ABSTRACT
G. E. Vaillant suggests that we all think we know what resilience is until we attempt to define it, and 'there is little consensus among researchers about the definition and meaning of this concept. Resilient actions often start just with a smile or a moment for reflection that welcomes a broader perspective and encourages a thoughtful optimism about events. Uncovering a person's attitudes and beliefs may not reveal straightaway who is demonstrating resilient behaviour in times of misfortune. A. S. Masten and M. O. Wright suggest that if the period of resilience following adversity is set within a short timescale, the person who takes longer to recover would be identified as non-resilient but that his resilient responding may become evident if he was followed-up over time. Resilient responding to adversity is neither the absence of emotion nor trying to feel positive about what's happening to someone.
