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David Oliver: When “resilience” becomes a dirty word

BMJ 2017; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3604 (Published 25 July 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;358:j3604

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When “resilience” becomes a dirty word

It´s helpful to consider the Latin origin “resilire”, this means to jump back OR to bounce off, to rebound. In material science, resilience is the ability of a to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically, in engineering it is the ability to absorb or avoid damage without suffering complete failure.

I think it`s not a “dirty” term per se, but controversy over meaning and definition will always ensue. Resilience is found in every human being and has a large genetic component, but it can be learned and developed as a process. The American Psychological Association [1] suggests "10 Ways to Build Resilience" (for example, a positive self-concept, confidence in one’s strengths and abilities, to take decisive actions in adverse situations and to keep a long-term perspective and consider the stressful event in a broader context). Some critical statements argue that promoting resilience draws attention away from public responsibility.

In summary, medical professions, medical schools and healthcare organizations must view doctors’ wellbeing as integral to professionalism and as central to patient care.

1) American Psychological Association. (2014). The Road to Resilience

Competing interests: No competing interests

26 July 2017
Detlef Degner
senior consultant, Psychiatrist
Department of Psychiatry, Medical School of Georg-August University, Goettingen
D-37075 Göttingen, Germany