09. Fostering Sustainable Resilience in Children through Social Connection

• In Event: 232 - Informal Discussion Roundtable Session

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of resilience has evolved from a static psychological concept into a multidisciplinary field that takes into account the social context of the individual. While discrepancies exist, the concepts of adversity and positive adaptation remain constant themes in most definitions of resilience (Fletcher and Sarkar 2013). Sustainable resilience requires a focus on personal strengths, self-organization, self-control, and social connection. Further, communities foster personal resilience through individual’s connections to social institutions (Zautra, Hall, and Murray 2010). Within this work, the relationship between sustainable resilience and social connection during childhood is articulated and its implications explored. It is the authors’ belief that instrumental social support matters, but also significant is the child’s sense that he or she is a part of something larger than him or herself. This understanding, combined with the authors’ approach to the idea that resiliency exists not only on the individual level, but also on the family and larger community levels, offers a novel, sociologically grounded contribution towards fostering sustainable resilience in children.

Authors

• Anna Anglin Patterson, Elon University

• Alexis T. Franzese, Elon University