Page 16 - Biobehavioral Resilence to Stress

Introduction xv

Researchers have identifi ed some specific psychosocial characteristics (e.g.,

optimism, hardiness) and physical factors (e.g., fitness, nutrition) that appear

as attributes in common among notably resilient individuals. Th e ongoing
challenge is to determine what aspects of stress resilience are both neces-

sary and sufficient to classify resilient (or nonresilient) individuals as such
and to formulate a basis for predicting and enhancing human performance

in high-stress situations and events. We propose that this effort should be
guided by particular attention to factors that are observable and relatable
across multiple disciplinary perspectives and methodologies. Of particular
importance here are any and all explorations that elucidate relevant genetic
variations and the underlying biological basis of resilience to stress as a
physiologically observable phenomenon (Charney, 2004; Curtis & Cicchetti,
2003; Epel, McEwen & Ickovics, 1998). To the extent that psychosocial fac-
tors (e.g., personality characteristics, cognitive styles, cultural diff erences)
can be related to known and reliable sources of physiological variance, there
emerges a more valid basis for the development of more predictive theoreti-
cal, experimental, and applied frameworks.

Military Relevance

The need for resilience is felt more urgently nowhere than in military com-

bat, where exposure to extreme and ongoing stress is all but unavoidable.
From early basic training to assignment on or off the battlefi eld, modern

war fighters must contend with a variety of intense physical and psychologi-
cal demands. In particular, service members deployed to confl icts overseas
must reckon with prolonged separation from loved ones, extreme climate,
grueling physical load, cultural isolation, sleep deprivation, and, of course, a
persistently heightened concern for their own safety and that of their fellow

war fighters. Modern military leaders and war fighters are well aware that

operational effectiveness and physical survival may at times quite literally

depend upon the ability to withstand and overcome the effects of extreme,
ongoing, and potentially cumulative sources of stress.
Interest in this question has been fueled by renewed awareness of expo-
sure to stress and stress-related problems associated with unconventional
(insurgent) warfare, terrorism, and natural disasters. It is essential for resil-
ience research to keep pace with the needs of those who serve in the interest

of national security and public safety. Just as war fighters confront expo-

sure to extreme stress in combat, so do civilian “first responders” to vio-
lent, hazardous, tragic, and sometimes gruesome results of crime, terrorism,
mass casualty accidents, and natural disasters. In each case, negative eff ects
of stress on performance will tend to compromise professional readiness,
effectiveness, and survivability. Effective training to promote or enhance

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