Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Resilience in Adulthood and Later Life

Defining Features and Dynamic Processes

  • Chapter
Handbook of Aging and Mental Health

Part of the book series: The Springer Series in Adult Development and Aging ((SSAD))

Abstract

The study of mental health in old age, as throughout the life course, has addressed primarily the nature of mental illness, disorders, and difficulties. Health in this framework is essentially the “absence of illness”—to the extent that one does not suffer from various forms of mental problems, one is deemed mentally healthy. Such a negative approach, which prevails in the assessment of physical health as well, fails to address individuals’ capacities to thrive and flourish, that is, go beyond the absence of illness, or neutrality, into the presence of Wellness (Ryff, 1995; Ryff & Singer, 1996; 1998). In this chapter, we examine the relevance of positive psychological well-being for understanding mental health in adulthood and later life. Such a focus on the positive underscores, we believe, the unique strengths and vulnerabilities of the current elderly population.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 289.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adler, N. E., Boyce, T., Chesney, M. A., Cohen, S., Folkman, S., Kahn, R. L., & Syme, S. L. (1994). Socioeconomic status and health: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist, 49, 15–24.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adler, N. E., & Matthews, K. (1994). Health psychology: Why do some people get sick and some stay well?. Annual Review of Psychology, 45, 229–259.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aldwin, C. M. (1991). Does age affect the stress and coping process? Implications of age differences in perceived control. Journal of Gerontology, 46, 174–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allport, G. W. (1961). Pattern and growth in personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (Eds.). (1990). Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F., Seeman, T. E., Albert, M. et al. (1993). High, usual and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: Findings from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Aging. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 1129–1140.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birren, J. E., & Renner, V. J. (1980). Concepts and issues of mental health and aging. In J. E. Birren & R. B. Sloane (Eds.), Handbook of mental health and aging (pp. 3–33). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, J. H. (1971). Lives through time. Berkeley, CA: Bancroft Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block, J. H., & Block, J. (1980). The role of ego-control and ego-resiliency in the organization of behavior. In W. A. Collins (Ed.), Development of cognition, affect, and social relations: The Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology, (Vol. 13, pp. 39–101). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolger, N., & Schilling, E. A. (1991). Personality and the problems of everyday life: The role of neuroticism in exposure and reactivity to daily Stressors. Journal of Personality, 59, 355–386.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, L. A., Cutler, S. J., & Grams, A. (Eds.). (1995). Promoting successful and productive aging. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. L. (1990, November 29). For some, “retired” is an inaccurate label. New York Times, pp. B1-B2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhler, C., & Massarik, F. (Eds.). (1968). The course of human life. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. (1988). Psychosocial models of social support in the etiology of physical disease. Health Psychology, 7, 269–297.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. (1996). Psychological stress, immunity, and upper respiratory infections. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 86–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Herbert, T. B. (1996). Health psychology: Psychological factors and physical disease from the perspective of human psychoneuroimmunology. Annual Review of Psychology, 47, 113–142.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 2, 310–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, J. R., & Singer, B. (1991). A theory of limited differences: Explaining the productivity puzzle in science. In H. Zuckerman, J. R. Cole, & J. T. Bruer (Eds.), The outer circle: Women in the scientific community (pp. 277–340). New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danish, S. J. (1997). Going for the Goal: A life skills program for adolescents. In G. Albeee & T. Gullotta (Eds.), Prevention works (pp. 291–312). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danish, S. J., Mash, J. M., Howard, C. W., Curl, S. J., Meyer, A. L., Owens, S., & Kendall, K. (1992). Going for the Goal Leader Manual, Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (1992a). Anterior cerebral asymmetry and the nature of emotion. Brain and Cognition, 20, 125–151.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (1992b). Emotion and affective style: Hemispheric substrates. Psychological Science, 3, 39–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (1993). Cerebral asymmetry and emotion: Conceptual and methodological conundrums. Cognition and Emotion, 7, 115–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (1995). Cerebral asymmetry, emotion and affective style. In R. J. Davidson & K. Hugdahl (Eds.), Brain asymmetry (pp. 000–000). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Depue, R. A., & Iacono, W. G. (1989). Neurobehavioral aspects of affective disorders. Annual Review of Psychology, 40, 457–492.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Depue, R. A., Luciana, M., Arbisi, P., Collins, P., & Leon, A. (1994). Dopamine and the structure of personality: Relation of agonist-induced dopamine activity and positive emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 485–498.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dienstbier, R. A. (1989). Arousal and physiological toughness: Implications for mental and physical health. Psychological Review, 96, 84–100.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dohrenwend, B. P., Levav, I., & Shrout, P. E. (1992) Socioeconomic status and psychiatric disorders: The causation-selection issue. Science, 255, 946–951.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. (1959). Identity and the life cycle. Psychological Issues, 1, 18–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. E. (1992). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. (Original published 1959)

