InBrief: How Resilience is Built

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

22 Apr 201502:18

Summary

TLDRThe video script emphasizes the importance of building resilience in children through supportive relationships with caring adults. It highlights the role of families, teachers, and community members in nurturing resilience, which involves developing coping and problem-solving skills. The script advocates for societal efforts to strengthen the capabilities of adults who care for children, to foster positive life outcomes and promote resilience building for all.

Takeaways

🛡️ Resilience is a quality that can be developed, not just an innate trait.
💞 Key to building resilience are the supportive relationships children have with caring adults.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families are crucial, but children's resilience is also shaped by the broader community.
🧑‍🏫 Teachers and coaches are influential figures in a child's resilience development.
👶 Responsive interactions with adults help children learn basic coping and adapting skills.
🚫 Children learn to regulate their behavior and manage their emotions through these interactions.
🍭 They also learn to defer gratification, an important skill for resilience.
🧰 An 'adaptive toolkit' of skills is developed, which can be utilized during stress or challenges.
🔍 As children mature, their skills become more sophisticated, including monitoring situations and problem-solving.
🏘️ Society can foster resilience by enhancing the capabilities of adults who care for children.
🌟 Communities play an active role in nurturing resilience when they understand and support what is needed.
🌱 Building resilience and capacity benefits everyone and contributes to positive life outcomes.

Q & A

What does Philip A. Fisher define resilience as?
-Philip A. Fisher defines resilience not as a magical quality but as something that can be built, even in difficult circumstances.
According to W. Thomas Boyce, what is the key ingredient to building resilience in children?
-W. Thomas Boyce states that the key ingredient to building resilience is the relationships children have with others who care about them.
How do Jack P. Shonkoff and others view the role of families in raising children?
-Jack P. Shonkoff emphasizes that families play a very important role, but no one raises children in isolation, highlighting the importance of community involvement.
What impact do teachers, coaches, and other adults have on children's resilience, as mentioned by Jack P. Shonkoff?
-Jack P. Shonkoff points out that teachers, coaches, and other adults in the community can have a powerful impact on building resilience in children through the relationships they develop with them.
What are some simple skills of coping and adapting that children learn as a result of responsive interaction, according to the transcript?
-Children learn to stop crying, regulate their behavior, and defer gratification as simple skills of coping and adapting through responsive interaction.
Linda C. Mayes mentions an 'adaptive toolkit'. What does this refer to?
-The 'adaptive toolkit' Linda C. Mayes refers to is a set of potential skills that individuals can use during moments of stress or challenge to get through them.
How does Jack P. Shonkoff describe the evolution of resilience skills as children grow older?
-Jack P. Shonkoff explains that as children get older, the sophistication of their resilience skills increases, including the ability to monitor situations and solve problems.
What does Jack P. Shonkoff suggest as a societal approach to nurturing the development of resilience?
-He suggests that society should help communities focus on building the capabilities of adults who care for children and provide the necessary supports to promote more positive life outcomes.
What does Philip A. Fisher imply about communities being active in crafting solutions for resilience?
-Philip A. Fisher implies that when communities actively participate in understanding and crafting solutions for resilience, it leads to a more effective and engaged approach to building resilience.
Jack P. Shonkoff mentions that resilience building and capacity building are in everyone's interest. What does this mean?
-It means that the process of building resilience and capacity is beneficial for everyone involved, and the entire community reaps the benefits when it is done well.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Building Resilience Through Relationships

The first paragraph emphasizes that resilience is a skill that can be developed, especially in challenging environments. It highlights the importance of relationships with caring individuals as a core ingredient for building resilience in children. The role of families is acknowledged, but the script also underscores the significant impact of teachers, coaches, and community adults in nurturing resilience. Children learn coping mechanisms and adaptability through responsive interactions, which equips them with an 'adaptive toolkit' to handle stress and challenges. As they grow older, these skills become more sophisticated, including monitoring situations and problem-solving. The paragraph concludes with the idea that society should focus on enhancing the capabilities of adults who care for children, to foster positive life outcomes and resilience.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Resilience

Resilience refers to the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or to withstand stress. In the context of the video, it is portrayed as a quality that can be developed rather than an innate trait. The script emphasizes that resilience is built through supportive relationships and can be enhanced by various skills such as coping and adapting to stress. For example, Jack P. Shonkoff mentions that resilience building is a critical supportive role that adults play in children's lives.

