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Mental toughness research: Key issues in this area
Abstract
This report reflects on the man books and articles which describe and attempt to understand mental toughness. In doing so, the authors sought to (a) raise awareness of the key conceptual and methodological issues, and (b) stimulate research activity in this area. Populist texts, anecdotal evidence, and personal accounts have defined mental toughness as a personality trait, a decisive factor accounting for successful performance, and a defense mechanism against adversity. These accounts have resulted in a vast array of terms and positive psychological characteristics being associated with mental toughness which have contributed to the inconsistency and ambiguity in the literature. Methodological issues have also added to the confusion surrounding the overall understanding of mental toughness. Recent studies which have tried to address the concept of mental toughness in a more scientific manner are discussed.
... This concluded that success in competition situations was associated with possession of a psychological edge/positive mindset (Kuan & Roy, 2007). Particularly, it indicated that mental toughness facilitated maintenance of high-performance levels, even when athletes were faced with challenges, barriers, and adversity (Connaughton et al., 2008b). Loehr (1986) attributed the enabling powers of mental toughness to the fact that the intuitively linked to health behaviors and outcomes . ...
The 10-item Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ10) is an easy to administer, global measure of mental toughness. Previous analysis established that the MTQ10 was psychometrically superior to the preceding, widely used, 18-item version. Nevertheless, the MTQ10 is potentially undermined by a method effect arising from the inclusion of negatively phrased items. Noting this, the present paper further assessed the measurement properties of the MTQ10 via cross-cultural comparisons. This involved assessing the factor composition in samples from the UK (N = 596), Greece (N = 1230), and Italy (N = 425). Rather than a strict method effect, analyses found effects specific to pairs of negative items. The emergent model demonstrated partial invariance across countries. National variations in mental toughness scores were ascribable to societal differences. Convergent validity was demonstrated using theoretically related variables (Dark Triad and Life Satisfaction). Overall, results supported the use of the MTQ10 as a global mental toughness measure. Additionally, outcomes suggested that further cross-cultural comparison would provide useful insights into the nature of mental toughness.
... J. H. Bell et al., 2013). While the coaching behaviour of Madrid coaches develops "unshakeable confidence" by focusing on a mastery environment that rewards success rather than punishing failure, more in line with the more prevalent self-efficacy-enhancing interventional program that focuses on maximising to enhance the mastery experience (Connaughton & Jones, 2008;Duda & Duda, 2013). An important reason why such differences exist is because of the huge cultural differences between the two countries which shaped different coaching philosophies. ...
Youth football training should ensure proper player development. However, coaches worldwide behave differently during their coaching process. Thus, this study aims to: a) compare the coaching behaviour and training activities of the football coaches from China and Spain, and b) explore the impact of different pedagogy on coach’s behaviour and players’ perceptions. Systematic observations and semi-structured interviews were developed for 6 youth coaches from Madrid (n = 3) and Beijing (n = 3). And 16 players randomly selected from each academy were queried their perception. The results showed significant differences in coaching behaviours and training activities between both groups. Madrid coaches used more “playing form” (PF) and achieved greater times of activation (motor participation) during practices, compared to Beijing coaches. Concurrent-instruction was the most used behaviour among coaches from both groups. Moreover, Madrid coaches applied more “positive feedback” whereas Beijing coaches used more “negative feedback”. This phenomenon is related to different educational and pedagogical backgrounds. Positive feedback is recommended to Beijing coaches and “silence” should also be properly used while “instruction” and “hustle” should be carefully used to help players learn to “think” (e.g. decision-making). This study offers a comparative analysis to develop proper strategies for a better player’s development.
... And thus we might assume that psychological traits contribute to a player's success as well, which was already stated by Morgan (1985) in his Mental Health Model. In order to achieve success, a player should be mentally tough as summarized by Connaughton et al. (2008). Mental toughness is defined by Jones (2002) as "having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to (1) generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer, and (2) specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure." ...
