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Stress Management: How Resilient Are You?

This content is created and controlled by WebMD's editorial staff for a Newsweek special.

Health Quiz

Resilience Quiz: In Stressful Times, Can You Find Your Resilience?

We're often told that we're a resilient people, and that our resilience will see us through what is likely to be a year filled with financial hardship. But why are some people better able than others to weather traumatic events like a job loss, home foreclosure, or personal ordeals? And which of our personality traits are associated with resilience?

To find out, we spoke with two experts: Steven J. Wolin, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at George Washington University, co-director of Project Resilience and co-author (with Sybil Wolin, PhD) of The Resilient Self: How Survivors of Troubled Families Rise Above Adversity; and Bernhard Kempler, PhD, clinical psychologist and Holocaust survivor. With their help, we have put together a quiz to test what you know about resilience, and to offer a few tips on bolstering your share of this essential human strength.

What is resilience?

The ability to block out bad thoughts

A focus on the bright side of life

The process of overcoming adversity

All of the above
Who is resilient?

Everyone

Only people born with innate resilience

Trained professionals, such as emergency response personnel or Special Forces soldiers

Only those who've proven they can deal with disasters
Who tends to be most resilient?

Children

Adults

Men

Women
Who tends to be least resilient?

People who are insecure

People who are happy

People who are sad

People who are self-focused
Which of these attributes is associated with resilience?

Independence and a reliance on relationships

Morality and a sense of humor

Recognizing one's inner wounds and taking charge of them

All of the above
Resilient people:

Don't get stressed when times are bad

Are trained in stress-management techniques

Seek help from reliable people in times of stress

Make concrete plans for handling traumatic events
Are there some experiences for which it is most crucial to be resilient?

Events involving physical or emotional abuse

Extraordinary ordeals, such as internment in a prisoner-of-war camp

World-shattering traumas, such as the loss of a child

Any event traumatic to us, no matter how trivial it may appear to others
When is a traumatic event most likely to rob us of our resilience?

Events caused by a natural disaster outside our control

Events that are random and meaningless

Events that result in physical injury

Events connected to an older trauma we were not able to handle at the time
When something brings back a painful memory, resilient people:

Nurse the pain as motivation to keep on going

Recognize that life is painful, and accept that they must live with their pain

Shift from seeing themselves as victims to seeing themselves as survivors

Think happier thoughts

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on January 23, 2009

Sources: Sources

Steven J. Wolin, MD, director of family therapy training and clinical professor of psychiatry, George Washington University Medical Center; co-director, Project Resilience; co-author (with Sybil Wolin, PhD), The Resilient Self: How Survivors of Troubled Families Rise Above Adversity.

Bernhard Kempler, PhD, clinical psychologist, Atlanta.

Wolin, S.J. and Wolin, S. The Resilient Self: How Survivors of Troubled Families Rise Above Adversity, Villard Books, 1993.

This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:

THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.