övervinnande

Övervinnande is a Swedish noun formed from the verb övervinna, meaning the act or process of overcoming or conquering obstacles. The term describes situations in which a person, group, or system successfully deals with and surpasses difficulties. It can refer to both short-term achievements and long-term change, and is used in everyday language as well as in more formal contexts to denote resilience and triumph over hardship.

In psychology and health sciences, övervinande is closely linked to resilience, coping, and post-traumatic growth. It encompasses cognitive and behavioral strategies such as problem solving, seeking social support, reframing challenges, and building skills that enable adaptation. The concept also appears in discussions of recovery from illness, trauma, addiction, or chronic stress, and is relevant in educational, athletic, and occupational settings where individuals or communities work to overcome barriers to functioning or performance.

Etymology and usage: the word is built from över- meaning “over” and vinna meaning “to win,” giving the sense of winning over something. As a noun, övervinnande can function with modifiers (övervinnande kraft, övervinnande förmåga) or appear in phrases like övervinnandet av hinder. While widely understood in Swedish, the term is often used alongside related concepts such as resilience, coping, and recovery to describe the broader phenomenon of overcoming adversity.

Overall, övervinnande denotes both the process and the outcome of overcoming difficulties, across personal, health, educational, and societal domains.