What determines whether a child will fall victim to his troubled surroundings or whether he will overcome the adversity and even emerge strengthened? Mental health professionals are beginning to focus on the identification of factors which can promote healthy adjustment, or, resilience, in children. In this volume, leading scholars in the field pioneer this alternative approach toward mental illness by attempting to define these factors of resilience which can then provide the groundwork for primary prevention specialists to develop and implement preventive rather than remedial programs...

Traditionally, psychology has concentrated on factors that contribute to individuals becoming unhealthy and has paid very little attention to those individuals who become healthy when all indications would predict the opposite. Many children overcome adverse conditions and become successful adults. Their stories often go untold, taking backseat to stories and investigations of failed lives and broken dreams. This book retrospectively explores the lives of several individuals who were able to overcome hardships and excel professionally. The authors believe that, through the lives of these...