The study of resilience has long focused on understanding how individuals positively adapt to adversity, a process that directly influences emotional stability. Resilience, defined as the capacity to confront, overcome, and transform complex challenges constructively while strengthening oneself in the process, represents a transversal trait in human development. It also entails engaging in a personal growth trajectory that fosters self-awareness and internal coherence. Within the context of high abilities, this construct assumes particular significance, as students with high cognitive potential, but they are not immune to socio-emotional and educational vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities may arise from asynchronies between intellectual and emotional development, among other factors, and influence specific coping strategies that, in turn, affect academic and social outcomes. Furthermore, high abilities students often have unique educational needs that may be insufficiently recognized or supported within their socio-cultural environments. Consequently, resilience in high abilities students should be understood as a dynamic process shaped not only by individual cognitive resources but also by contextual factors. A thorough analysis of the specific vulnerabilities of this population, and their interactions with environmental influences, is essential for fostering resilience and designing psychoeducational interventions that enhance academic achievement, promote inclusive practices, and support overall well-being.
Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to recognize and understand one’s own emotions and those of others, as well as to use them appropriately to guide thought and behavior [
1]. International policy frameworks of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) identify interpersonal skills and socio-emotional competencies as global educational priorities. These competencies are particularly relevant for adolescents with high abilities, as their emotional development may not progress at the same pace as their intellectual development [
2,
3]. From this perspective, emotional intelligence has been identified as an antecedent of resilience, as it fosters effective coping strategies and adaptive management of adversity [
4], while also being associated with individuals who contribute more productively to society [
5].
The study of resilience in psychology and related disciplines emerged in the 1970s and has focused on deepening the understanding of individuals’ positive adaptation in the face of adversity, which directly affects their emotional stability [
6]. In this regard, psychological resilience refers to the capacity to effectively confront and overcome life’s difficulties, restoring equilibrium and transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. Moreover, it entails maintaining commitment to one’s life goals, with perseverance, openness to change, and self-awareness, by mobilizing the personal resources necessary to surmount adversity [
7,
8]. Thus, from the perspective of Positive Psychology, the development of resilience—together with self-efficacy, hope, and optimism—is essential for strengthening personal resources aimed at coping with adversity and achieving improved performance [
4].
However, children and adolescents generally have limited power to alter their circumstances and often lack the necessary resources to cope with adverse or traumatic experiences occurring in their environment [
9]. Therefore, these developmental stages are critical for fostering resilience, as they represent key periods in which the competencies required to effectively confront life’s challenges and enhance social and personal capacities must be strengthened, thereby enabling more meaningful contributions to society. This underscores the importance of life skills education, while also highlighting that strategies aimed at promoting resilience require adequate professional teacher training [
8,
10].
As a result, resilience in children and adolescents emerges from the interaction between individual efforts and the support provided by their environments or support systems [
11]. Its development strengthens the capacity to cope with both everyday and extraordinary conflicts and challenges, thereby facilitating the effective management of adversity across different domains of life. Furthermore, it contributes to the enhancement of self-esteem and well-being, establishing itself as a fundamental protective resource.
Moreover, children—particularly those experiencing extreme adversity—require immediate action from all stakeholders involved, including researchers, practitioners, families, and communities, through the implementation of evidence-based approaches aimed at ensuring their protection and facilitating recovery [
12]. Accordingly, this capacity is situated within a dynamic, adaptive, and multisystemic process that influences individuals’ learning, well-being, and development. Within this framework, it is essential to examine both protective factors and those associated with vulnerability or risk, as well as to broaden the analytical focus beyond the individual by adopting an ecological perspective. Such a perspective encompasses contexts ranging from those closest to the individual to more distal and complex systems—such as society as a whole—which are inherently more difficult to modify. The overarching aim is to mitigate the adverse effects of unfavorable experiences and to foster resilience through intervention strategies that promote adaptive responses to risk [
6,
9,
10,
13].
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/encyclopedia6030065
