Table 1.
Department of Defense and Institute of Medicine Definitions of Resilience
| Service | Definition of Resilience | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover, and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands.* | Draft Air Force Pamphlet |
| Family Resilience: A sense of community among families along with an awareness of community resources, feeling prepared/supported during all stages of deployment, and an increased sense of unit, family, and child/youth support. | Jones, 2011 | |
| Spouse Resilience: The extent to which spouses experience a meaningful connection to the Air Force, know and use their individual and community resources, and meet the challenges of military life. | Air Force Family Resiliency Working Group, July 26, 2010 | |
| Army | Resilience is a key factor in the mental, emotional, and behavioral ability to cope with and recover from the experience, achieve positive outcomes, adapt to change, and grow from the experience.* | Department of the Army, 2010 |
| Navy and Marine Corps** | The process of preparing for, recovering from, and adjusting to life in the face of stress, adversity, trauma, or tragedy.* | Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 6–11C/Navy Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (NTTP) 1–15M, 2010 |
| Office of the Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy) | There is no DoD-recognized official operational definition of family resilience. | Not applicable |
| DCoE | Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover, and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands.* |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction (CJCSI) 3405.01 |
| Institute of Medicine*** | The ability to withstand, recover, and grow in the face of stressors and changing demands. | IOM (2013); CJCSI 3405.01 |
NOTE: Definitions accurate as of February 3, 2015.
*
Applies to both active and reserve components.
**
A second, similar definition of resilience also appears earlier in the document (pp. 1–2): “The ability to withstand adversity without becoming significantly affected, as well as the ability to recover quickly and fully from whatever stress-induced distress or impairment has occurred.”
***
Report produced for the Department of Homeland Security.