On Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:42:06 -0600, Ignoramus30509
wrote:

Why is it, that some people are more resilient to stress and keep
acting rationally, whereas some others, at the first trouble, break
down completely, start getting hysterical, blame others instead of
being constructive, etc?

Think about people you would take with you to a recon mission, and
those you would not.

i

Those I would take with me on a recon mission would have significant
training, skills and applicable experience. Those who break easily
would not have successfully completed such training.

Those who handle stress well are usually those who are confident that
they can even when they don't know exactly how they will. Training
and comparable experience definitely develop confidence, but other
life experiences do also.