By Ben Saravia, Thrive Global, August 5, 2019
We all know them, and history is littered with them. People, be they friends, family or colleagues, who seem so able to rise above whatever life may throw at them. Not only do they seem to take adversity in their stride, but when they are set back, they have an ability to quickly ‘bounce back’ – and may even grow from the event. Perhaps they are just lucky? Or is it a skill? How come they seem so resilient?
The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or even significant sources of threat.”
There are large amounts of empirical evidence that shows that a person with a relative who suffers from depression is almost five times as likely to develop depression themselves. But the basis for this is unclear. It could be heredity and/or due to environmental factors. It is possible, for example, that children (who model behavior) are more likely to be depressed in adulthood if they have seen a depressed parent for example, or lived in the same conditions that caused the onset of the depression. Correlation is not causation.
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