Lives through time: An ideographic approach to the study of resilience

The authors describe and illustrate an ideographic method for the study of resilience. The method assumes that resilience is an unfolding and dynamic process in which the individual and the social environment interact to prod uce a life course over time. Using retrospective and prospective data, the authors Present a case study of a profoundly troubled boy, first seen as a preschooler and then followed up in early adulthood with a battery of clini cal interviews. The methodology presented provides a way to study resilienc e as a dynamic process and to reveal and make sense of counterintuitive fin dings. In contrast to historical or epidemiological methods, this approach also permits exploration of the role of intrapsychic processes in facilitat ing change.