This study aims to investigate the existence of professional tennis players’ psychological traits. For this purpose datasets on tennis matches of professional male (ATP)
and female (WTA) tennis players were collected. Dynamical network analysis was applied with the RSiena program. Results revealed differences in in-match psychological
characteristics’ influence on the ability to build positive head-to-head for male and female
players. Furthermore, a revealed tendency of head-to-head networks to cyclic structures
is discussed. The study represents one of the first attempts to explore sport-related content
with tools of dynamical network analysis.
This study examined the effects of academic achievement, clinical performance, and mental toughness on burnout experienced by nursing college students during their practicum period. Furthermore, We analysed the mediating effects of clinical performance and mental toughness on the relationship between academic achievement and burnout.
A survey was conducted with 167 fourth-year nursing students enrolled in clinical training courses. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and PROCESS macro programs, and the relationships between variables were examined through regression and mediation model analyses. Mediation model analysis was conducted by examining the significance of the mediation effect using bootstrapping according to the method suggested by Hayes (2013).
The results indicated that higher academic achievement was associated with higher clinical performance ability and mental toughness, but did not have a direct effect on burnout. Increased clinical performance was associated with increased mental toughness and decreased burnout. Additionally, higher mental toughness was associated with lower burnout. Mediation model analysis showed that clinical performance ability and mental toughness individually and sequentially significantly mediated the relationship between academic achievement and burnout.
These findings suggest that academic achievement indirectly affects burnout by improving clinical performance and mental toughness. Therefore, clinical performance and mental toughness should be considered along with academic achievement to alleviate burnout among nursing students. This study emphasizes the need for interventions and programs to increase mental toughness in nursing education in order to support students' psychological stability and professional development.
Philosophers frequently refer to ‘flow’ when discussing skill and expertise. This is especially clear when considering the ‘flow argument’ advocated by the Automatic view. Although the Automatic view is a minority position today, many philosophers and scientists endorse the flow argument or central parts of it. The present paper argues that the argument is implausible in the light of current psychological research. It proceeds in two steps. First, the paper argues that the psychological research does not suggest that flow is the only type of psychological state characteristic of optimal expert performance. Experts undergo different states, notably the state of clutch. Second, the paper argues that the psychological research does not suggest that flow states are devoid of conscious supervision in the form of conscious control, self-awareness, or task-related thoughts. Experts execute multiple conscious operations involved in attention control, motivational self-talk, and certain psychological mindsets while being in flow. These considerations oppose the two premises of the flow argument. Moreover, they correct misunderstandings of flow in the broader philosophical and scientific literature.
Bu araştırma kapsamında ergenlerin zihinsel dayanıklılık düzeylerinin çeşitli değişkenlere göre incelenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Araştırma, nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden tarama modeline göre tasarlanmıştır. Çalışmanın örneklem grubunu 11-16 yaş aralığındaki 1639 ergen (828 kız, 811 erkek) oluşturmuştur. Veriler, bağımsız değişkenleri içeren demografik bilgi formu ve “Ergenler İçin Zihinsel Dayanıklılık Ölçeği-Kısa Form” aracılığı ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda, ergenlerin zihinsel dayanıklılık düzeylerinin cinsiyetlerine, yaşlarına, akademik başarı düzeylerine, kendilerine ait odaları olup olmamasına, anne, baba, kardeş ve okul arkadaşları ile ilişkilerine, ebeveynleri tarafından izin verilmeyen davranışlarda bulunma durumlarına, anne, baba baskın yaklaşımlarına ve sosyal medya kullanım sürelerine göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı düzeyde farklılaştığı; aile gelir düzeyine göreyse farklılaşmadığı bulunmuştur. Bulgular, alanyazın çerçevesinde tartışılmıştır.
Healthy nutrition is widely considered the cornerstone of optimal athletic performance, both physically and mentally. This study investigates the critical role of healthy nutrition in shaping the physical and mental performance of athletes, with a specific focus on taekwondo. This research aims to explore the potential relationship between taekwondo athletes' attitudes towards healthy nutrition and their mental toughness. The research group comprised 276 active and licensed taekwondo athletes who voluntarily participated in the study (Age M = 17.18 ± SD = 7.13, N = 125 women, N = 151 men). Ethical approval for the research was obtained prior to the commencement of the study. Data collection instruments included the Healthy Nutrition Attitude Scale, Mental Toughness Scale, and a personal information form. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the validity and reliability of the scales. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were performed to explore the relationship between the variables within the research model. The correlation analysis identified two significant, positive, and moderate correlations: (1) between knowledge about nutrition and mental toughness (r = 0.626) and (2) between positive nutrition and mental toughness (r = 0.672). The regression analysis revealed that both knowledge about nutrition (β = 0.360) and positive nutrition (β = 0.461) significantly contribute to mental toughness. The findings suggest that as athletes' knowledge of nutrition expands and their attitudes towards healthy eating become more positive, their mental toughness also appears to improve. These results are both important and original, adding significant new insights to the existing research landscape.
Küreselleşmeyle birlikte gün geçtikçe önemi artan rekabet ortamı tüm dünyada olduğu gibi ülkemizde de etkisini göstermektedir. Sosyal, ekonomik ve kültürel değişmelerin bir yansıması olarak örgütler de değişmekte, örgütlerde yaşanan değişimler çeşitlenmekte ve beşerî sermayeye verilen değerde bu değişime paralel olarak artmaktadır. Örgütlerde psikolojik performans kavramı; çalışanın iş hayatındaki hedeflerinin farkında olup, potansiyelini bilmesi ve örgüt içindeki diğer çalışanlar ile olan ilişkisini kapsamaktadır. Diğer bir ifadeyle çalışanın işine odaklanarak, motivasyon ile ilgili sorunları aşıp performansını arttırıp rekabetten kaynaklanan yoğun çalışmayla başa çıkma hali olarak tanımlayabiliriz. Psikolojik performansın iki bileşeni vardır. Bunlar bütünü oluşturan ve ana resmi ortaya çıkaran bileşenlerdir. İlki fiziksel performanstır. Fiziksel performans örgüt içerisinde verilen görevleri yerine getirirken çalışanın fiziksel olarak hazır olması, kendini yeterli hissetmesi, yeterli enerjinin kendinde olması durumudur. Bileşenlerden ikincisi olan zihinsel performans ise; bireyin kendi içerisinde analiz yaparak güçlü yanlarını tespit etmesi, zayıf yönlerinin farkında olup, bunları geliştirmeye çalışması, sahip olduğu imkânlarla önüne çıkacak tehditleri en uygun yöntem ve metot ile çözebileceği düşüncesine hâkim olmasıdır. Bu iki bileşenden hangisi daha önemli diye bakıldığında, her ikisinin de önemli olduğu söylenebilir. Başka bir ifade ile ne zihinsel performans fiziksel performanstan ne de fiziksel performans zihinsel performanstan daha önemli değildir. İkisi de gerekli olup birbirlerini tamamlamaktadırlar. Psikolojik performansın yüksek olması, çalışanın yaşadığı olumlu psikolojik durumların fazla olup, işini yapabilecek duygu, düşünce ve zihinsel duyumlara sahip olması, çevresinde yaşanan olaylara yüklediği anlamları işine olumlu bir şekilde yansıtabilmesi durumudur. Psikolojik performansın düşük olması ise çalışanın yaşadığı olumsuz psikolojik durumların daha fazla olması ve bunun yapılan işe olumsuz yansımasıdır (Aydemir, 2017). Bu bakımdan örgütlerde çalışanların psikolojik performansını değerlendirmek oldukça önemlidir. Çünkü psikolojik performans hakkında bilgi sahibi olup bunu doğru şekilde ölçümleyen örgütler başarıya ulaşmaktadırlar. Örgütlerin bu ölçümleri yaparken dikkat etmesi gereken belirli noktalar bulunmaktadır. Öncelikle değerlendirmelerde adil olmak, geçerli ve güvenilir olmak, belli bir sistem dâhilinde olmak kapsamlı ve devamlılık arz etmek, çalışanların da katılımına imkân tanımak, örgütlerin psikolojik performanslarının arttırılmasında yardımcı olabilir. Psikolojik performans kriterini benimseyen örgütler, örgüt içerisindeki çalışanların verimli ve etkili çalışmasını hedefleyerek çalışanlardan maximum yarar sağlamayı ilke haline getirmektedirler. Günümüzde örgütlerde psikolojik performansın statik bir ölçme kavramı yerine dinamik bir süreç olduğunu gözlemlenmektedir. Dolayısıyla bu noktada örgütlerde psikolojik performansın varlığı kabul edilmektedir. Bu bölümde örgütlerde çalışanların psikolojik performanslarının ne derece önemli olduğunun üzerinde durulacaktır. Psikolojik performans ile ilgili yapılan çalışmaların azlığı nedeniyle de bu çalışmanın ileride yapılacak olan araştırmalara örnek olacağı düşünülmektedir.
The aim of this research is to examine the mental endurance and athlete injury anxiety levels of athletes interested in wrestling from some demographic perspectives. In the study, a descriptive scanning model was used. The universe of the research consists of athletes from various cities of Turkey who are interested in wrestling, and the sample consists of 341 athletes selected by random sampling method among wrestling athletes from Ankara, Gümüşhane, Istanbul, Samsun and İzmir, Kayseri. As a data collection tool, the demographic information form developed by the researchers was used "Athlete Injury Anxiety Scale". In the study, the assumption of normality was first examined with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests in the statistical evaluation of the data. The research findings were given as n (%), mean and standard deviation values, and the findings were considered significant at the p<0.05 level. In the study, there was no significant relationship between age, undergraduate status and educational status variables, athlete injury anxiety levels and mental toughness levels; When the athlete's age, athlete's injury status, gender, number of nationality variables were examined, it was determined that there was a significant difference in some sub-dimensions of the mental toughness inventory and in the total scores of the scale. As a result, it can be said that demographic variables such as age, gender, being a national athlete are effective on the mental endurance and disability anxiety of the athletes.
Previous research has found that mental toughness is a predictor of attainment in higher education, but there is little empirical research investigating the underpinnings of this. Two studies were therefore conducted to explore why mental toughness may be important. In Study 1, 123 undergraduates completed measures of mental toughness, flow, engagement with feedback, and reported their academic attainment. Components of mental toughness, particularly commitment, were related to flow, engagement with feedback, and academic performance. Flow and engagement with feedback were found to be significant mediators of the relationship between the commitment component of mental toughness and academic performance. In Study 2, 79 participants completed a measure of mental toughness and were assigned to high or low mental toughness groups. They then completed two mathematics tasks, and received either positive, negative, or no feedback between the tasks. Those with lower mental toughness were found to perform less well following negative feedback than those with higher mental toughness. The results are discussed in terms of implications for educators who provide feedback and seek to encourage students to engage with that feedback.
