Human resilience under stressful conditions: the role of adaptive psychological mechanisms

Abstract

Abstract. Against the background of mounting global stressors, ranging from pandemics to geopolitical turmoil, the investigation of human resilience has grown in relevance. This paper is an exploratory approach to the adaptive neurobiological and psychological processes that facilitate the capacity to endure, to recuperate from, and even to flourish in the face of challenging circumstances. Here, resilience is understood not as an invariant personal attribute, but as an active and multi-level dynamic consisting of the interaction between cognitive, emotional, physiological, and social systems. It is informed by an interdisciplinary body of literature, including systems theory, developmental psychology, and neuroscience. It draws together the results of recent survey studies that clarify the biological substrates and psychological patterns of resilience. The debate features the function of safe attachment, emotion management, reappraisal of the cognitions, and meaning-making as psychological resources that facilitate adaptive responses. Neurobiologically, the paper identifies HPA axis management, prefrontal cortex functioning, reward processing, immune functioning, and neuroplasticity as critical for modulating responses to stress. In addition, the paper critiques the ethical and methodological nuances of resilience science and its possible misapplication and oversimplification in service and clinical contexts. The paper concludes with suggestions for further investigation, focusing on culturally competent, developmental stage-consistent, and system-informed models to advance and understand human resilience within and across various populations and contexts.