ABSTRACT
Resilience can be seen to arise in situations characterized by people being called upon to face financial crises, job loss, aging, losing their home in a fire or natural disaster, war and thousands of other such testing scenarios. The loss of a sense of security is just one aspect of how loss and grief feature in situations characterized by vulnerability and a need for resilience. This chapter considers the significance of adversity. Resilience can be understood as the basis for coping not only with adversity in general but also with loss and grief issues in particular, as these latter issues are never far away from matters involving distress and suffering. Disaster situations are therefore significant sites of concern when it comes to promoting resilience. Sociology offers a unique “lens” for viewing and understanding resilience. Meaning making is a broad concept that draws upon multiple traditions in sociology, anthropology and other social sciences.
