How do people deal with difficult, life-changing events?

What do a couple who just lost their son in an automobile accident, or the people who created MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Drivers – (an organization that helps parents cope with the loss of their children in accidents) have in common with Victor Frankel, Anne Frank (the famous Holocaust victim), Michael Jordan or any of the persons who survived the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks but thrive to rebuild their lives?.
Their common ground is resilience. Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. It has to do with the force shaping behavior, thoughts, and attitudes which can be learned and developed by anyone.

What is Human Resilience?

Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to cope with stress and catastrophe. It is also used to indicate a property of resistance to future negative events. In this sense "resilience" corresponds to cumulative "protective factors" and is used in opposition to cumulative "risk factors". The phrase "risk and resilience“ “is quite common in this area of study. Commonly used terms, which are essentially synonymous within psychology, are "resilience", "psychological resilience", "emotional resilience", "hardiness", and "resourcefulness
 Resilience is defined by the social sciences, such as psychology, as skills, assets or competencies that persons have to overcome adversity and daily stress situations.
 The resilient features people have can be traced back both to genotype and phenotype origin. The individual may be born with resilient traits, but can also develop that ability during their life time.
 Resilient persons view reality in a creative manner and have a positive attitude in solving problems and making decisions.

Who can I develop resilience?

 Engaging in brainstorming and developing a list of your assets and strengths.
 Indentifying a few past experiences in which you prevailed and how did you achieve them.
 Connecting with people which provide psychological help, social and spiritual support and strengthen resilience.
 Developing critical thinking.
 Building an emotional and social intelligence.