What is Mental Strength – Video
I recently recorded a podcast episode on “What is Mental Strength?” Here’s the video version: 
In this video you’ll find out:
- The definition of Mental Strength
- That Mental Strength is a personality trait
- That Mental Strength is behavioral measure
- How Mental Strength and performance are linked
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_TiRpyeD5k[/embedyt]
Find out more about Mental Strength Mastery HERE.
In case you like to read, here’s the summary:
What Does Mental Strength Mean?
First let’s define what Mental Strength means. In the past, there were different definitions of Mental Strength.
In 2012, Clough & Strycharczyk came up with a universal definition after conducting plenty of research and conducting case studies. Basically, Mental Strength is a personality trait that allows people to handle challenges, stress and pressure, no matter what caused them.
The most recent studies say that Mental Strength is a part of your personality, and it’s considered to be a plastic personality trait. This means that it is a flexible trait that can change. It can be triggered due to an unplanned event or even a targeted activity like work experience.
First, people used to believe that a personality trait was inflexible, but that is not the belief any longer. Some people have personality traits that are more flexible than others, which is a good thing if they are attempting to make a change and become mentally stronger.
Secondly, Mental Strength is a measure of how a person behaves when he or she is under pressure. Thus, it attempts to explain how people react when they are challenged, but it cannot explain everything. There are other factors that contribute to whether or not each person is mentally strong.
Understand that Mental Strength is a personality trait, but it is only one of many traits. How these traits work with one another is very important. For instance, a mentally strong person who is an introvert might react differently than a mentally strong person who is an extrovert. However, both people are still mentally strong. A mentally sensitive extrovert might use this personality trait as a way to deal with their lack of self-esteem.
It has been proven that Mental Strength and performance are linked. This explains why two people may be similar in terms of background and experience, but only one of them turns successfully wins the challenge. Mentally strong people deal in a positive manner. They see opportunities and know that they can win and tackle their problems. This is what makes Mental Strength different from resilience, which tends to be a more passive trait.
Finally, if you think about the approved definition of Mental Strength, which says that the person is a winner no matter what the problem may be, it can be said that it is all about being responsible and accountable. Basically, if the person doesn’t win the challenge, does he still feel accountable and responsible for what happen?
Someone who is mentally strong may reason that he did not win the challenge, but he will accept responsibility for his actions. A mentally sensitive person may reason that it wasn’t his fault that he lost the challenge. He may blame it on others or the environment. Although there may be different factors involved to explain the loss, Mental Strength is usually constant no matter where you are and who is around. Yes, there are different rules and expectations in different environments, which explains why people do not behave the same.
For example, emotional control is one of the things that make up Mental Strength. If you are not in control emotionally, you will most likely express anger when you are angry. However, the way that you express that anger in the work environment will most likely be different from the way that it is expressed at home. This is because there are different rules and expectations in the work environment. You’ll get fired for behaving badly at work, which won’t happen when you’re at home. However, you are the same person mentally.
