, John D. Mayer and Michael A. Faber

6. The Resilient Personality, Andrew E. Skodol

7. Resilience in Response to Loss, Kathrin Boerner and Daniela Jopp

8. Psychopathology as Dysfunctional Self-Regulation: When Resilience Resources Are Compromised, Paul Karoly

9. Self-Complexity: A Source of Resilience?, Eshkol Rafaeli and Atara Hiller

10. Anchored by Faith: Religion as a Resilience Factor, Kenneth I. Pargament and Jeremy Cummings

C. Resilience across the Lifespan

11. Resilience over the Lifespan: Developmental Perspectives on Resistance, Recovery, and Transformation, Ann S. Masten and Margaret O’Dougherty Wright

12. Early Adversity and Resilience in Emerging Adulthood, Linda J. Luecken and Jenna L. Gress

13. Resilience to Potential Trauma: Toward a Lifespan Approach, Anthony D. Mancini and George A. Bonanno

D. Social Dimensions of Resilience

14. Resilience in Adolescence: Overcoming Neighborhood Disadvantage, Marc A. Zimmerman and Allison B. Brenner

15. Social Support and Growth Following Adversity, Vicki S. Helgeson and Lindsey Lopez

E. Organizational and Public Policy Dimensions of Resilience

16. Building Organizational Resilience and Adaptive Management, Janet Denhardt and Robert Denhardt

17. Indicators of Community Resilience: What Are They, Why Bother?, John Stuart Hall and Alex J. Zautra

III. Ethnic and Cultural Dimensions of Resilience

18. Cultural Adaptation and Resilience: Controversies, Issues, and Emerging Models, Felipe González Castro and Kate E. Murray

19. Cultural Dimensions of Resilience among Adults, Michael Ungar

IV. Interventions for Enhancing Resilience

20. The Emergence of Capacity-Building Programs and Models of Resilience, Martha Kent and Mary C. Davis

21. Boosting Happiness, Buttressing Resilience: Results from Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions, Sonja Lyubomirsky and Matthew D. Della Porta

22. Positive Affect at the Onset of Chronic Illness: Planting the Seeds of Resilience, Judith Tedlie Moskowitz

23. Asset-Based Strategies for Building Resilient Communities, John P. Kretzmann

24. Health in a New Key: Fostering Resilience through Philanthropy, Roger A. Hughes

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About the Editors

John W. Reich, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University (ASU). His work has focused on the application of social psychological concepts in understanding societal issues and the development of interventions for improving individuals' well-being. Dr. Reich and the other two coeditors are members of the ASU Resilience Solutions Group, which was the source of the development of this handbook.

Alex J. Zautra, PhD, is Foundation Professor of Clinical Psychology at ASU. His research, clinical work, teaching, and publications explore fundamental mind–body issues such as the role of positive emotion in health and the sources of resilience within the person that restore health and well-being following challenges from stressors at home, at work, and in community life. Dr. Zautra's current research focuses on resilience to chronic pain and resilience as people age.

John Stuart Hall, PhD, is Professor of Public Affairs and Public Service at ASU. A founder and former Director of ASU's School of Public Affairs and its Center for Urban Studies, and Project Director of over 40 large-scale funded and often interdisciplinary urban research projects, Dr. Hall has specialized in linking the University with pressing community public policy and governance issues. His current research interests include building resilience in communities and urban regions, and healthy aging.

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Contributors

C. S. Bergeman, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

Kathrin Boerner, PhD, Jewish Home Lifecare, Research Institute on Aging, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

George A. Bonanno, PhD, Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York

Allison B. Brenner, MPH, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Felipe González Castro, PhD, MSW, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Dennis S. Charney, MD, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

Sy-Miin Chow, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Jeremy Cummings, MA, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

Mary C. Davis, PhD, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Matthew D. Della Porta, MA, Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California

Janet Denhardt, PhD, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona

Robert Denhardt, PhD, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona

Michael A. Faber, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Adriana Feder, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

Jenna L. Gress, MA, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

John Stuart Hall, PhD, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona

Vicki S. Helgeson, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Atara Hiller, PhD, Department of Psychology, Barnard College, New York, New York

Roger A. Hughes, PhD, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives, Phoenix, Arizona

Daniela Jopp, PhD, Department of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, New York

Paul Karoly, PhD, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Martha Kent, PhD, Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona

John P. Kretzmann, PhD, Asset-Based Community Development Institute, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, PhD, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Lindsey Lopez, MA, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Linda J. Luecken, PhD, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, California

Anthony D. Mancini, PhD, Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York

Ann S. Masten, PhD, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

John D. Mayer, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Judith Tedlie Moskowitz, PhD, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Kate E. Murray, MA, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Eric J. Nestler, MD, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

Anthony D. Ong, PhD, Department of Human Development, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Kenneth I. Pargament, PhD, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

Eshkol Rafaeli, PhD, Department of Psychology, Barnard College, New York, New York

Andrew E. Skodol, MD, Sunbelt Collaborative, Tucson, Arizona

Maren Westphal, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York

Margaret O’Dougherty Wright, PhD, Department of Psychology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Michael Ungar, PhD, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Halifax, British Columbia, Canada

Alex J. Zautra, PhD, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Marc A. Zimmerman, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Audience

Personality, social, developmental, health, and clinical psychologists; psychiatrists; advanced students in these fields.

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Course Use

May serve as a text in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses.