Resilience Across Scales: Integrating Psychosocial Foundations And Socioeconomic Systems In Risk, Vulnerability, And Adaptive Capacity

Abstract

Resilience has emerged as a unifying yet contested concept across disciplines concerned with risk, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity, spanning psychosocial development, socioeconomic systems, disaster risk reduction, and governance. Despite extensive scholarship, conceptual fragmentation persists, with limited integration between micro-level psychosocial resilience and macro-level socioeconomic and infrastructural resilience. This article advances an integrative, multi-scalar framework that bridges foundational insights from child and adolescent resilience research with contemporary analyses of economic, spatial, and governance resilience in disaster-prone contexts. Drawing on an extensive and diverse body of literature, the study revisits early theoretical formulations of resilience as a dynamic process shaped by stress, risk exposure, and protective mechanisms, and critically examines their relevance to present-day challenges posed by climate change, inequality, and recurrent disasters. Central to this synthesis is the recognition that resilience is neither an innate trait nor a purely structural outcome, but an emergent property arising from interactions between individuals, institutions, and environments over time (Haggerty et al., 1994).

Methodologically, the article employs a qualitative, theory-driven comparative analysis of resilience concepts across psychosocial, economic, and social–ecological domains. By systematically interpreting patterns and divergences in the literature, the study identifies convergent mechanisms—such as adaptive learning, resource diversification, social capital, and governance quality—that operate across scales. The results demonstrate that resilience dividends observed at infrastructural and national levels are contingent upon underlying social and human capacities, while individual and community resilience are profoundly shaped by macroeconomic structures and policy regimes (Hallegatte & Rozenberg, 2017; UNDRR, 2022).

The discussion critically engages with debates surrounding equity, vulnerability, and the potential normalization of risk, arguing that resilience-oriented approaches risk reinforcing existing inequalities if detached from justice-oriented governance frameworks (Soden et al., 2023). By integrating psychosocial resilience theory with socioeconomic and spatial resilience perspectives, the article contributes a holistic conceptualization that informs policy design, intervention strategies, and future research agendas. The conclusion underscores the necessity of multi-level resilience thinking to address complex, cascading risks in an increasingly uncertain world, positioning resilience as a transformative capacity rather than a return to pre-shock conditions (Walker et al., 2004).