Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change

Multisystemic Resilience brings together for the first time in one volume a wide range of resilience scholars who have been wrestling with how to explain processes of recovery, adaptation, and transformation in contexts of change and adversity. With contributions from psychologists, epigeneticists, ecologists, architects, disaster specialists, engineers, sociologists, social workers, and public health researchers among others, this innovative volume creates a platform for an interdisciplinary conversation about how to effectively research resilience across systems. Even more, it explores how to identify possible solutions to problems that threaten the physical and mental health of individuals, the wellbeing of our communities, and the sustainability of our planet. Every chapter provides a detailed review of systemic resilience from one disciplinary perspective, drawing from cutting edge research and case studies. Together these chapters show that considering the resilience of multiple systems at once is instrumental to understanding the processes of change and sustainability.

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Child, Family and Community Resilience. Since 2002, Dr. Ungar has directed the Resilience Research Centre, designing multisite longitudinal research and evaluation projects in more than a dozen low, middle, and high-income countries, with much of that work focused on the resilience of marginalized children and families, and adult populations experiencing mental health challenges. Dr. Ungar has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the subject of resilience and is the author of 15 books for mental health professionals, researchers, and general audiences including Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success, The Social Ecology of Resilience: A Handbookfor Theory and Practice, andWorking with Children and Youth with Complex Needs. His blog, Nurturing Resilience, can be read on Psychology Today’s website.