Resilience Amidst Genocide: A Human Phenomenon

In all of human history there have been countless tragedies in which men and women have faced atrocities against them and their communities. One of the most debilitating acts of hatred is that of genocide. Genocide is the deliberate extermination of a particular group of people based on severe prejudice. Cultural genocide also exists as a way to exterminate a specific culture, leaving survivors broken and displaced. Incredibly, survivors of genocide who have had every reason to give up on life, against all odds, instead manage to persevere. Why when everything is taken away and even whilst being tortured and humiliated, do some individuals maintain the remarkable ability to bounce back? Why do individuals display an even greater sense of humanity

Scientists in the field of psychology are trying to reason why forms of psychosocial treatment do not always work on patients who have experienced trauma and instead focus mainly on genetics and biological reasoning to explain resilience. “Other groups [of scientists] are investigating how the body and brain change during the recovery process and why psychological interventions do not always work” (Hughes 1). One example that proves a genetic link to resilience is explained by Primo’s evaluation of a man named Elias, who seemed particularly well-suited to life in Auschwitz. “Are there not all around us some Eliases, more or less in embryo? Do we not see individuals living without purpose, lacking all forms of self-control and conscience, who live not in spite of these defects, but like Elias precisely because of them?” (Levi 98). According to Levi, Elias was born with the distinct ability to survive and even thrive in environments that most people would find highly difficult, if not impossible, to live in. Therefore, Primo Levi acknowledged the fact that there are innate biological factors including certain personality traits and DNA that affect one’s ability to be