A Framework of Mental Toughness in the World’s Best Performers

The authors conducted an investigation of mental toughness in a sample population of athletes who have achieved ultimate sporting success. Eight Olympic or world champions, 3 coaches, and 4 sport psychologists agreed to participate. Qualitative methods addressed 3 fundamental issues: the definition...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Sport psychologist 2007-06, Vol.21 (2), p.243-264
Main Authors: Jones, Graham, Hanton, Sheldon, Connaughton, Declan
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The authors conducted an investigation of mental toughness in a sample population of athletes who have achieved ultimate sporting success. Eight Olympic or world champions, 3 coaches, and 4 sport psychologists agreed to participate. Qualitative methods addressed 3 fundamental issues: the definition of mental toughness, the identification of its essential attributes, and the development of a framework of mental toughness. Results verified the authors’ earlier definition of mental toughness and identified 30 attributes that were essential to being mentally tough. These attributes clustered under 4 separate dimensions (attitude/mindset, training, competition, postcompetition) within an overall framework of mental toughness. Practical implications and future avenues of research involving the development of mental toughness and measurement issues are discussed.
ISSN:0888-4781
1543-2793
DOI:10.1123/tsp.21.2.243