“No-one knows what happens.” Enriching our understanding of the resilience of young people in a Pupil Referral Unit.

This study presents an in-depth, idiographic, phenomenological exploration of the experiences, views and perceptions of four young people in a Pupil Referral Unit, in relation to ecological factors of resilience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the resultant transcripts subjected to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. This analysis points to the powerful debilitating impact local ecological factors associated with resilience can have on the participants’sense of self and ability to feel safe, along with their subsequent projection of aggression and hostility towards others in their community. Some of the participants describe how the ensuing feelings of negative self-image coupled with heightened vigilance, result in their directing negative affect towards others. The results section gives a detailed account of these processes at work, analytically describing four superordinate themes: ‘Transition of the Self’, ‘Feeling Unsafe’, ‘Surviving in a Dangerous World’, and ‘External Influences’. Each theme is presented with subordinate themes and extracts taken from each participant, and with the interpretations made by the researcher. The analysis is discussed with reference to existent literature, including work on attachment, containment and gangs. This study views resilience as a multilevel dynamic concept, needing to be understood at an idiographic level. The relevance to Educational Psychologists work is highlighted, and future areas for research suggested.