What describes an individual’s ability to cope with perceived stressors?

Resilience refers to an individual’s ability to adapt, recover, and cope with stressors and challenges in a healthy manner. It is the capacity to bounce back from difficult situations and can be influenced by various factors, including personality, support systems, and past experiences. Resilient individuals are typically able to maintain a positive outlook even in the face of adversity, allowing them to effectively manage stress and find solutions to problems.

In the context of stress, resilience is crucial because it helps individuals navigate through difficult times without becoming overwhelmed. It is about developing coping strategies that allow one to handle stressors in a way that promotes growth and emotional well-being. This makes resilience a key characteristic in environments such as correctional facilities, where officers frequently encounter stress-inducing situations.

The other options, while potentially relevant to coping strategies, do not encapsulate the concept of dealing with stressors in quite the same way. For instance, optimism can certainly help in coping, but it's more about a hopeful outlook rather than the active process of handling stress. Denial involves ignoring or rejecting the reality of stressors, which is counterproductive. Compliance implies following rules or orders without question, which doesn't relate directly to personal coping mechanisms.