Psychological resilience

from the first phase to trajectory-based approaches

Abstract

The present work is a theoretical study which aims to outline the field of research on resilience, to locate the current contributions of the investigations carried out using the trajectories-based o approaches. Four phases of research are taken up and the associated relevant concepts were discussed, such as adversity and risk; resilience factors; coping; evaluation criteria of competence or of the absence of psychopathology; and coping trajectories. We present considerations on the differences between studies that focus on coping with chronic stress conditions, and those which focus on coping strategies for acute adversities. We also discuss the implications of these differences for resilience studies. Finally, the contributions of the so-called Trajectories-based Approaches are explored, with an explanation of the various possibilities of trajectories covered by the subjects before and after facing adversities.