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The Role Of Resilience In Adolescents

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Children and adolescents are resilient. According to McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter, and McWhirter (2013), resilience is the “capacity to adapt and function successfully despite experiencing chronic stress and adversity” (p. 130). Resilience is also the ability to come back from a negative situation and turn the adversity into something positive (Prince-Embury, 2015). When adolescents are placed in a stressful or difficult situation, they strive to make the best of it; however, there are some adolescents who struggle to make the best of the situation they are in, which leads to risky behavior. Family factors tend to influence resiliency as well as protective and risk factors. Family factors that influence resiliency in adolescents is parental …show more content…

At-risk youth are still capable of getting involved with school and community activities. Some adolescents become involved with art, music, and drama so they can express themselves artistically. Others get involved with sports because of the family-like atmosphere and team-building exercises. Others become involved with local mentoring organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters and church youth groups. All of these activities serve as protective factors for at-risk youth, and help adolescents develop resiliency. According to McWhirter et al (2013), “the social support networks of the larger community also help to ameliorate the effects of stress on children” (p. 131). Adolescents rely on their peers, youth leaders, coaches, and teachers to help them develop resilience. One of the risks of depending on peers to help develop resilience is “peer group pressure can be either a very powerful ally or a formidable antagonist, dissuading or encouraging problem behavior” (McWhirter et al, 2013, p. 116). As a result, it is imperative for adolescents to choose their friends wisely, especially if they come from a difficult home background. School and community environments help adolescents develop the skills they need to overcome their difficulties (McWhirter et al, 2013, p. 146). Schools and communities also help adolescents develop resiliency because they provide the support they need to

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