Jones (2002)
Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton (2002), were the first researchers to conceptualized mental toughness. They interviewed 10 international performers to gain their perspectives regarding the topic. Based on the results they defined mental toughness as:
Having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to (a) generally, cope better than your opponent with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sport places on a performer, and (b) specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure. (p. 209)
This study also delineated 12 key attributes of mental toughness; (1) unshakable self-belief in ability to achieve competition
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(2004), were among the first to challenge Jones et al’s 2002 definition on grounds that the definition didn’t succintly define the construct, but rather it explaned what a mentally tough individual is capcable of. In contrast to Jones et al., they defined mental toughness as “an unshakeable perserverance and conviction toward a commmon goal despite pressure or adversity” (p. 6). The researchers argue that their definition is a better representation of mental toughness because it encompasses a larger sample (33 participants), comprised of a greater variety of sports. Furthermore, all the athletes within the sample had a gold medal or world championship, in their respective sport. Middleton et al’s work goes on to divide the construct into a specific orioentation and strategies of mental toughness. Mental toughness orientation is subdivided into four categories: (a) self-belief, (b) task familiarity, (c) motivation, and (d) goal commitment. Middleton et al. listed three separate characteristics under mental toughness strategy: (a) perserverence, (b) task-specific attention, and (c) emotion …show more content…
(p. 69).
In contrast to the definitions provided by Jones et al. (2002), and Clough et al. (2002), this definition is general in nature and identifies the significant role of values, attitudes, cognitions, and emotions, without confining the variables with subjective definitions (i.e., they acknowledge the importance of the variables but restrained from pontificating their exact role without sufficient evidence). It can be said that Gucciardi’s definition encompasses a more task-based approach, not ego-based definition, because it describes how an individual progresses towards his/her goals by examining both the outcomes and processes of mental toughness. In contrast, the definitions provided by Jones et al., Middleton et al., and Clough et al., rely on social comparison and achieving superiority over the
An example of this is in the essay Confessions of a doper by Jonathan Vaughters. When playing sports you have to have the “resolve” to do it as said in the essay.(8) Physical strength is not only physical ability but also, self centeredness. For those who do not have much physical prowess in sports, the mind evens the playing field. The mind opens up opportunities where we once believed there were none. With critical thinking we can overwhelm even the most worthy opponents. There are some methods of self defense that do not matter if you are the smallest in your class or age group. Tickery, mind games and quick thinking let you outsmart most
Success in life is related to the achievement of individual goals, short and long term. Success has historically been related to the measurable cognitive functions such as IQ and talent. However in more modern time’s there has been a shift towards the idea that developmental non-cognitive factors, such as grit and self-control, may have an impact on the level of success that an individual achieves. Non-cognitive factors such as grit and self-control are somewhat related but also distinct from one another, they may have an important connection to levels of success throughout the stages of life from childhood to adulthood.
The relationship between personality and resilience has become a topic of interest due to the prevalent concept that some people are less vulnerable to the impacts of stress and recover faster from stress. Personality is regarded as a crucial factor that affects the behavioral aspects of humans in their social and personal life. The personality of an individual represents different patterns of behaviors that are relatively predictable and stable. In this perspective, personality can be seen as an expression of distinction from one person to the other and allows for the enables in the prediction of relative behaviors in various situations. Personality type is regarded as a psychological method of classifying various types of people. Personality
Professional development for educators is an important step in learning new ways to educate, implement new practices and administering the best possible outcomes for children 's wellbeing. Depending on the child’s circumstances it is also important to search for other means of opinion. In this case accommodating the child’s family and the community in which he or she lives in and advancing towards promoting worthwhile relationships. Relationship building encourages parents in working collaboratively with professionals to create environments of support and enthusiasm around the best interests of the child.
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
Perseverance, dedication, and discipline, these are the qualities that have been instilled in me throughout my training. My sport requires failing repeatedly until consistency is found in perfection. Therefore, perseverance proved crucial as I attempted skill progressions and difficult routines. Dedication was essential whenever I watched others miss practice for social events. I didn’t recognize the immediate benefits of my deep rooted commitment until months and years later; now I have applied this devotion to every aspect of my life.
Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A. M., & LaMott, E. E. (1995). A model of psychological response to athletic injury and rehabilitation. Athletic training: Sport health care perspectives, 17-30.
Metal preparedness is almost as important as physical training. To be mentally trained most closely means to be psychologically ready for the physical act of. Mental training includes several steps which include aquainting ones self with the event, setting a goal, finding out secret techniques or discovering the “trade secrets”, harnessing your inner psyche (Id) by having time set aside to discover it, monitor performance, visualize ones self in competition correcting all errors, and then combining all steps to make one the best athlete possible.
Sports Psychology Today. Mental Edge Athletics, 4 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. Forde, Pat.
Its purpose is to give the participant a 4-letter formula which describes strength preferences of the participant’s personality type. The formula comes from four different sections; Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or iNtuition, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving. Based on the 4-letter formula, one will also receive a two-letter Temperament, which offers a good prediction of one’s behavior (Kroeger, Thuesen, & Rutledge, 2002).
Vickers, E. (2014, February 11). Mental Health in the Student-Athlete. - The Sport In Mind – Sport Psychology. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/mental-health-in-the-student-athlete/
Why are mental skills so important to performance and why are they often neglected by coaches and athletes? Yogi Berra has been quoted as saying, "sport is 90% mental and 50% physical." You can question his mathematical savvy, but if you're an athlete, coach or fan, you can't question his wisdom. (Hacker, 2000) Many athletes understand that while developing oneself to their physical potential is a critical element in performance potential, it is often a deficit in our psychological game rather than errors in our physical performance that keep us from performing at optimum levels in practice, games or matches. Spud McKenzie, the Budweiser poster puppy, suggested that it is important to say when, but also emphasized the critical element of knowing “when to say when”. It is often the successful athlete has recognized what needed to be done and the unsuccessful athlete was unable to do so. As a consequence, it is not the physical talents or abilities that separate athletes and teams, or successful versus less successful performance, rather, the psychological dimension that most frequently explains a given sport outcome or individual performance. For this reason games are played. Prior to each contest, judgment could be made with regard to which team or individual is the “more highly skilled”. If games were decided on who is the most physically gifted and/or talented individuals or teams, it would prove to be an exercise in futility to compete. As a result, whether you are an athlete or a coach, mastering the mental game of sport will allow you to achieve a level of success as a competitor than you could otherwise not achieve by focusing exclusively on the physical side of sport.
According to Damon and his colleague, teams and individuals can attain greater consistent levels of confidence if it is based on performance as opposed to outcome. Scholars argue that performance goals are flexible and in apposition to enable athletes to be in control. Progressive achievement in performance will propel athletes to goals achievement and improve motivation. Eventually, their success will be manifested in their tremendous performance which will also attract higher levels of self-confidence. Contrary, the sports people with outcome confidence often believe that higher performance could allow them to improve their social image. All this confirms that the success in sports is integrated with the levels of self-confidence, performance, and outcome. However, it is advisable for athletes and other sports people to focus on their performance but not their outcomes if there is need to improve their skills for the sake of goals
Sports psychology continues to evolve in order to ensure that comprehensive and evidence-based psychological services are available for athletes and teams. Giving athletes an understanding of their psychological functioning, and building the ability to implement a range of psychological strategies in competition enables athletes to both execute their skills and thrive under pressure as they strive to reach their performance potential.
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006); Methodological issues in positive psychology and the assessment of character strengths. In A.D. Ong & M. van Dulmen (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology (pp.292-305). Oxford: Oxford University Press; available from [Book]. Retrieved on 28 February 2014