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Review | Applied Psychology and Cognitive Science | Volume 1 - Issue 1 - 2026 | 54–66 |
© 2026 by the author(s), and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Psychological Resilience: A Review

Author(s): Meera S. Rajagopal , Daniel O. Kwansah
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University of Pretoria, Cnr Lynnwood Road & Roper Street, Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa

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Applied Psychology and Cognitive Science

Volume 1 - Issue 1 - 2026

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Psychological resilience, broadly defined as positive adaptation in the context of significant adversity, has become a prominent construct in developmental and clinical psychology. However, foundational theories and measures of resilience have largely been developed within Western, individualistic cultural contexts, raising concerns about their cross-cultural applicability. This review synthesizes evidence on how cultural contexts shape the conceptualization, expression, and measurement of psychological resilience. Eighteen peer-reviewed journal articles were reviewed and synthesized across four interconnected domains: theoretical and conceptual foundations of resilience, particularly the transition from trait-based perspectives to social-ecological models; methodological approaches to cross-cultural resilience research, including standardized scale validation and mixed-methods measure development; cultural variation in resilience processes among collectivist, Indigenous, and refugee populations; and developmental and lifespan considerations in cross-cultural resilience research. Four synthesis tables and a conceptual radial framework were used to integrate and map the major themes identified across the literature. The findings demonstrate that resilience is better understood as a culturally situated, socially embedded, and ecologically influenced process rather than as a culturally invariant individual trait. Culturally grounded measurement approaches, including the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, appear particularly useful for capturing contextually meaningful individual, relational, community, and cultural resources that may be overlooked by direct translations of measures developed in Western settings. These findings highlight the importance of culturally responsive conceptualization and assessment of resilience and provide implications for cross-cultural measurement, intervention development, and future research.

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SUBMITTED: 16 August 2026
ACCEPTED: 12 October 2026
PUBLISHED: 26 October 2026
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 57 days

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