Mental toughness is a measure of individual resilience and confidence that may predict success in sport, education, and the workplace.[1] The concept emerged in the context of sports training, as one of a set of attributes that allow a person to become a better athlete and able to cope with difficult training and difficult competitive situations and emerge without losing confidence. The term has been used by coaches, sport psychologists, sports commentators, and business leaders.

Mental Toughness can be thought of as the applications of GRIT characteristics. Additional synonyms might include: resilience, determined, strong-willed, and stalwart. A person who has the qualities of mental toughness might accept challenges as they arise aiding them to achieve their goals whether that be in sports, academics, or in their professions.

Definition

"Mental toughness" is frequently used colloquially to refer to any set of positive mental attributes that helps a person to cope with difficult situations. Coaches and sport commentators freely use the term mental toughness to describe the mental state of athletes who persevere through difficult sport circumstances, such as playing while hurt, to succeed. In support of this, a number of studies have linked mental toughness to sporting success or achievement. However, the phrase is often simply applied as a default explanation for any victory. Criticisms about this imprecise use of this term abound.[2]

Scientific research has attempted a formal definition of mental toughness as a psychological construct with clear measurement criteria, which would allow robust analyses and comparisons to be made.

In particular, three research teams produced both a definition and a construct definition for mental toughness: being able to push past failures or blockades by remaining positive and competitive. This involves training the mind to be ready for challenges.

Jones, Hanton, and Connaughton

Graham Jones, Sheldon Hanton, and Declan Connaughton of the United States used personal construct psychology in interviews with elite athletes, as well as elite-level coaches and sport psychologists, to arrive at the following definition of mental toughness:

Having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to: generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer; specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.[3]: 209 

These same researchers published a second paper which provided four dimensions (categories) for mental toughness attributes: a general dimension of a performer's attitude or mindset (specifically, the performer's focus and self-belief), and three time-specific dimensions: training, competition, and post-competition. These time-specific dimensions contain attributes of mental toughness (such as handling pressure, handling failure, and pushing yourself to your physical limit in training) that pertain to their use at those times.[4]

Clough and Earle

Peter Clough et al.[5] proposed a model of mental toughness that conceptualizes it as a personality trait. Their model has four components: confidence, challenge, control, and commitment. They developed a questionnaire by which to measure mental toughness.[6] They combined existing psychological theory and applied sport psychology in an attempt to bridge the gap between research and practice. They saw comparisons between their emerging mental toughness data and the concept of hardiness, a key individual difference and resistance resource that helps buffer stress and has become an accepted concept in health psychology within the study of the stress-illness relationship. They believe mental toughness has broad application and should not be limited to the sports domain. They feel that sports-specific measures are unlikely to move the field forward in any meaningful ways. The development work relating to their model is fully described and discussed in their book on mental toughness.[7]

Gucciardi, Gordon, and Dimmock

Daniel Gucciardi, Sandy Gordon, and James Dimmock of Australia have proposed a different definition and framework of mental toughness, based primarily on their work with Australian footballers. Using personal construct psychology, these authors proposed the following definition of mental toughness:

Mental toughness in Australian Football is a collection of values, attitudes, behaviors, and emotions that enable you to persevere and overcome any obstacle, adversity, or pressure experienced, but also to maintain concentration and motivation when things are going well to consistently achieve your goals.[8]: 278 

Although this definition was produced through work with Australian footballers, it has been generalized to other sports, including cricket[9][10] and soccer.[11] This definition conceives mental toughness as having reactive and proactive qualities; players can use mental toughness attributes to help endure and perform well during adverse situations, but can also employ other attributes of mental toughness when the game is going well, to keep them playing at their best.

Studies

Some psychologists argued that a separate, sport-specific definition of mental toughness should be developed.[12] The attributes of a mentally tough athlete in one sport may differ greatly from the attributes of a mentally tough athlete in a different sport. Differences have also been hypothesized between male and female athletes, and between "team sport" and "individual sport" athletes, but to date, little empirical evidence has shown what these differences are.

Sport-specific studies of mental toughness have been conducted in cricket,[9][10][13] soccer,[11][14] gymnastics,[15] and Australian football.[8][16][17][18] These studies have not employed a common framework, although many have used the definition of mental toughness provided by either the Jones et al. study or the Gucciardi et al. study.

