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Mental Toughness Development

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Good Health and Well-Being

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Definition

There are a variety of definitions of mental toughness, and while there is no consensus on definition (Crust 2008), an indicative definition is that it is “a narrow plastic personality trait which explains in large part how individuals respond differently to the same or similar stressors, pressures, opportunities and challenges irrespective of prevailing circumstances” (Clough and Strycharczyk 2015: 33). As it is plastic, it means it can change and be developed over time, in ways which shape the experiences of the person in their life, and the way they psychologically and physically respond to their circumstances.

Introduction

Though there are different conceptions of mental toughness, there are a number of important commonalities, including self-belief, attentional control, resilience, a success mindset, optimistic thinking, emotional awareness and regulation, ability to deal with perceived challenge, and contextual awareness and understanding (Crust and Clough 2011). As...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Thriving at Work Research Centre, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

  2. AQR International, Chester, UK

    Doug Strycharczyk

  3. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    Peter Clough

Authors
  1. Tony Wall
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  2. Doug Strycharczyk
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  3. Peter Clough
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tony Wall or Doug Strycharczyk .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences FTZ-ALS, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Centre for Work Related Studies, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

  3. Ctr Neurosci & Cell Biology, 1 Floor, Univ Coimbra, Edf Fac Medicina, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  4. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  5. Ozyegin University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

Section Editor information

  1. International Thriving at Work Research Centre, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

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Wall, T., Strycharczyk, D., Clough, P. (2019). Mental Toughness Development. In: Leal Filho, W., Wall, T., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P. (eds) Good Health and Well-Being. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69627-0_20-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69627-0_20-1

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