Childhood Resilience: Review and critique of literature

In recent times, research has been conducted into childhood resilience, a term which, according to Masten, Best and Garmezy (1990) is defined as the process of, capacity for, or outcome of successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances. Rutter (1990, p. 181) suggests the term refers to 'the positive pole of the ubiquitous phenomenon of individual difference in people's responses to stress and adversity'. This paper presents a brief review and critique of the most influential literature in the area which includes work by, for example, Rutter (1994), Garmezy (1994), Garmezy and Rutter (1983), Werner and Smith (1988, 1990) and others. In particular, the way in which the concept of resilience has been taken up in the educational literature will be examined (e.g. Benard, 1991, 1993; Winfield 1994; Comprehensive Training to Assure Resiliency in Students, 1996; Wang, 1995). The paper concludes by suggesting that while the twin concepts of risk and resilience have been carefully explored i...

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