Trait Resilience: Jingle Fallacy or Triangulation?

Abstract

This study investigated conceptual and empirical concerns related to trait resilience through systematic review and meta-analysis. First, investigating multiple conceptualizations and operationalizations of trait resilience, we found imprecision and incompatibility in definitions and measures of this construct. Then, based on an analysis of 85 samples comprising 23,983 participants, we assessed whether the eight most commonly used measures of trait resilience in the organizational literature reflected a jingle fallacy (i.e., calling different constructs by the same name) or triangulation (i.e., assessing different aspects of a complex construct) across different measures. The results indicated that the specific measure used to operationalize trait resilience explained between 18% and 85% of the variance in the relationship between trait resilience and its correlates. Moreover, an item-level examination of the measures revealed little consistency across scales and uneven theoretical correspondence with the concept of trait resilience. The findings suggested the presence of a jingle fallacy in the literature. To advance the study of trait resilience and stimulate theoretically informed new research, we used the results to propose a different way of thinking about trait resilience and its measurement.