mentally tough definition

Mentally tough people are flexible and are constantly adapting. Here within this final section, let’s break down the DNA of mentally tough people. The DNA of Mentally Tough People. I believe that someone who’s mentally tough has a combination of willpower, skill and resilience. One thing that all research groups seem to agree on is that mental toughness comprises a number of interrelated psychological factors that help an individual “deal effectively with challenges, stressors, and pressure” (Clough & Strycharczyk, 2012). “Able to access their talent...” An athlete who has all the talent and strength they need through weight training and conditioning, learning the technical aspects of their sport or position, and years of experience against great competition must be able to use all of that when the time comes.  Â, Confidence: Deeply ingrained belief in one’s ability and comfort asserting oneself interpersonally.  Good question. What is this Thing Called Mental Toughness? These are the strategies I teach. A …  They have an opportunity mindset, meaning that they tend to view pressure situations as exciting opportunities rather than debilitating threats. Today’s headlines are tomorrow’s fish wrappings, so to be great you need to be consistent. As a society we place too much emphasis on having no losses on our record. According tough Clough and Earle, Mental Strength is first the capacity that an individual has to deal effectively with the stressors, challenges and pressure to present their best performance in spite of their circumstances (2012), and according to Clough & Strycharczyk, it is also part of the personality trait that contributes the large part of how an individual deal with stress, the pressures and challenges facing … I define mental toughness as being "able to access their talent at the highest level they are capable on a consistent basis regardless of the situation." In this article, I reviewed several attempts by researchers to bring scientific rigor to the mental toughness concept. But what exactly are they talking about? Mentally tough individuals tend to be sociable and outgoing; as they are able to remain calm and relaxed, they are competitive in many situations and have lower anxiety levels than others. For example do mentally tough athletes exhibit more positive self-talk in comparison to less mentally tough athletes. Having become a sort of default explanation for any victory in challenging situations, mental toughness has been criticized as, “one of the most used but least understood terms in applied sport psychology”, Mental toughness made its sports debut in the mid-1980s with the early work of Jim Loehr, who defined it rather loosely as, “the ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.”. It’s good to practice any of these in your daily life, whenever you can. If you set out to achieve a huge goal that you don’t have a “why” for, you’re going to find yourself distracted, discouraged, or disengaged as soon as you experience your first setback. Mental Toughness can be developed through training interventions, coaching and helping individuals adopting behaviour of mentally tough individuals, which ultimately maximises resilience and confidence in teams and organisations. mentally definition: 1. connected with or related to the mind: 2. connected with or related to the mind: . Mentally tough people have a quality called “sticktoitiveness” – a dogged perseverance in achieving the goals that they have set for themselves despite setbacks and occasional failures. According to Clough’s model, mental toughness is made up of four components that psychologists call the “4Cs:” challenge, control, commitment, and confidence. In this article, I aim to bring some conceptual clarity to this topic by reviewing the various ways that mental toughness has been defined and measured in the research literature.  I then weigh the empirical evidence on the question of whether mental toughness is useful as a predictive variable for high achievement. This 2-factor model can be reconciled with the 4C’s above if control and commitment are considered subfactors of resilience while confidence and challenge are subsumed under robust self-confidence, as in the graphic below: Thus, if remembering all 4 components of the 4C model exceeds your working memory capacity, you can simplify it down to only two! Mental toughness is located between factors of the HEXACO model, but much more squarely aligned with ambition in the HPI." The two questions I get most often are what is mental toughness and how do you develop it? Mental health (wellbeing) is starting to be considered an important part of sporting excellence. Mentally tough people do not externalize blame or credit. The only difference is the audience.  Given that no consensus definition has been reached, the best we can do at this point is look at the overlap between the most widely used definitions. Although the different research groups cannot see eye to eye on a definitive collection of factors, there is substantial overlap on at least a couple of factors.  These are: robust self-confidence: a durable conviction in one’s ability to succeed, resilience: an ability to recover quickly following adversity, defeat, or injury.  