Many sports-focused studies employed the Clough model of mental toughness. They use samples of athletes to investigate a possible link between toughness, coping, emotional reactivity, psychological skills, and performance.[19]

One of the few published studies that takes mental toughness out of the sporting domain is based on the 4 'C's model. This study showed that senior managers are tougher than their junior colleagues.[20] Clough and his team are working in a number of areas outside of sport—education, health, social, and occupational—to explore the relevance of mental toughness in these areas.

In 2019, a study using a personality assessment identified six personality traits of top NCAA Division 1 and professional athletes that define mental toughness. This study also highlighted that the traits that make up mental toughness and that predict athletic success are some of the same traits seen in the most successful sales professionals.[21]

In April 2020, researchers found that top gamers shared the ability to cope with stressors as well as Olympian athletes.[22]

Mental toughness can also be found in the workplace. It's been found that when those in positions of influence instill mental toughness in their team members, those team members are more productive, take less sick leave, and work better together when collaboration arises.[23]

Developmental studies

There is debate about whether mental toughness is primarily a developed characteristic, or has a genetic basis. Two studies suggest that foundational processes occur during development that allow a person to build mental toughness throughout life. For instance, a study of American soccer players, parents, and coaches found that parents provide a "generalized form" of mental toughness upon which coaches can build a sport-specific form of mental toughness.[11] A similar study suggested that mental toughness development proceeds first through the development of a tough attitude (strong focus and strong self-belief); upon a tough attitude, an athlete learns how to develop mental toughness attributes needed for training, then for competition.[24] Another study examined the developmental experiences of ten super-elite athletes and found that coaches and significant adults played an important role in mental toughness development through all stages of talent development.[25]

Horsburgh et al. demonstrated that genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to the development of mental toughness (as measured by questionnaire), and that mental toughness behaves "in the same manner as virtually every personality trait that has ever been investigated in behavioural genetic study".[26]: 104  In establishing significant relationships with the big five personality factors of Costa and McCrae (1992), these researchers have also provided evidence to support Clough et al.’s conceptualisation of mental toughness.[26] While embracing the importance of genetics, Clough acknowledges that mental toughness can be developed.[27]

Studies with Sports

A research study analyzed how kids with mental toughness performed compared to those without the trait. Of randomly-selected people the researchers found that the mentally tough athletes were better in their sport. There were five reoccurring themes with the athletes that possessed mental toughness.

  1. The athletes proved and showed their mental toughness by overcoming obstacles and not getting down on themselves when things did not go their way.
  2. The athletes who were mentally tough were much more self driven to do well in their given sport and were self determined.
  3. The mentally tough were able to control their emotions while playing the sport.
  4. The mentally tough focus on ways to become better at their sport in ways where they do not get all the glory. They will do things that help their team win that most people may not notice such as giving an assist in basketball.
  5. Mentally tough athletes are good teammates, they are not selfish. They will do whatever it takes to win. They do not care about the glory, they just do whatever it takes for their team to succeed.

Similar constructs

Mental toughness has been equated with better-understood constructs from psychology such as resilience and hardiness.

The term resilience is often incorrectly used interchangeably with mental toughness, though researchers have found the two constructs are positively associated with one another.[28] However, psychologists define resilience as a positive adaptive process of coping with stress and adversity, as opposed to a collection of psychological attributes or personality traits.

Hardiness has been suggested as a similar construct to mental toughness. Hardiness has typically been constructed as a stable personality trait. This differs from the conceptions of mental toughness offered by both Jones et al. and Gucciardi et al. Those authors conceive of mental toughness as unstable, arising in development, fluctuating over time, and varying for an individual performer between different sport and life scenarios.

This definitional dilemma plagues the use of the term mental toughness. In addition, if mental toughness exists as a valid construct it may on occasion be maladaptive. Evidence to support this contention is derived from a study of overtraining behaviors and mental toughness. The author reported: "The results suggest that some attributes of MT may relate to increased ability to recover whereas other attributes are associated with lower recovery... Arguably mental toughness is more closely linked with goal fixedness rather than adaptability and a flexible mindset, attributes which are central to resilience."[29]

Measurement

Two instruments have been developed and validated since 2009. Gucciardi et al. validated the American Football Mental Toughness Inventory (AFMTI),[17] while Sheard and Golby validated the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ).[30] The MTQ48 predates these by seven years. The factor structure of the MTQ48 has been supported by an independent research group.[26] Dr Lee Crust, University of Lincoln, compared the SMTQ with the MTQ48 and concluded "Both instruments appear to tap the core components of MT but the MTQ48 seemingly provides a more comprehensive measure".[31]