    Google Scholar 

  • Garmezy, N. (1991). Resiliency and vulnerability of adverse developmental outcomes associated with poverty. American Behavioral Scientist, 34, 416–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garmezy, N. (1993). Vulnerability and resistance. In D. C. Funder, R. D. Parke, C. Tomlinson-Keasey, & K. Widaman (Eds.), Studying lives through time: Personality and development (pp. 377–398). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garmezy, N., Masten, A. S., & Tellegen, A. (1984). The study of stress and competence in children: A building block for development. Child Development, 55, 97–111.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T., Brown, G. W., & Bifulco, A. (1990). Loss of parent in childhood and adult psychiatric disorder: A tentative overall model. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 311–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heady, B., & Wearing, A. (1989). Personality life events, and subjective well-being: Toward a dynamic equilibrium model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 731–739.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidrich, S. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1993a). The role of social comparison processes in the psychological adaptation of elderly adults. Journal of Gerontology, 48, P127–P136.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heidrich, S. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1993a). Physical and mental health in later life: The self-system as mediator. Psychology and Aging, 8, 327–338.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heidrich, S. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1996). The self in later years of life: Changing perspectives on psychological well-being. In L. Sperry & H. Prosen (Eds.), Aging in the twenty-first century: A developmental perspective (pp. 73–102). New York: Garland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, G. O. (1994). Resilient adults: Overcoming a cruel past. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, P. (1997). The endorphin hypothesis: In W. P. Morgan (Ed.), Physical activity and mental health (pp. 163–177). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, K. F. (1994). Human ecology and behavior and sexually transmitted bacterial infections. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 91, 2448–2455.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • House, J. S., Landis, K. R., & Umberson, D. (1988). Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540–545.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Insel, T. R. (1992). Oxytocin: A neuropeptide for affiliation—evidence from behavioral, receptor autoradiographic, and comparative studies. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 17, 3–35.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jahoda, M. (1958). Current concepts of positive mental health. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, C. G. (1933). Modern man in search of a soul. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, D. H., Davidson, R. J., Coe, C. I. et al. (1991). Frontal brain asymmetry and immune function. Behavioral Neuroscience, 105, 860–869.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & Cleary, P. (1980). Social class and psychological distress. American Sociological Review, 45, 463–478.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C., & Magee, W. J. (1993). Childhood adversities and adult depression: Basic patterns of association in a U.S. national survey. Psychological Medicine, 23, 679–690.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Malarkey, W. B., Cacioppo, J. T., & Glaser, R. (1994). Stressful personal relationships: Immune and endocrine function. In R. Glaser & J. K Kiecolt-Glaser (Eds.), Handbook of human stress and immunity (pp. 321–340). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kling, K. C., Ryff, C. D., & Essex, M. J. (1997). Adaptive changes in the self-concept during a life transition. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 989–998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kling, K. C., Seltzer, M. M., & Ryff, C. D. (1997). Distinctive late life challenges: Implications for coping and well-being. Psychology and Aging, 12, 288–295.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klohnen, E. C. (1996). Conceptual analysis and measurement of the construct of ego-resiliency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1067–1079.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leviathan, U. (1989). Successful aging: The kibbutz experience. Journal of Aging and Judaism, 42, 71–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, S. F., Watkins, L. R., & Fleshner, M. (1994). Psychoneuroimmunology: The interface between behavior, brain, and immunity. American Psychologist, 49, 1004–1017.