The purpose of this research is to trace the natural history of risk and resilience across the life course through studying trajectories and turning points in resilience across the life course (Aim 1). Understanding how resilient individuals overcome serious adversity has considerable potential to inform the prevention and treatment of maladaptation in others who are similarly at risk. Although an extensively studied area in child development, virtually no research on resilience has been conducted which introduces this important construct into the middle and late phases of life. To examine resilience across the life course, the proposed research program will study a sample of 50 at-risk individuals who have been followed longitudinally for over 50 years (Glueck & Glueck, 1950; Vaillant, 1995). These 50 individuals have been interviewed at four points across the life course (ages 14, 25, 32, 47). They will be re-interviewed at a fifth point (age 67) for this research. Subjects will be considered to be 'resilient' at each point in the life course based on a global assessment of their psychological, social, and occupational functioning.
A second aim will be to investigate Adult Attachment Status, Defense Mechanisms, and Ego Development as possible underlying mechanisms of resilience.
A third aim will be to identify the life course antecedents of these proposed mechanisms.
| Davis, J T (2001) Gone but not forgotten: declarative and nondeclarative memory processes and their contributions to resilience. Bull Menninger Clin 65:451-70 |
