Chapter 6. The Mechanism of Dissociation (1) Resilience--- Capacity not to Dissociate (7)

As for the relationship between resilience and PTSD, the presence of traumatic stress corresponds to the “extremely adverse situation” in Bonnano’s definition of resilience. In other words, resilience could be put as “the ability to maintain a stable equilibrium” in the face of traumatic stress, and not to develop PTSD later on.
Trauma theories that we are familiar with contribute to our understanding of how traumatic stress causes mental illnesses such as PTSD. However, what the notion of resilience gives us is a view of how people in general manage not to develop traumatic reaction. We know that a vast majority of those who experience traumatic stress do not develop PTSD. Some reports say that faced with serious traumatic stress, 14% of people develop PTSD（Vasterling, J.J. & Brewin, 2006）. This does not mean that 86 % of us are unaffected by the traumatic events. Many of us get hurt and distressed by them temporarily, but we generally bounce back to our normal level of functioning due to our resilience.
In psychiatric terminology, resilience tends to be considered as the opposite of the notion of vulnerability, which has been discussed often in the context of risk factors for PTSD. Here are lists that Ahmed (2007) made.

Vulnerability factors

• Internal characteristics

Being female/ Low sense of safety/ Low sense of social support/ High trait neuroticism/ Pre-existing psychopathology/ Negative appraisal of the traumatic event

• External factors

Lower level of educational/ Immigrant status/ Previous traumatic events/ Severity of exposure (severe or prolonged trauma)
Ahmed also shows the list of factors promoting resilience.

Factors promoting resilience

• Internal characteristics

Self-esteem/ Trust/ Resourcefulness/ Self-efficacy/ Internal locus of control/ Secure attachments/ Sense of humor/ Self-sufficiency/ Sense of mastery/ Optimism/ Interpersonal abilities such as social skills, problem-solving skills and impulse control

• External factors

Safety/ Religious affiliation/ Strong role models/ Emotional/ sustenance: the extent to which others provide the individual with understanding, companionship, sense of belonging and positive regard.
Ahmed, AS.: PTSD, Resilience and Vulnerability. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 13:369-375, 2007.