From an empirical perspective, this “everything but the kitchen sink” notion is problematic because it does not allow for standardization and scientific analysis. A mentally tough athlete treats practice and pre-season competitions with the same intensity as league and post-season games. Willingness to push boundaries, accept risks, and learn from mistakes and failures. Contact Kathy A. Feinstein a certified Sports Performance Consultant in Naples, Florida. One could write volumes and volumes of how to become mentally tough. My definition of mental toughness is the ability to remain calm, cool and collected no matter what the situation. The 4C model also enjoys a prominent role in health psychology, where mental toughness is seen as an important moderator between stress and illness. If you are willing to suspend your (well-placed) skepticism for a moment and disregard the unstable foundation upon which mental toughness research rests, we can explore the evidence for whether it (whatever “it” is) can be considered a useful construct for predicting differences in performance.  We will discuss the quantitative (statistical) and qualitative (descriptive) evidence separately.Â, In a 2017 review of 19 quantitative studies from 2007-2016 relating mental toughness to competitive standard, performance, and achievement, Richard Cowden found that the results collectively “support the commonly held belief that mentally tougher athletes tend to be more successful” as “88% of relevant studies found athletes with higher levels of mental toughness tend to achieve more or perform better.”Â, Qualitative studies have provided additional support for the role of mental toughness in performance, particularly during critical moments.  For example, choke-prone elite golfers identified low mental toughness as an important feature of their choking episodes  (Hill et al, 2010) and four applied sport psychologists with experience at the elite level agreed that mental toughness not only reduces susceptibility to choking, but also increases the odds of recovering optimal performance after a choke has occurred (Hill et al, 2009), Although these results suggest that perhaps there is a there there when it comes to mental toughness research, the whole enterprise has come under attack as a biased social construct that reeks of elitism and stereotypical masculinity.  Several studies have indeed found significant differences across gender and competitive status – with more accomplished male athletes tending to rate higher in mental toughness .  Some critics have gone as far as to argue that mental toughness is nothing more than a romanticized ideal that reinforces the pathologically macho culture of competitive sport (see Caddick & Ryall, 2012). Â. “Mentally tough” has become the go-to phrase to describe the successful athlete or performer. And this, in many ways, is the central idea of mental toughness – that it facilitates an adaptive rather than a maladaptive response to challenging circumstances. They look at their failures and mistakes as lessons to be learned from and opportunities for growth. The researchers take care to note that just because ambition is … They have an “unshakeable” belief that they will ultimately succeed that is unperturbed by challenges, adversity, or even defeat.  Although each scale often comes with a persuasive discussion of the theoretical rationale for its development, none has achieved gold-standard status and all suffer from equivocal findings with respect to their psychometric properties (validity and reliability).  Accordingly, there is no real basis upon which to recommend one measure over any other. Mental toughness made its sports debut in the mid-1980s with the early work of Jim Loehr, who defined it rather loosely as “the ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.” Â. Specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, This definition has been criticized for its emphasis on being “better than opponents” and thus describing a relative rather than an absolute notion of mental toughness.  Nevertheless, it set the stage for nearly two decades of research during which,  numerous alternative definitions have been put forward, each promising to be the one that unites the field. Â, One thing that all research groups seem to agree on is that mental toughness comprises a number of interrelated psychological factors that help an individualÂ, deal effectively with challenges, stressors, and pressure”Â,  a durable conviction in one’s ability to succeed,  an ability to recover quickly following adversity, defeat, or injury, In a 2017 review of 19 quantitative studies from 2007-2016 relating mental toughness to competitive standard, performance, and achievement, Richard Cowden found that the results collectivelyÂ, “support the commonly held belief that mentally tougher athletes tend to be more successful”, “88% of relevant studies found athletes with higher levels of mental toughness tend to achieve more or perform better.”, Qualitative studies have provided additional support for the role of mental toughness in performance, particularly during critical moments.  For example, choke-prone elite golfers identified, low mental toughness as an important feature of their choking episodesÂ, mental toughness not only reduces susceptibility to choking, but also increases the odds of recovering optimal performance after a choke has occurredÂ, romanticized ideal that reinforces the pathologically macho culture of competitive sportÂ, In this article, I reviewed several attempts by researchers to bring scientific rigor to the mental toughness concept. Being mentally tough isn’t about how smart, confident or motivated you are. The widespread use of the 4C model is due in large part to the efforts of its developers in extending its scope of application beyond sports and into the domains of education, business, and the military.  