A Systems-Approach Model of Mental Toughness: Understanding Inputs, Processes and Outputs

Despite its rising prominence in the academic literature, the underlying inputs, processes and outputs of mental toughness remain relatively unexplored (Hardy, Bell, & Beattie, 2014). As such, the purpose of the study is to present a systems-approach model of mental toughness that classifies attributes of mental toughness within the aggregated system of inputs, processes and outputs. To this end, lay participants (n = 138) were requested to provide a list of attributes of mental toughness in the form of a written questionnaire. Following guidelines for conducing Deductive Thematic Analysis (DTA) by Braun and Clarke (2006), and on the basis of similar frameworks by Hagerty et al. (2001) and Jayawickreme, Seligman and Foregard (2012), data were thematically analyzed and organized into inputs, processes and outputs. The resultant systems-approach model included a number of inputs (personal resources, stressors), processes (strength, accommodation) and outputs (surviving, striving, thriving) of mental toughness. Based on these findings, mental toughness was subsequently defined as a resistance to psychological disintegration under stress. As this model advances current theoretical knowledge, implications for future conceptualization, measurement and development of mental toughness are discussed.