The MTQ48 questionnaire has demonstrable criterion-related, construct, and content validity. Reliability has been assessed by numerous independent researchers and it has demonstrable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. All component scales exceed 0.70 and the overall measure has a reliability in excess of 0.90. Nevertheless, both the construct validity and the psychometric properties of this test have been questioned.[32]

Several other instruments purport to measure mental toughness, but research has called their validity into question. For example, the Performance Profile Inventory (PPI) developed by Jim Loehr used seven subscales to compute a mental toughness score. The Mental Toughness Inventory (MTI) developed by Middleton et al. measures mental toughness using twelve subscales and appears to show strong theoretical evidence for its formation. However, construct validation has only been performed with a narrow sample of athletes, leaving its psychometric properties up for debate.[30]

See also

  • Hardiness – in humans, the ability to endure stress without deleterious effects on health
  • Psychological resilience – Ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly
  • Resourcefulness – definition on Wiktionary
  • Stress management – Spectrum of techniques and psychotherapies

References

  1. ↑ Lin, Ying; Mutz, Julian; Clough, Peter J.; Papageorgiou, Kostas A. (2017-08-11). "Mental Toughness and Individual Differences in Learning, Educational and Work Performance, Psychological Well-being, and Personality: A Systematic Review". Frontiers in Psychology. 8: 1345. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01345. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 5554528. PMID 28848466.
  2. ↑ e.g. Moran, A. P. (2012). Sport and Exercise Psychology: A Critical Introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.
  3. ↑ Jones, G.; Hanton, S.; Connaughton, D. (2002). "What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? An Investigation of Elite Sport Performers". Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 14 (3): 205–218. doi:10.1080/10413200290103509. S2CID 143788691.
  4. ↑ Jones, G.; Hanton, S.; Connaughton, D. (2007). "A framework of mental toughness in the world's best performers". The Sport Psychologist. 21 (2): 243–264. doi:10.1123/tsp.21.2.243. hdl:10369/501.
  5. ↑ Clough, P. J.; Earle, K.; Sewell, D. (2002). "Mental Toughness. The Concept and its Management". In Cockerill, I. (ed.). Solutions in Sport Psychology. London: Thomson. pp. 32–45.
  6. ↑ Clough, P. J., Marchant, D. C., & Earle, K. (2007). Mental toughness Questionnaire 48: Technical manual. Wrexham: AQR.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Clough, P.J.; Strycharczyk, D. (2012). Applied mental toughness: A tool kit for the 21st Century. Kogan Page. ISBN 978-0-7494-6377-9.
  8. 1 2 Gucciardi, D.; Gordon, S.; Dimmock, J. (2008). "Towards an Understanding of Mental Toughness in American Football". Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 20 (3): 261–281. doi:10.1080/10413200801998556. S2CID 145652482.
  9. 1 2 Gucciardi, D. F.; Gordon, S. (2009). "Development and preliminary validation of the Cricket Mental Toughness Inventory (CMTI)". Journal of Sports Sciences. 27 (12): 1293–310. doi:10.1080/02640410903242306. PMID 19736598. S2CID 23897893.
  10. 1 2 Gucciardi, D. F. (2011). "The relationship between developmental experiences and mental toughness in adolescent cricketers". Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. 33 (3): 370–93. doi:10.1123/jsep.33.3.370. PMID 21659669.
  11. 1 2 3 Coulter, T. J.; Mallett, C. J.; Gucciardi, D. F. (2010). "Understanding mental toughness in Australian soccer: perceptions of players, parents, and coaches". Journal of Sports Sciences. 28 (7): 699–716. doi:10.1080/02640411003734085. PMID 20496223. S2CID 2934524.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ Bull, S.; Shambrook, C.; James, W.; Brooks, J. (2005). "Towards an Understanding of Mental Toughness in Elite English Cricketers". Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 17 (3): 209–227. doi:10.1080/10413200591010085. S2CID 145484578.
  14. ↑ Thelwell, R.; Weston, N.; Greenlees, I. (2005). "Defining and Understanding Mental Toughness within Soccer". Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 17 (4): 326–332. doi:10.1080/10413200500313636. S2CID 143348472.
