Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model

In light of the extant literature, the aim of the current study was to compare adolescents’ perspectives on mental toughness and its development across performance contexts, and to explore if such perspectives align with Bronfenbrenner’s (2001) bioecological model. Eighteen mentally tough adolescent...

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Main Authors: Mahoney, J., Gucciardi, Daniel, Mallett, C., Ntoumanis, Nikos
Format: Journal Article
Published: Human Kinetics 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45565
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author Mahoney, J.
Gucciardi, Daniel
Mallett, C.
Ntoumanis, Nikos
author_facet Mahoney, J.
Gucciardi, Daniel
Mallett, C.
Ntoumanis, Nikos
author_sort Mahoney, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description In light of the extant literature, the aim of the current study was to compare adolescents’ perspectives on mental toughness and its development across performance contexts, and to explore if such perspectives align with Bronfenbrenner’s (2001) bioecological model. Eighteen mentally tough adolescents (9 boys, 9 girls, Mage = 15.6 years) from three performance contexts (i.e., sport, academia, and music) participated in focus groups, 7 of whom also participated in follow-up one-to-one interviews. Inductive analyses revealed that mental toughness was conceptualized by 9 personal characteristics, and that while similar across performance contexts, some difference between previous mental toughness conceptualization and the current study existed. Analyses also revealed that mental toughness development was predicated on significant others, supportive social processes, critical incidents, and curiosity. These findings resonated with the properties of the bioecological model. Future research into how bioecological factors combine to facilitate mental toughness development during critical stages of life was suggested.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-455652020-07-23T08:53:13Z Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model Mahoney, J. Gucciardi, Daniel Mallett, C. Ntoumanis, Nikos performance contexts human potential positive youth development In light of the extant literature, the aim of the current study was to compare adolescents’ perspectives on mental toughness and its development across performance contexts, and to explore if such perspectives align with Bronfenbrenner’s (2001) bioecological model. Eighteen mentally tough adolescents (9 boys, 9 girls, Mage = 15.6 years) from three performance contexts (i.e., sport, academia, and music) participated in focus groups, 7 of whom also participated in follow-up one-to-one interviews. Inductive analyses revealed that mental toughness was conceptualized by 9 personal characteristics, and that while similar across performance contexts, some difference between previous mental toughness conceptualization and the current study existed. Analyses also revealed that mental toughness development was predicated on significant others, supportive social processes, critical incidents, and curiosity. These findings resonated with the properties of the bioecological model. Future research into how bioecological factors combine to facilitate mental toughness development during critical stages of life was suggested. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45565 10.1123/tsp.2013-0050 Human Kinetics fulltext
spellingShingle performance contexts
human potential
positive youth development
Mahoney, J.
Gucciardi, Daniel
Mallett, C.
Ntoumanis, Nikos
Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title_full Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title_fullStr Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title_full_unstemmed Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title_short Adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: The utility of the bioecological model
title_sort adolescent performers' perspectives on mental toughness and its development: the utility of the bioecological model
topic performance contexts
human potential
positive youth development
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/45565