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marmot, M., Ryff, C. D., Bumpass, L. L., Shipley, M., & Marks, N. F. (1997). Social inequalities in health: Converging evidence and next questions. Social Science and Medicine, 44, 901–910.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. (1968). Toward a psychology of being (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masten, A. S. (1989). Resilience in development: Implications of the study of successful adaptation for developmental psychopathology. In D. Cicchetti (Ed.), The emergence of a discipline: Rochester Symposium on Developmental Psychopathology (Vol. 1, pp. 261–294). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masten, A. S., & Garmezy, N. (1985). Risk, vulnerability, and protective factors in developmental psychopathology. In B. B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 8, pp. 1–52). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathabane, M. (1986). Kaffir boy. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • McEwen, B. S., & Stellar, E. (1993). Stress and the individual. Archives of Internal Medicine, 153, 2093–2101.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod, J. D., & Kessler, R. C. (1990). Socioeconomic status differences in vulnerability to undesirable life events. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 31, 162–172.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MeInechuk, T. (1988). Emotions, brain, immunity, and health: A review. In M. Clynes & J. Panksepp (Eds.), Emotions and psychopathology (pp. 181–247). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menaghan, E. D. (1983). Individual coping efforts: Moderators of the relationship between life stress and mental health outcomes. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.), Psychosocial stress: Trends in theory and research (pp. 157–191). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merton, R. K. (1968). The Matthew Effect in science. Science, 159, 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, W. P. (Ed.). (1997). Physical activity and mental health (Series in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine). Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neugarten, B. L. (1973). Personality change in late life: A developmental perspective. In C. Eisdorfer & M. P. Lawton (Eds.), The psychology of adult development and aging. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ormel, J., Stewart, R., & Sanderman, R. (1989). Personality as modifier of the life change-distress relationship. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 24, 187–195.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panksepp, J. (1981). Brain opiods—a neurochemical substrate for narcotic and social dependence. In S. Cooper (Ed.), Theory in psychopharmacology (pp. 149–175). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Panksepp, J. (1992). Oxytocin effects on emotional processes: Separation distress, social bonding, and relationships to psychiatric disorders. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 652, 243–252.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Panksepp, J. (1993). Neurochemical control of moods and emotions: Amino acids to neuropeptides. In M. Lewis & J. M. Haviland (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 87–106). New York: Guildford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I. (1991). The study of coping: An overview of problems and directions. In J. Eckenrode (Ed.), The social context of coping (pp. 261–276). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2–21.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pederson, C. A., Caldwell, J. D., & Brooks, P. J. (1990). Neuropeptide control of parental and reproductive behavior. In D. Ganten & D. Pfaff (Eds.), Current topics in neuroendocrinology: Vol. 10. Behavioral aspects of neuroendocrinology (pp. 81–113). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M. W., Kahn, R. L., & Foner, A. (1994). Age and structural lag. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, R. W, John, O. P., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1996). Resilient, overcontrolled, and undercontrolled boys: Three replicable personality types. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 157–171.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. E., & Wu, C. L. (1996). Education, age, and the cumulative advantage in health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 104–120.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1987). Human aging: Usual and successful. Science, 237, 143–149.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, B. (1958). The conquest of happiness. New York: Liveright. (Original published 1930)

