Explainer · Ordinary magic
Ordinary magic: resilience is common.
Ann S. Masten’s best-known idea is that children who do well despite adversity are not rare or extraordinary. Their resilience comes from everyday systems most children already have.
Where the phrase comes from
The 2001 paper.
Masten introduced the phrase in “Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development,” published in American Psychologist in 2001 (volume 56, issue 3, pages 227–238). Reviewing decades of studies of children who adapted well despite risk, she wrote:
“The most surprising conclusion emerging from studies of these children is the ordinariness of resilience.”
The paper argues that resilience “is common and that it usually arises from the normative functions of human adaptational systems.”
Source: Masten, A. S. (2001). doi:10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.227 (opens the article record in a new tab). Quotes are from the abstract.
What it means
No extraordinary resources required.
In a 2009 article for teachers, she put it this way:
“Resilience does not require extraordinary resources in most cases, but instead is the result of what might be called ‘ordinary magic’.”
The ordinary things that matter include caring adults, close relationships, problem-solving and self-regulation skills, and connection to good schools and communities. The resilience factors page lists them.
Source: Masten, A. S. (2009). Ordinary magic: Lessons from research on resilience in human development (opens a PDF from Education Canada in a new tab). Education Canada, 49(3).
A working definition
Resilience is a capacity of systems.
Masten and Barnes (2018) define resilience as:
“the capacity of a system to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten the function, survival, or future development of the system.”
The definition applies to a child, a family, a school or a community. The same paper is clear that “Resilience is not a trait, although individual differences in personality or cognitive skills clearly contribute to adaptive capacity.” Much of a young child’s resilience lies in relationships, not “in the child.”
Source: Masten, A. S., & Barnes, A. J. (2018). Resilience in children: Developmental perspectives. Children, 5(7), 98. doi:10.3390/children5070098 (opens the open-access article in a new tab).
Why it matters
Three ways to help.
Because resilience runs on ordinary systems, it can be strengthened. Masten and Barnes describe three basic strategies:
- Reduce or mitigate risk. For example, preventing homelessness or treating a parent’s depression.
- Boost assets. Provide resources such as quality early learning, books, tutors and safe places to play.
- Nurture adaptive systems. Support the relationships and skills, such as caregiving and executive function, that generate resilience over a lifetime.
Her book Ordinary Magic: Resilience in Development (Guilford Press, 2014; second edition 2025) develops the idea at length. See her books.