Resilience
Resilience is our shared ability to deal with crises and threats to society. At a time of rapid information dissemination, it is becoming increasingly important to resist misleading information influence. Foreign powers use disinformation to influence us, and counteracting it requires both critical thinking and a strong society.
How do we show our will to defend?
“During times of crisis or war, we all need to contribute to Sweden’s resilience,” writes the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency in its brochure that was sent to all households (link to another website) External link. in Sweden in the autumn of 2024. The brochure provides concrete examples of how each and every individual can do their bit. This may involve engaging in a voluntary defence organisation or a non-profit organisation, learning about CPR, becoming a blood donor or strengthening community spirit in your local area. These measures not only improve a person’s own capabilities – they reinforce the resilience of the whole of society. All efforts are important and needed.
Psychological means for resisting influence
Resilience is about our ability to resist – for example, when foreign powers try to influence us with misleading and false information. An important part of resilience is the psychological means we possess for resisting influence. This concerns our ability to scrutinise information critically and resist attempts to deceive or mislead us through malign information influence.
The Psychological Defence Agency works to strengthen these capabilities among everyone in Sweden. We collaborate with authorities, municipalities and voluntary organisations to create a strong society that can withstand influence by foreign powers.
People living in Sweden shape the country’s future by safeguarding free opinions and open discourse. Free formation of opinion is a cornerstone of an open society. Yet, foreign powers or other external threat actors can attempt to sway our opinions, how we think and how we act through disinformation and propaganda.
The psychological element of resilience concerns society’s ability to resist manipulation and influence by foreign powers attempting to steer public opinion and debate.
The role of the individual in a resilient society
A society is resilient when the individuals it contains are soundly resilient. Together, we have the ability to resist such influence and create a strong society. A resilient individual is not fooled by propaganda or disinformation, and individuals’ capabilities increase as we learn more about our society, how democracy functions and how authorities work. Greater knowledge makes it easier to see through disinformation and resist malign information influence.
Bolstering resilience of the individual
One way of describing individuals’ resilience is about our access to resources, engagement and networks. These factors affect how we handle the information that reaches us and how we react to events around us. This includes, for example, the skills we possess to process and understand information and how much time we can spend engaging in these matters. It may also refer to our faith in our own capabilities and our trust in society and its democratic systems. Strong engagement can also equip us better to resist attempts at influence. Our resilience is also influenced by the social contexts we are part of – both formal and informal. The networks we move in can serve as sources of information and provide support in challenging situations.
By reinforcing these three areas among individuals, not only can personal resilience be strengthened – it can also build a more robust society as a whole.