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1985). Resilience in the face of adversity: Protective factors and resistance to psychiatric disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 598–611.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 22, 323–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1990). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. In J. Rolf, A. S. Masten, D. Cicchetti, K. H. Neuchterlein, & S. Weintraub (Eds.), Risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology (pp. 181–214). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Maughan, N., Mortimore, P., & Ouston, J. (1979). Fifteen thousand hours: Secondary schools and their effects on children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1991). Possible selves in adulthood and old age: A tale of shifting horizons. Psychology and Aging, 6, 386–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1995). Psychological well-being in adult life. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 99–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1996). Psychological well-being. In J. E. Birren (Ed.), Encyclopedia of gerontology: Age, aging, and the aged (pp. 365–369). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Essex, M. J. (1992). The interpretation of life experience and well-being: The sample case of relocation. Psychology and Aging, 7, 507–517.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L.M (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Seltzer, M. M. (Eds.) (1900). The parental experience in midlife. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (1996). Psychological well-being: Meaning, measurement, and implications for psychotherapy research. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 65, 14–23.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (1998). The contours of positive human health. Psychological Inquiry, 8, 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulz, R., & Heckhausen, J. (1996). A life span model of successful aging. American Psychologist, 51, 702–714.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T. E. (1996). Social ties and health: The benefits of social integration. Annals of Epidemiology, 6, 442–451.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T., Charpentier, P., Berkman, L., Tinetti, M., Guralnik, J., Albert, M., Blazer, D., & Rowe, J. (1994). Predicting changes in physical performance in a high-functioning elderly cohort: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Journal of Gerontology, 49, M97–M108.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, T. E., Singer, B. H., Rowe, J. W., Horwitz, R. I., & McEwen, B. S. (1997). The price of adaptation: Allostatic load and its health consequences: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Archives of Internal Medicine, 157, 2259–2268.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, B. H., & Ryff, C. D. (1997). Racial and ethnic inequalities in health: Environmental, psychosocial, and physiological pathways. In B. Devlin, S. E. Feinberg, D. Resnick, & K. Roeder, (Eds.), Intelligence, genes, and success. Scientists respond to the Bell Curve (pp. 89–122). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, B. H., Ryff, C. D., & Magee, N. J. (in press). Linking life histories and mental health: A person-centered strategy. In A. Raferty (Ed.), Sociological methodology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smider, N. A., Essex, M. J., & Ryff, C. D. (1996). Adaptation to community relocation: The interactive influence of psychological researches and contextual factors. Psychology and Aging, 11, 362–371.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, G. F., Fiatarone, M. A., Benton, D., Morley, J. E., Bloom, E., & Makinodan, T. (1987). Psychoimmunologic and endorphin function in the aged. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 54, 143–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiegel, D., Kraemer, H. C., Bloom, T. R., & Gottheil, E. (1989). Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Lancet, ii, 888–891.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staudinger, U. M., Marsiske, M., & Baltes, P. B. (1995). Resilience and reserve capacity in later adulthood: Potentials and limits of development across the life span. In D. Cicchitti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 2. Risk, disorder, and adaptation (pp. 801–847). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterling, P., & Eyer, J. (1988). Allostasis: A new paradigm to explain arousal pathology. In J. Fisher & J. Reason (Eds.), Handbook of life stress, cognition, and health (pp. 629–649). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone, A. A., Bovbjerg, D. H., Neale, J. M., Napoli, A., Valdimarsdottir, H. et al. (1992). Development of common cold symptoms following experimental rhinovirus infection is related to prior stressful life events. Behavioral Medicine, 8, 115–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1994). Stressors and problem-solving: The individual as psychological activist. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 35, 143–159.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, (Extra Issue), 53-79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomarken, A. J., Davidson, R. J., Wheeler, R. I., & Doss, R. C. (1992). Individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry and fundamental dimensions of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 676–687.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tomarken, A. J., & Davidson, R. J. (1994). Frontal brain activation in repressore and non-repressors. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 339–349.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. J., & Lloyd, D. A. (1995). Lifetime traumas and mental health: The significance of cumulative adversity. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 360–376.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uchino, B. N., Cacioppo, J. T., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (1996). The relationship between social support and physiological processes: A review with emphasis on underlying mechanisms and implications for health. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 488–531.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uvnäs-Moberg, K. (1997). Physiological and endocrine effects of social contact. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 287, 146–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E. (1993). Risk, resilience, and recovery: Perspectives from the Kauai Longitudinal Study. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 503–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E. (1995). Resilience in development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 81–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1977). Kauai’s children come of age. Honolulu University of Hawaii Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High risk children from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wethington, E., & Kessler, R. C. (1986). Perceived support, received support, and adjustment to stressful life events. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 27, 78–89.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories and mental health. American Sociological Review, 55, 209–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilde, O. (1962). The picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Signet Classics. (Original published 1891)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittling, W, & Pfluger, M. (1992). Neuroendocrine hemisphere asymmetries: Salivary cortisol secretion during lateralized viewing of emotion-related and neutral films. In C. Kirschbaum, G. F. Read, & D. H. Hellhammer (Eds.), Assessment of hormones and drugs in saliva in biobehavioral research (pp. 129–146). Toronto: Hogrefe & Huber.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, M. A., & Amnkumar, R. (1994). Resiliency research: Implications for schools and policy. Social Policy Report (Society for Research in Child Development), 8, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA

    Carol D. Ryff, Gayle Dienberg Love & Marilyn J. Essex

  2. Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    Burton Singer

Authors
  1. Carol D. Ryff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gayle Dienberg Love
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marilyn J. Essex
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Burton Singer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Jacob Lomranz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Ryff, C.D., Love, G.D., Essex, M.J., Singer, B. (1998). Resilience in Adulthood and Later Life. In: Lomranz, J. (eds) Handbook of Aging and Mental Health. The Springer Series in Adult Development and Aging. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0098-2_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0098-2_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0100-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0098-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation