Individual responses to stress and traumas provoked by crises take place in a complex web of interactions with other individuals as well as within communities, groups, societies, and organizations. In each of these contexts, individuals and groups may be described as resilient or vulnerable. Communities and societies may be more or less resilient or capable of supporting vulnerable individuals and groups, while organizations may possess resources, which, in different degrees, help individuals, groups and communities to bounce back from crises. However, the web of social interactions, where vulnerability and resilience unfold, poses a challenge to crisis management, which should take into account diversified types of vulnerable groups, the factors that foster their vulnerabilities, individual capacities within these groups, the most efficient responses to crises addressing the needs of vulnerable groups and, at the same time, avoiding worsening the situation. We show in several case studies that members of vulnerable groups may be more resilient than others in specific situations and, therefore, able to contribute to societal resilience. However, this contribution needs to be based on a recognition of individual capabilities and their incorporation in policies and strategies to enhance societal resilience. Vulnerable groups considered as such by the mainstream of society may possess unknown resources, which are revealed during a crisis. Thus, to be considered vulnerable due to certain characteristics does not always entail the same degree or type of vulnerability during a crisis.