2. Key work experiences
Projects
Laboratory of Developmental
Psychology and
Psychopathology, McLean
Hospital, Boston, USA
Collaborated in a longitudinal
study exploring the clinical,
educational and occupational
outcomes of a group of high-risk
individuals into adulthood.
London South Bank
University, London, UK
Associate Lecturer: teaching and
supervision for the MSc Mental
Heath Nursing.
Amanda Comoretto
comoretto@gmail. com / Mobile: +34 618171735
Health psychologist: 15 years experience investigating work stress and processes
of psychological resilience development in children and adults alike.
Collaborations with hospitals, universities, companies and organisations.
A longitudinal study on
resilience development: an
investigation on a group of
humanitarian aid workers
observed over time, with a special
focus on the way their levels of
resilience increased/decreased
following humanitarian missions.
Child physical and sexual
abuse in two clinical samples:
an investigation on processes of
resilience development in abused
children.
An evaluation of children and
adolescents victims of
domestic violence: a synthesis
of key areas of psychological
assessment in children and
adolescents exposed to domestic
violence.
PhD Psychology, London South
Bank University, London, UK
Master (MSc) Child and
Adolescent Mental Health,
Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College, London, UK
BSc Psychology and
Sociology, Bath University, Bath,
UK
Skills
Research
Teaching
Corporate training
Cultural diversity
Project management
Written and oral: English,
Spanish, French, German,
Italian
Education
Services
Workshops
Seminars
Corporate events
Team building
Research/Consulting
5. A basic definition of resilience
Doing okay or
recovering well
after exposure to
challenges that
threaten function
or development
5
6. A broader definition of resilience
…the capacity of a system to adapt
successfully to disturbances that
threaten its stability, viability, or
development.
(Masten, 2014)
6
This definition is SCALABLE
across levels from the tiniest
systems to global systems
(Masten, 2014)
7. From risk to resilience
• Origins of mental illness/effects of
adverse life experiences
7
• Study of high-risk individuals: great
variation in outcomes
• Insight of the pioneers
– studying risk is not enough
– crucial to study positive processes
8. Four Waves of Resilience Science
• Who is resilient? What makes a
difference?
• How do protective factors work?
• Can resilience be promoted?
• How can levels and sciences be
integrated?
8
9. The search for protective factors
What matters for resilience?
9
– In the person
– In relationships
– In the culture and community
– In the physical environment
– In the society
– Globally …
10. Your own example, again…
You probably considered someone…
• who experienced adversity
• but still managed to do okay
11. Your own example, again…
11
To study resilience in human development,
scientists do much the same thing…
…but in more systematic ways
13. Remember…
• Humans are living systems
– Developing and changing all the time
– Interacting with many other systems
that are also changing
13
• Your own resilience is highly
interdependent on many other
layers of systems and how they’re
operating
15. Is resilience a trait?
• No! – but individual differences matter
15
• The danger of blaming the victim
– The myth of the “right stuff”
16. Is there a price for resilience?
• Scars
– The price of adversity, not resilience
16
• Trade-offs
– Short-term survival can compromise long-term
success
• Positive achievements
– The strain and effort of overcoming adversity
17. Is there a time limit on resilience?
• Short- and long-term perspectives
17
• Is recovery that takes a long time still a form of
manifested resilience?
18. On a cautionary note…
• No person or system is
invulnerable
• Renewable and
exhaustible
• More than one path for
resilience
19. Resilience is the ability
to successfully sail
through changes and
challenges, and to
bounce back following
periods of hardship
19
22. 1. Increase flexibility
The ability to stay in a situation even when it is
not clear, without trying to find a solution
at all costs
22
Pragmatic idealism
23. The bamboo that bends
is stronger than the oak
that resists.
(Japanese proverb)
23
25. 2. Reinforce problem-solving
The ability to make do with whatever you have at
hand… to improvise solutions to problems
without adequate tools
25
•Situations are challenge, not a threat
•Imperfect/partial solutions
•Learning on-the-go
35. 6. Improve emotional management
The ability to manage intense emotions
35
• Mindfulness meditation
• Cognitive restructuring
• Delay of emotional expression
36. 36
Happiness is not something that
happens. It is not the result of
good fortune or random chance. It
is not something that money can
buy or power command. It does
not depend on outside events,
but, rather, on how we interpret
them.
M. Csikszentmihalyi
42. Practical advice
42
• Cultivate mental flexibility
• Act when confronted with adversity
• Share problems/worries with family
members
• Learn how to laugh more
• Manage negative emotions
• Engage in fun/relaxing activities
• Acknowledge your limits
• Eat and sleep enough, if possible!
• Exercise, practice mindfulness meditation
43. “Ordinary magic”
• No rare/special
resources/protections
• Common adaptive
systems working well
43
44. • Resilience is all around us
• Many paths
• Support/promotion
44
Take home…
