Locating mental toughness in factor models of personality

Abstract

We examined the degree to which two factor models of personality capture mental toughness. We focused on item and facet-level correlates of mental toughness in three widely used personality inventories – HEXACO and Hogan Personality Inventory (bright side personality) and Hogan Development Survey (dark side personality). US-based college students and NCAA athletes (Sample 1; N = 285) and working adults (Sample 2; N = 218) took the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire and the HEXACO-60 (Sample 1) and the HPI and HDS (Sample 2). We used lasso regression with cross-validation to identify the HEXACO-60's items and HPI and HDS' facets predicting mental toughness. In Study 1 the strongest predictors of mental toughness were 12 items coming from the eXtraversion, Emotionality, and Conscientiousness scales. Item content examinations indicated that people scoring high on mental toughness tended to endorse items related to pushing for results, having elevated energy levels, and a high degree of self-confidence. In Study 2, emotional control, ambition, self-efficacy, creativity, and low anxiety emerged as the strongest facet correlates of mental toughness. Mental toughness is located between factors of the HEXACO model, but much more squarely aligned with Ambition in the HPI inventory.