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Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Amy Shellman

Abstract

According to the American Psychological Association (n.d.), resilience is “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant sources of stress- such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors.” Psychological resilience (distinct from other types of resilience, e.g., physical resilience) may be understood as one’s capacity for maintenance, recovery, or improvement in mental health following life challenges (Neill & Dias, 2001). Wagnild and Young (1993) describe resilience as one’s ability to respond and adapt to challenging, adverse or stressful circumstances. In short, one may be considered resilient if they possess the ability to successfully adapt to some life stressor. Stressors can range from highly traumatic life events (e.g., major injury/illness; sudden loss of a loved one), to less traumatic but still stressful circumstances (e.g., relationship problems). Hence, for resilience to be developed, individuals need exposure to challenging or stressful situations (Rutter, 1987; 1993), both of which are commonly prevalent in most outdoor adventure education programs.

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