Studied personality as a conditioner of the effects of stressful life events on illness onset. Two groups of middle- and upper-level 40-49 yr old executives had comparably high degrees of stressful life events in the previous 3 yrs, as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events. One group of 86 Ss suffered high stress without falling ill, whereas the other group of 75 Ss reported becoming sick after their encounter with stressful life events. Illness was measured by the Seriousness of Illness Survey (A. R. Wyler et al 1970). Discriminant function analysis, run on half of the Ss in each group and cross-validated on the remaining cases, supported the prediction that high stress/low illness executives show, by comparison with high stress/high illness executives, more hardiness, that is, have a stronger commitment to self, an attitude of vigorousness toward the environment, a sense of meaningfulness, and an internal locus of control. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
This study was designed to examine psychological characteristics and their development in Olympic champions. Ten U.S. Olympic champions (winners of 32 Olympic medals) were interviewed, as were one of their coaches ( n = 10), and a parent, guardian, or significant other ( n = 10). A battery of psychological inventories was also administered to the athletes. It was found that the athletes were characterized by: (a) the ability to cope with and control anxiety; (b) confidence; (c) mental toughness/resiliency; (d) sport intelligence; (e) the ability to focus and block out distractions; (f) competitiveness; (g) a hard-work ethic; (h) the ability to set and achieve goals; (i) coachability; (j) high levels of dispositional hope; (k) optimism; and (l) adaptive perfectionism. Results also revealed that a number of individuals and institutions influenced the athletes' psychological development including the community, family, the individual himself or herself, non-sport personnel, sport environment personnel, and the sport process. Coach and family influences were particularly important. Ways in which these sources influenced the athletes were both direct, like teaching or emphasizing certain psychological lessons, and indirect, involving modeling or unintentionally creating certain psychological environments. Psychological characteristic findings verified current sport psychological research on psychological characteristics associated with peak performance (Williams & Krane, 2001). They also suggest that adaptive perfectionism, dispositional hope, and high levels of optimism are new variables to consider. Results are also discussed relative to Bloom's (1985), Côtè's (1999) and Csikzentmihalyi, Rathunde, Whalen, and Wong's (1993) talent development research. Practical implications focus on implementing parenting and coaching practices related to the development of psychological characteristics associated with athletic success.
Seven participants from a previous study (Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002) agreed to be interviewed about the development of mental toughness. We also aimed to determine whether mental toughness requires maintenance. Semistructured interviews were conducted to elicit the participants' perceptions of how mental toughness is cultivated and retained. Findings indicated that the development of mental toughness is a long-term process that encompasses a multitude of underlying mechanisms that operate in a combined, rather than independent, fashion. In general, these perceived underlying mechanisms related to many features associated with a motivational climate (e.g. enjoyment, mastery), various individuals (i.e. coaches, peers, parents, grandparents, siblings, senior athletes, sport psychologists, team-mates), experiences in and outside sport, psychological skills and strategies, and an insatiable desire and internalized motives to succeed. It was also reported that once mental toughness had been developed, three perceived underlying mechanisms were required to maintain this construct: a desire and motivation to succeed that was insatiable and internalized, a support network that included sporting and non-sporting personnel, and effective use of basic and advanced psychological skills. Practical implications and future avenues of research are discussed.
The literature on mental toughness is characterized by a general lack of conceptual clarity and consensus as to its definition, as well as a general failure to operationalize the construct in a consistent manner. This study addressed two fundamental issues surrounding mental toughness: how can it be defined? and what are the essential attributes required to be a mentally tough performer? Ten international performers participated in either a focus group or one-toone interviews, from which a definition of mental toughness and the attributes of the ideal mentally tough performer emerged. The resulting definition emphasized both general and specific dimensions, while the 12 attributes covered self-belief, desire/motivation, dealing with pressure and anxiety, focus (performance-related), focus (lifestyle-related), and pain/hardship factors.
Mental toughness is a critical element in contemporary international cricket. However, little is known beyond the obvious basics of what constitutes mental toughness in an English cricketer. This study addressed two main objectives: 1) develop a greater understanding of what mental toughness is within cricket, and 2) identify how existing mentally tough English cricketers developed their mental toughness. Twelve English cricketers identified as being among the mentally toughest during the previous 20 years were interviewed. Analysis of the focused interview transcripts identified the critical role of the player's environment in influencing ‘Tough Character,’ ‘Tough Attitudes,’ and ‘Tough Thinking.’ The global themes are presented in a mental toughness framework that has been used to disseminate the findings to the cricket coaching and playing population in England. The contrasting and complementary nature of the global themes are used to help provide a structural appreciation of the need for consistent interaction between environment, character, attitudes, and thinking in order that a performer can consistently be considered as mentally tough in cricket. Implications of the findings in relation to the delivery of sport psychology support within English cricket are also highlighted.