Essentially, the first group falls into the category that we commonly call Resiliency. Resiliency is not merely an inner strength as some believe, but it really is more of a description about what a person dies... how a person acts in a specific stressful situation. Resilience is a person’s ability to maintain a level of functioning that adapts to a situation of extreme - even catastrophic stress - including trauma.

     Now research has demonstrated that there are three basic variables that influence a person’s resiliency: his or her personality, the family, and the availability of a support system.

     To the degree that all three are fully healthy, balanced and functional variables, resiliency - the key Protective Factor, is more likely to succeed in mitigating the effects of a traumatic event. To the degree that a person has only one of these variables - or to the degree that they are incomplete or not yet fully formed, that person may have a greater Risk Exposure to the effects of a stressful event.

     These "Stress-resilient" people, then, are those who seem to have less of a negative impact after a traumatic event - in fact, often they may appear to even be relatively invulnerable in extreme traumatic situations.

     But many of these resilient people also have these other traits:

     - they have a high degree of sociability, and prize social connections;

     - they have a thoughtful and active, task oriented coping style;

     - they have a strong belief in their ability to control their own destiny... they believe in

       themselves and in their own strengths;

     - they have determination... persistence and drive;

     - they may have an extraordinary will to transcend;

     - they often demonstrate a "Serenity" - not an absence of stress... but a calmness in the          midst of it... and an ability to maintain that calm;

     - they have an ability to integrate the trauma with their moral values, with a sense
       of purpose and meaning,... and with their faith;

     - they tend to avoid isolation;

     - they often have a high degree of personal responsibility to themselves and to others;

     - they tend to avoid unnecessary risks, and high-risk events, behaviors and situations;

     - they demonstrate appreciation and gratefulness for the fortunate things in their lives;

     - and they do accept fear in themselves - and understand fear in others... but they are
       as prepared for danger as well as they can be.

      Now as important as building a resilience and having these other traits to best help us in the event of a traumatic experience, what have we learned from the survivors of trauma... survivors of violence or war... what have we learned about "getting stronger when we have been broken?"

     Well studies have shown that the survivors have some other very important traits that we can learn from...

     - They don’t forget... but remember the past... they have confronted the traumatic event,
       but remember it in a balanced manner, after all, it is the past.

     - they live in the present;

     - they were able to get the hurt and the pain "up and out", they got in touch with their
      anger, processed it, and got rid of the anger in a fair amount of time... so they could
      get back to the work of the present;

     - survivors who have shown a healing, are those who could see the :big picture";

     - again, they made sure to avoid isolation;

     - they reached out to get help from others when they needed it;

     - they handled their lives in a balanced way, letting in only what they could handle - but
       challenging life, and not avoiding it;

     - they did confront the reality of the impact;

     - they showed a strong will to live;

     - they learned to laugh again;

     - they listened to others... and they learned from others;

     - they focused on their healing and their recovery, they took care of their body and their
        souls, and looked to the future;

     - and finally, they then decided to reach out and take a very real and meaningful
       action by helping others.

     Empirical research consistently shows that psychological resources such as coping, self-efficacy, mastery, perceived control, self-esteem, hope, and optimism do protect disaster victims! In fact, beliefs about coping were far more important than ways of coping, and self-efficacy, mastery, perceived control, self -esteem, hope and optimism were all strongly, positively, and consistently related to mental health in both the short term and long term periods for survivors of trauma.

     Social support, whether received or perceived, is critical for disaster victims as is the size, activeness and closeness of the survivor’s network.

     With few exceptions, disaster survivors who subsequently believe that they are cared for by others and will be helped of necessary, fare far better psychologically than those who believe they are unloved or alone.

     To the extent to which social or other resources are lost following a traumatic event, the greater the psychological distress.

     Families are extremely important systems and it is most important that post-disaster support, intervention and treatment efforts be aimed a the family unit.