Hi Cameron! I agree the title is overstating things, as titles so often do :) It was also not one I created — the editors of Forge are responsible for that.

That being said… resilience is defined as the capacity to spring back after significant challenges. The question researchers are asking is what makes resilience possible? Is it only inner qualities, like grit, positive thinking, determination, will power, a good ol’ pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps mentality? Or is there something else going on?

Researchers like Michael Ungar would argue that all those inner qualities are great, but they will get you nowhere if you are continually running up against a wall every time you try to take a step forward. What it takes to be resilient, even more than inner strength, is an environment that supports your efforts. One that rewards you consistently for working hard (which isn’t the case for some minority groups), one that provides needed emotional support (so you can keep up with that positive thinking!), one that provides basic needs (you can’t nurture your children effectively if you’re own stomach is empty)…

The point is, resilience is not something you’re born with or something you develop in a vacuum. We are social creatures that require networks and systems to support us. Never is that more obvious than when we run up against crisis!