Resilience And Protective Factors

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Resilience research was born in the 1970s when mental health experts wanted to understand why some children developed well despite high risk or adversity (Masten, 2001). What came of this research was what Masten terms “Ordinary Magic” (Masten, 2001). Masten argues that resilient children are not gifted with extraordinary abilities or resources, but instead rely on ordinary protective factors in order to succeed. These factors include relationships with competent adults, a belief in one’s own agency, and effective schools among others (Masten, 2014). Masten states that there is no single recipe to help a child grow into a healthy and well-developed individual and any combination of protective factors could lead to resilience (Masten, 2014).

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