From the dawn of childhood into old age, resilience is built up through a complex interplay of defensive processes of an intra-psychic nature, together with internal and external protective factors. The objective of this study was to investigate scientific findings on the concept of resilience, published in reviews indexed by the Medline, Lilacs and PsycINFO databases between 1994 and 2004, analysing the contribution made by this literature in the specific field of old age. This is a documental, retrospective study which brings out four thematic nuclei: predecessors of resilience; resilience and ageing; the relative nature of protection factors; resilience and successful ageing. On the basis of this analysis of the literature, it is possible to discern an increase in the volume of publications. Nevertheless, it remains true that there is a failure to assert the enduringness of resilience throughout human development, in particular in terms of old age.
resilience; old age; ageing; research; vulnerability