Resilience: It’s Not About Grit, It’s About Relationships

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Resilience is the key to overcoming adverse childhood experiences.

Often, public programs and policies demand an element of individual motivation and grit in order to overcome adverse experiences, which sends the message that disadvantaged kids are to blame if they don’t.  As a motivational anecdote, the concept of grit can be encouraging; however, early childhood development research suggests that overcoming adverse experiences requires relationships, not grit.

A recent report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, “which seeks to unite the science of early childhood development with the policies we devise to support disadvantaged kids,” explores policy implications of supporting relationships to build resilience.

To learn more about public policy and resilience, read the original report, Supportive Relationships and Active Skill-Building Strengthen the Foundations of Resilience, or read the summary report, Public Policy and Resilience: How We Can Change our Policies to Help Disadvantaged Kids Cope and Thrive.

Watch a video about building resilience.