Mental toughness and individual differences in learning, educational and work performance, psychological well-being, and personality: A systematic review
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Lin, Y
Mutz, J
Clough, PJ
Papageorgiou, KA
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Mental toughness (MT) is an umbrella term that entails positive psychological resources, which are crucial across a wide range of achievement contexts and in the domain of mental health. We systematically review empirical studies that explored the associations between the concept of MT and individual differences in learning, educational and work performance, psychological well-being, personality, and other psychological attributes. Studies that explored the genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in MT are also reviewed. The findings suggest that MT is associated with various positive psychological traits, more efficient coping strategies and positive outcomes in education and mental health. Approximately 50% of the variation in MT can be accounted for by genetic factors. Furthermore, the associations between MT and psychological traits can be explained mainly by either common genetic or non-shared environmental factors. Taken together, our findings suggest a ‘mental toughness advantage’ with possible implications for developing interventions to facilitate achievement in a variety of settings.
Date Issued
2017-08-11
Date Acceptance
2017-07-24
Citation
Frontiers in Psychology, 2017, 8
ISSN
1664-1078
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Psychology
Volume
8
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Lin, Mutz, Clough and Papageorgiou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
License URL
Subjects
Social Sciences
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Psychology
mental toughness
educational performance
psychological well-being
personality
genetics of mental toughness
SWISS VOCATIONAL STUDENTS
PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY
AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALLERS
DARK TRIAD
PROGRESSING MEASUREMENT
COPING EFFECTIVENESS
DISPOSITIONAL FLOW
EMOTION REGULATION
TRAINING-PROGRAM
QUESTIONNAIRE 48
1701 Psychology
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1345