The 4C model also enjoys a prominent role in health psychology, where mental toughness is seen as an important moderator between stress and illness. A person with mental toughness faces challenges directly and is effective in solving them. The result was their 4 C model of mental toughness: Control: Sense of personal responsibility for life circumstances and regulation of emotions. Fletcher (Fletcher & Fletcher, 2005; Fletcher, 2005) provides an alternative way of viewing mental toughness. In most sports the next play or the next move is the same no matter if it’s at practice or in the last few minutes of the championship game. You can become mentally stronger--and as a result more successful! Mentally tough people don’t let the thoughts and opinions of others define the way they experience situations; instead, they let themselves be the judge of how they feel and how they act. It's called “Jeet Kune Do” and it states: “Adapt what is useful, reject what is not, and add what is specifically your own.”. They have highlighted that 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. Toughness is defined as strong and durable. “...on a consistent basis…” Anyone can be great in a random chance moment. Research shows that mentally tough children perform up to 25% better in exams. 2. A mentally tough individual sees challenge and adversity as an opportunity and not a threat, and has the confidence and positive approach to take what comes in their stride (Strycharczyk, 2015). Many times a defeat is the seed of discontent we need to motivate us to improve our game. As the mental toughness concept increased in popularity, researchers began questioning its scientific merit and pushing for the development of an operational definition so that mental toughness could be quantified and studied using the tools of science.  They are able to identify and focus on the things that are under their control and don’t waste time worrying or complaining about things outside of their control.  In my next article, I will address this question by doing what I always do – looking at the evidence, if any exists, for training techniques designed to enhance mental toughness. A mentally tough athlete treats practice and pre-season competitions with the same intensity as league and post-season games. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally.  They have an “unshakeable” belief that they will ultimately succeed that is unperturbed by challenges, adversity, or even defeat. One of the most critical elements to building mental toughness and keeping a strong and focused mind is having a strong “why” for all of your short and long-term goals.. Â, In my next article, I will address this question by doing what I always do –. Here are a few of them in chronological order: Eenie meenie miney mo… Take your pick. Being Mentally Well and Mentally Tough are not the same thing. Mental Toughness describes the capacity of an individual to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges, and perform to the best of their ability, irrespective of the circumstances in … History is rife with championships being won on the last ditch effort of some one-hit wonder that only has that one situation to their name, then fades shortly after. It is defined differently depending on who you ask. Many of these traits are highly sought after, however, they are often showcased to hide underlying feelings of fear, anxiety, or uncertainty. Most studies focusing around mental toughness have lacked methodological diversity and therefore longitudinal studies may benefit researchers who are trying to study mental toughness. As a result, mentally tough people will often not be affected detrimentally by stressful circumstances in the same way that the those who are more mentally sensitive might. People who are mentally tough develop good habits, and then they stick with them. Challenge: Willingness to push boundaries, accept risks, and learn from mistakes and failures. Piggybacking off of the already well-established concept of “hardiness” (with its 3 components of control, challenge, and commitment), Clough and colleagues added a 4th component of confidence, which they felt was essential to the notion of mental toughness. “...at the highest level...” Whitey Bimstein, a long time boxer and trainer once said, “Show me an undefeated fighter and I'll show a guy who's never fought anybody.” His point was to show that an athlete should seek out the best competition even if that means losing once in a while. Connect With Your Purpose. In Webster’s Dictionary, mental is defined as relating to the mind. They know that fear of change is paralyzing and a major threat to their success and happiness. For … It’s practice that takes work, but if … What Is This Thing Called Mental Toughness? This concludes that mental toughness means to have a strong and durable mind.  There are seemingly just as many measurement instruments floating around out there as there are definitions. Coaches and sports commentators frequently espouse the importance of mental toughness in competitive athletes. As a natural corollary to the conceptual confusion described above, measurement of the mental toughness construct has not been consistent across studies. There is an old adage, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” You can only control three things as an athlete - your effort, your attitude, and your preparation.  What emerges is a two-factor conceptualization in which, mental toughness is considered a combination of, Yet another important unsettled debate involves the proverbial nature-nurture question: Are some people just born with more mental toughness or is it something that can be developed through training? 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