In this article, we examine the concept of resilience. Debates range from defining it as an individualised attribute to understanding it as a relational social process. Concerns about an ageing population alongside a growing interest in well-being have led to an increase in the use of the term ‘resilience’ in UK policy and political rhetoric. Developing strategies for ‘bouncing back’ from difficult circumstances has been at the heart of much discussion of resilience. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with older people in the UK, we explore their perspectives on resilience. We found that relationships, including intergenerational ones, are crucial to older people’s understandings of resilience. Our data showed that narratives from the past were used to sustain resilience in the present and that negotiation and exchange between generations, as well as intergenerational connections in the community, fostered resilience among our participants. We found that relationality was at the heart of older people’s perspectives on resilience and that the social process of resilience was acted out in their everyday interactions with others as well as through their memories of past interactions. This article argues that recognising the significance of these daily practices contributes to a more nuanced understanding of resilience.

中文翻译：

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弹性、关系和老年人：代际的重要性

在本文中，我们研究了弹性的概念。争论的范围从将其定义为个性化属性到将其理解为一种关系社会过程。对人口老龄化的担忧以及对福祉日益增长的兴趣导致英国政策和政治言论中越来越多地使用“弹性”一词。制定从困难环境中“反弹”的策略一直是许多关于弹性的讨论的核心。利用来自英国老年人访谈和焦点小组的定性数据，我们探讨了他们对复原力的看法。我们发现，包括代际关系在内的关系对于老年人对韧性的理解至关重要。我们的数据表明，过去的叙述被用来维持现在的弹性，代际之间的谈判和交流，以及社区中的代际联系，培养了我们参与者的弹性。我们发现，关系是老年人对复原力观点的核心，复原力的社会过程在他们与他人的日常互动中以及通过他们对过去互动的记忆中表现出来。本文认为，认识到这些日常实践的重要性有助于更细致地理解弹性。我们发现，关系是老年人对复原力观点的核心，复原力的社会过程在他们与他人的日常互动中以及通过他们对过去互动的记忆中表现出来。本文认为，认识到这些日常实践的重要性有助于更细致地理解弹性。我们发现，关系是老年人对复原力观点的核心，复原力的社会过程在他们与他人的日常互动中以及通过他们对过去互动的记忆中表现出来。本文认为，认识到这些日常实践的重要性有助于更细致地理解弹性。