Unique pathways to resilience across cultures.
An international mixed methods study of resilience of 14 sites in eleven countries identified seven tensions that youth resolve in culturally specific ways. Resolution of these tensions is foundational to experiences of resilience. This paper reports on the qualitative findings from interviews with 89 youth. Results support a culturally embedded understanding of positive youth development that better accounts for young people's resilience in western and non-western countries. Specifically, the seven tensions identified include: access to material resources, relationships, identity, cohesion, power and control, social justice, and cultural adherence. Findings show that no one pattern in the resolution of these tensions predicts resilience better than another. A case study of a Palestinian boy demonstrates the intersection of the seven tensions and the uniqueness of their resolution. The implications of this work for interventions is discussed.
Ungar
Michael
M
School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, 6414 Coburg Road, Halifax, North Scotia, Canada B3H 2A7. michael.ungar@dal.ca
Brown
Marion
M
Liebenberg
Linda
L
Othman
Rasha
R
Kwong
Wai Man
WM
Armstrong
Mary
M
Gilgun
Jane
J
D000293:Adolescent; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D006801:Humans; D012919:Social Behavior