Resilience and posttraumatic growth are two distinct concepts in response to adversity. While often discussed together, they reflect different processes and outcomes. Resilience refers to adapting positively and regaining stability after trauma or disruption. Posttraumatic growth, in contrast, describes positive psychological changes that result not despite trauma, but because of it. These changes extend beyond recovery, and forge new beliefs, deeper relationships, and a transformed sense of self (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).
Developmental scientist Alexandra Rush, Ph.D., whose work centers on trauma, meaning-making, and identity, contributes to this understanding through her research on how individuals and families reconstruct life after extreme adversity.
Defining Resilience
Resilience involves maintaining stable psychological functioning following exposure to traumatic events. It can be described as a process of positive adaptation in the context of adversity or trauma (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). In this process, the person preserves existing structures of beliefs and meaning, aiming to restore familiar routines, emotional regulation, and interpersonal stability. Researchers like Alexandra Rush have emphasized that resilience depends on personal agency as well as environmental factors such as social support, access to resources, and family processes that foster positive communication, optimism, and flexibility.
Understanding Posttraumatic Growth
Posttraumatic growth describes a process in which an individual, confronted with trauma, emerges from the experience with strengthened capacities, new perspectives, and redefined meaning structures. It is neither a linear nor an immediate phenomenon. Instead, it unfolds over time, often through cognitive and emotional engagement with the trauma's impact. Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) identify five domains of posttraumatic growth: greater appreciation for life, enhanced personal strength, improved relationships, recognition of new possibilities, and spiritual or existential deepening (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).
This growth does not replace pain, but it coexists with it. Survivors of trauma may continue to experience grief, anxiety, or fear, even as they begin to identify positive shifts in their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
A defining feature of posttraumatic growth involves a shift in one's cognitive frameworks. The trauma destabilizes foundational beliefs about safety, fairness, or predictability. In response, individuals engage in deep cognitive processing, reassessing core values, reconstructing life narratives, and revisiting their assumptions. Through this process, trauma becomes a catalyst for insight and reorientation.
Psychological Mechanisms Behind the Two Processes
Resilience and posttraumatic growth operate through distinct psychological processes. Resilience emphasizes coping, recovery, and protective adaptation. It draws on behavioral regulation, emotional control, and support systems that allow individuals to reestablish their equilibrium. These mechanisms preserve the continuity of the self.
Posttraumatic growth, by contrast, emerges through disruption and reconstruction. It requires confrontation with loss, distress, or devastation. The growth process involves meaning-making, reflective thought, and identity reformulation. Rather than preserving prior understandings, posttraumatic growth invites the creation of new meaning structures, frequently through storytelling, spiritual reflection, or philosophical inquiry.
Alexandra Rush emphasizes that both processes contribute to psychological adjustment. Resilience enables survival and return to function, while posttraumatic growth offers the possibility of profound change. Individuals may exhibit both responses across different periods or dimensions of their lives.
Balancing Resilience and Transformation
Resilience allows individuals to regain stability after difficult experiences, providing a foundation for recovery. Posttraumatic growth, however, involves profound changes in one's outlook, relationships, and sense of self. Alexandra Rush, Ph.D., offers insightful perspectives on how trauma can lead to meaningful transformation alongside ongoing challenges. Her research highlights that growth and struggle often coexist, and that healing can mean developing new strengths rather than simply restoring what was lost. Appreciating the differences between resilience and posttraumatic growth helps guide more effective support for those affected by trauma.
References
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Target Article: "Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence". Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01