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Tough Teams and Optimistic Individuals: The Intersecting Roles of Group and Individual Attributes in Helping to
Hillary S Schaefer1, Nicholas H Gist2, Kevin Bigelman2,3
1Tufts University.
The Journal of Psychology
|October 13, 2020
Summary
Individual mental toughness and group character significantly impact performance in challenging physical education courses. Belonging to a mentally tough group can be as beneficial as individual mental fortitude.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Psychology
- Military Education
Background:
- Mandatory physical education courses are crucial for developing cadets.
- Mental toughness is a key attribute for military success.
- Understanding factors influencing performance in these courses is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of individual and group-level mental toughness on performance in a challenging physical education course.
- To determine which specific mental toughness attributes (optimism, resilience, grit) influence performance.
- To explore the role of peer ratings versus self-reports in assessing mental toughness.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of course scores for 5,581 first-year cadets over five academic years at the United States Military Academy.
- Inclusion of background physical fitness data.
- Statistical examination of self-reported optimism, resilience, grit, and peer-rated mental toughness items.
- Assessment of both individual and group-level attribute contributions to overall and event-specific scores.
Main Results:
- Self-reported optimism and resilience, along with peer-rated mental toughness, significantly predicted higher course performance.
- Self-reported grit did not significantly impact performance.
- Group-level average scores for optimism and peer-rated mental toughness positively correlated with individual course scores, independent of individual attributes.
- Group-level character influenced performance on certain events more than individual attributes.
Conclusions:
- Individual mental toughness attributes like optimism and resilience are important predictors of physical performance.
- An emergent 'group character' can positively influence individual performance, suggesting collective mental toughness is a significant factor.
- Interventions aimed at enhancing both individual and group mental toughness may improve cadet performance in demanding physical training.
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