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62 Biobehavioral Resilience to Stress

have employed different terminology. For example, academic scholars such

as Maddi and Khoshaba (2005) examined resilience under the rubric of
hardiness and concluded that three factors form the basis of psychological
resilience: commitment, control, and challenge. Coutu (2002) approached
resilience from a managerial and practitioner perspective, concluding that
psychological resilience to stress requires (1) a staunch acceptance of reality,
(2) a deep belief that life is meaningful, and (3) an uncanny ability to impro-
vise. Walsh (2002) studied resilience from a family and group dynamics
perspective and identified four processes essential to group resilience:

(1) the group’s belief system, (2) its organizational pattern, (3) its specifi c
communication process, and (4) its broader interaction pattern. In the
sections that follow, we draw on all three approaches but for the sake of
organizational convenience, we use Coutu’s general framework to examine
resilience characteristics in detail.

Facing Reality with Determination

Coutu (2002) has argued that in extreme stressor-filled environments,
resilient individuals are able to generate an accurate and very realistic

picture of their circumstance and its difficulties. In the face of adversity,

optimism may also be helpful, provided it does not distort reality or mask
denial (cf. Seligman, 1998). Resilience entails a capacity to gauge obstacles
and problems accurately while maintaining a strong determination to
prevail.

The capacity to face unvarnished reality while remaining resolute is
similar to Maddi and Khoshaba’s (2005) notion that stress-hardy individuals
possess a “control” orientation. This refers to an individual’s determination

to try to influence outcomes—by the exercise of knowledge, skill, imagina-
tion, and choice—even under very difficult circumstances (Kobasa, Maddi &

Kahn, 1982). In addition, this orientation apparently promotes the develop-
ment of a broad array of functional responses to stress, which can then be
drawn upon even in the most threatening environments (Bartone, Ursano,
Wright & Ingraham, 1989).
Likewise, Walsh’s (2002) analysis indicates that resilient families (and
presumably other groups) have the capacity to analyze and contextualize
obstacles and possess a “can-do” spirit that supports initiative-taking and
perseverance. By focusing on their strengths and potential for eff ectiveness,
resilient groups nurture confidence in their members’ abilities to overcome

the odds. In summary, it is a distinguishing characteristic of resilient indi-
viduals and groups that they possess a determination to control their own
destiny, even as they acknowledge and confront inimical forces and dire
circumstances beyond their control.

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