Previous research on traumatic stress syndromes and PTSD has determined that there is a wide spectrum of outcomes in how individuals cope with traumatic experiences. A review of the literature on trauma, PTSD, and resilience is undertaken in order to develop a conceptual model of trauma and resilience. A definition of resilience is gleaned from the research literature and findings from studies on resilience are analyzed. Early paradigms for analyzing resilience in children are considered; research findings underscore the importance of parenting in modeling appropriate and effective solutions to stress. The early research also stresses the importance of self-esteem and self-confidence as personality moderators of traumatic experiences. The advent of PTSD as a diagnostic entity caused a shift in the way resilience was researched; this shift involved the more in-depth study of trauma survivors as opposed to the traditional social-psychological studies of the past. The authors develop a model identifying the key variables that interact in the determination of resilient behavior following traumatic life experiences. The model represents a person-environment description of resiliency that incorporates perception, processing, and adaptation to traumatic stress. The variables interact in dynamic ways to produce a continuum of adaptive behavior and different degrees of resilient behavior following psychological trauma. Implications for practice are briefly considered. References