  15. ↑ Thelwell, R. C.; Such, B. A.; Weston, N. J. V.; Such, J. D.; Greenlees, I. A. (2010). "Developing mental toughness: Perceptions of elite female gymnasts". International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 8 (2): 170–188. doi:10.1080/1612197x.2010.9671941. S2CID 144583372.
  16. ↑ Gucciardi, D. F.; Gordon, S.; Dimmock, J.; Mallett, C. J. (2009). "Understanding the coach's role in the development of mental toughness: perspectives of elite Australian football coaches". Journal of Sports Sciences. 27 (13): 1483–96. doi:10.1080/02640410903150475. PMID 19787540. S2CID 30198334.
  17. 1 2 Gucciardi, D.; Gordon, S.; Dimmock, J. (2009). "Development and preliminary validation of a mental toughness inventory for Australian football". Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 10 (1): 201–209. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2008.07.011.
  18. ↑
    • Gucciardi, D. F. (2010). "Mental toughness profiles and their relations with achievement goals and sport motivation in adolescent Australian footballers". Journal of Sports Sciences. 28 (6): 615–25. doi:10.1080/02640410903582792. PMID 20391082. S2CID 8754196.
    • Gucciardi, D. F.; Gordon, S.; Dimmock (2009). "Evaluation of a Mental Toughness Training Program for Youth-Aged Australian Footballers: II. A Qualitative Analysis". Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 21 (3): 324–339. doi:10.1080/10413200903026074. S2CID 216152434.
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ Marchant, D.; Polman, R.; Clough, P.J.; Jackson, J.G.; Levy, A.; Nicholls, A.R. (2009). "Mental toughness: Managerial and age differences". Journal of Managerial Psychology. 24 (5): 428–437. doi:10.1108/02683940910959753.
  21. ↑ Schoenfelder, Thomas, "How Mental Toughness Differentiates NCAA Division I and Professional Athletes" (PDF), Caliper Whitepaper, Princeton, N.J.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ Ruparel, Namita (2020-02-05). "Mental toughness: Promising new paradigms for the workplace". Cogent Psychology. 7 (1). doi:10.1080/23311908.2020.1722354. ISSN 2331-1908.
  24. ↑ Connaughton, D.; Hanton, S.; Jones, G. (2010). "The development and maintenance of mental toughness in the World's best performers". The Sport Psychologist. 24 (2): 168–193. doi:10.1123/tsp.24.2.168. hdl:10369/4088.
  25. ↑ Connaughton, D.; Wadey, R.; Hanton, S.; Jones, G. (2008). "The development and maintenance of mental toughness: perceptions of elite performers". Journal of Sports Sciences. 26 (1): 83–95. doi:10.1080/02640410701310958. PMID 17852671. S2CID 23040478.
  26. 1 2 3 Horsburgh, V.; Schermer, J.; Veselka, L.; Vernon, P. (2009). "A behavioral genetic study of mental toughness and personality". Personality and Individual Differences. 46 (2): 100–105. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.09.009.
  27. ↑ Crust, L; Clough, P.J. (2011). "Developing Mental Toughness: From Research to Practice". Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. 2: 21–32. doi:10.1080/21520704.2011.563436. S2CID 145009783.
  28. ↑ Cowden, R.G.; Meyer-Weitz, A.; Oppong Asante, K. (2013). "Mental toughness in competitive tennis: Relationships with resilience and stress". Frontiers in Psychology. 7 (320): 320. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00320. PMC 4791384. PMID 27014132.
  29. ↑ Tibbert, S. J. (2013). Mental Toughness and Overtraining Behaviours (Ph.D. thesis). Victoria University.
  30. 1 2 Sheard, M.; Golby, J.; van Wersch, A. (2009). "Progress Toward Construct Validation of the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ)". European Journal of Psychological Assessment. 25 (3): 186–193. doi:10.1027/1015-5759.25.3.186.
  31. ↑ Crust, L.; Swann, C. (2011). "Comparing two measures of mental toughness" (PDF). Personality and Individual Differences. 50 (2): 217–221. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.032.
  32. ↑ Andersen, M. B. (2011). "Who's mental? Who's tough and who's both? Mutton constructs dressed up as lamb". In Gucciardi, Daniel F.; Gordan, Sandy (eds.). Mental toughness in sport : developments in research and theory. Routledge Research in Sport and Exercise Science. pp. 69–88.
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