Why Some Children Succeed Despite the Odds

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 for children designated at risk.

Unlike previous volumes which profile resilience in a small sample group, this study extends the search for an adequate psychological definition of resilience by examining many diverse populations ranging from stepchildren to developmentally delayed children to children of religious cults. Each group's psychological dynamics are thoroughly explored and the research documented, thereby providing a broad base of knowledge from which to derive a solid definition. A valid model for the recognition of positive motivations in children under stress is established and marks this work as a significant contribution to the literature on the psychology of wellness.