💡Relationships

Relationships are the connections that individuals have with others who care about them. The video script highlights the importance of relationships in building resilience, especially for children. W. Thomas Boyce points out that the key ingredient to resilience is the relationships kids have with others who care about them, which can include families, teachers, and community members.

💡Coping Skills

Coping skills are strategies used to manage stress or adversity. The script describes how children develop simple coping skills such as stopping crying and regulating behavior, which are part of the adaptive toolkit that helps them navigate through stress or challenges. These skills are essential for resilience, as Linda C. Mayes explains, allowing individuals to manage stress and adapt to difficult situations.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation is the process of adjusting to new conditions or environments. In the video, adaptation is discussed in the context of children learning to adjust their behavior and responses to different situations as part of building resilience. For instance, the script mentions children learning to defer gratification, which is an example of adapting to immediate desires for long-term benefits.

💡Supportive Role

A supportive role involves providing help and encouragement to others. The video emphasizes the importance of adults playing a supportive role in children's lives to build resilience. Jack P. Shonkoff discusses how teachers, coaches, and other community adults can have a powerful impact by developing relationships with children and supporting them in building resilience.

💡Community

Community refers to a group of people living in the same place or having common interests. The script suggests that nurturing resilience is a societal responsibility and involves helping communities build the capabilities of adults who care for children. Philip A. Fisher mentions that when communities actively participate in crafting solutions for resilience, it leads to a more effective process.

💡Capabilities

Capabilities in this context refer to the abilities or skills that adults need to effectively support children's development of resilience. The video script indicates that by enhancing the capabilities of adults who interact with children, society can tip the scales toward more positive life outcomes. Jack P. Shonkoff discusses the importance of building the capabilities of adults in the community to support children.

💡Stress

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. The video script discusses how resilience equips individuals with the skills to handle stress. Linda C. Mayes talks about the adaptive toolkit that allows individuals to use various skills during moments of stress or challenge.

💡Challenge

A challenge is a task or situation that tests someone's abilities. The script uses the term to describe situations that require resilience. It is through facing and overcoming challenges that individuals develop and strengthen their resilience, as they learn to adapt and use their coping skills effectively.

💡Situation Monitoring

Situation monitoring is the ability to assess and understand the dynamics of a situation. As children grow older, their resilience skills become more sophisticated, including the ability to monitor situations and solve problems. This concept is mentioned by Jack P. Shonkoff, who explains that as part of resilience building, children learn to better understand and navigate their environments.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to difficulties or issues. The video script mentions problem-solving as an advanced skill that contributes to resilience. As children develop, they learn to not only cope with stress but also to address problems effectively, which is a key part of building resilience as they grow.

Highlights

Resilience is a quality that can be developed, even in challenging situations.

Relationships with caring individuals are crucial for building resilience in children.

Families play an important role, but children are not raised in isolation.

Research shows the significant impact of teachers, coaches, and community adults on a child's resilience.

Responsive interactions help children develop basic coping and adapting skills.

Children learn to regulate behavior and defer gratification through these interactions.

An adaptive toolkit is essential for managing stress and challenges.

As children age, their skills become more sophisticated, including monitoring situations and problem-solving.

Society can nurture resilience by supporting adults who care for children.

Communities should focus on building the capabilities of adults to positively influence children's outcomes.

When communities actively participate in crafting solutions, resilience can be effectively promoted.

Capacity building for resilience is in everyone's interest and benefits society as a whole.

The development of resilience is a collective effort involving families, educators, and community members.

Supporting adults in their caregiving roles is key to tipping the scales towards positive life outcomes for children.

Resilience building is a long-term investment in children's well-being and success.

The role of adults in a child's life extends beyond the family, including influential figures in education and community settings.

Early development of resilience skills can have a lasting impact on a child's ability to cope with future stressors.