The differences of resilience between Korean and westerner: Concept analysis

Purpose: The concept of resilience is important to nursing for human adaptation. The aim of this paper is to enhance the understanding of resilience by clarifying the concept of Koreans' resilience by comparison with resilience of Westerners. Resilience is not yet static concept in Korea. After borrowing this concept from Westerners, it is still confused with ambiguous meaning in nursing. Methods: The technique developed by Walker and Avant was used as a guide in analyzing the concept of resilience in published literature. Results: Inner personal strength, intellectual ability, spirituality, and environmental protective factors were found to be the defining attributes of Koreans' resilience. Antecedents included pre-existing adversity and risk factors such as personal vulnerability, environmental risk, and lack of supportive resources. Consequences included adapting psychosocially, realizing one's ideals, protecting psychopathological problems, and contributing socially. This concept analysis can provide a fundamental definition of Korean resilience that is derived from Korean's unique 'Han' of cultural factors. Although Korean resilience is a totally new terminology in psychology, it has existed in Korean native consciousness and emotion. Conclusion: Korean's resilience is a more latent intrinsic capacity, which promotes adaptation despite the lack of social resources. Development of the ideal instrument for measurement of resilience of Koreans by defining definition, attributes, antecedents, and consequences identified from concept analysis with a focus on Korean culture and social background is needed.