Hardiness

STEVEN J. STEIN, PHD, is a clinical psychologist and the Founder and Executive Chair of Multi-Health Systems (MHS), a leading behavior analytics firm. His work on human performance has been featured in top media outlets worldwide. He teaches at the Directors College of Canada. PAUL T. BARTONE, PHD, is a Visiting Research Fellow at the National Defense University’s Institute for National Security Policy. During his U.S. Army career, Colonel Bartone served as the Army’s senior research psychologist and deployed worldwide. He also taught leadership at West Point and at the National Defense University. Bartone has been studying hardiness, health, and performance for nearly forty years.

• Introduction xiiiChapter 1 Stress: What’s All the Fuss? 1Stress: It’s Unavoidable 4Your Body’s Response to Stress 6Hardiness Can Make a Big Difference in How You Cope with Stress 9Introducing the Three Cs 10Chapter 2 Commitment: Why Pursuing Purpose in Life Matters 15What is the Theory Behind Commitment? 16What We Can Learn About Commitment from Prisoners of War 17Surviving Post-traumatic Stress: Hardiness-Commitment Versus Short-Term Pleasures 18Increasing Commitment in Your Life 20Victor Frankl: Purpose, Commitment, and Meaning 21The Role of Commitment in Success: Jim Carrey 23When Commitment Leads to Calling: The Success Factor for Musicians 25Chapter 3 Building Commitment 29Take Time to Think About What is Important and Interesting to You 29Are You Plagued by the Work/Balance Conundrum? 31Increase Your Skills and Competence in an Area That is Important to You 32Take Pride in Your Past Successes and Achievements 34Remember the Good Things in Your Life, and Count Your Blessings 36Spend Time with Family, Friends, and People You Care About 38Pay Attention to What’s Going On in the World Around You 39Try Out New Things 41Chapter 4 The Role of Hardiness-Challenge 45A Tale of Two Accountants 46How Challenge Prepares You for Change 47Understanding Your Mindset 48Expanding the Mindset Concept Beyond Abilities 50Why Traditional Coping Methods Don’t Always Work 52Examining the “Work of Worrying” Theory 54Stress Mindset Versus Hardiness-Challenge 57How Can We Change Mindsets? 58Physiological Differences as a Result of Your Mindset 60Hardiness-Challenge and Madonna 61Chapter 5 Building a Challenge Mindset 63Changes are Always an Opportunity to Learn and Get Better 64Do Not Live Every Day by a Rigid Schedule 69Be Willing to Change Your Plans to Meet Changing Conditions 70Whenever You Fail at Something, Ask: What Can I Learn from This? 71Try Out New Things, Take Reasonable Risks 73Imagine Future Positive Outcomes 75Do Not Dwell on Past Disappointments: Learn, Forgive, and Look Ahead 78Chapter 6 Understanding Hardiness-Control 81Taking Control When Your Body Can’t: Michael J. Fox 82Managing Your Internal Drives 83Planning an Orderly Future 84Control: Too Much or Too Little 85Can Mental Health Problems Be Related to Control Issues? 87Can Higher Control Have Benefits at Work? 89How Control Can Make You More Effective at Work 90How Can You Start to Improve Your Control? 91Chapter 7 Getting Yourself More in Control 93Focus Your Time and Energy on Things You Can Control or Influence 93Work on Tasks That are Within Your Capabilities, Moderately Difficult but Not Overwhelming 95For Difficult Jobs, Break Them Up into Manageable Pieces So You Can See the Progress 97Plan Ahead and Gather Up the Right Tools and Resources for the Task 99Ask for Help When You Need It 101Recognize Your Successes 103When You Just Cannot Solve a Problem, Turn Your Attention to Other Things You Can Control 105Chapter 8 How Hardiness Works to Protect Health and Performance 107The Hardy Stress Response: Appraising the Situation 108The Hardy Stress Response: Reacting to Stress 111Positively Adapting to Stress 112Stress and the Heart: The Role of Hardiness 114Stress and the Immune System 117Putting Hardiness to Work for You 118Chapter 9 Hardiness at Work 121Driving a Bus is No Walk in the Park 121Does Hardiness Influence Your Career Choice? 126Hardiness Scores of Healthcare Professionals 131What Do We Know About Hardiness and Work Satisfaction? 132Challenges Versus Hindrances at Work 134Practicing Hardiness in the Legal Profession 135Putting Your Hardiness to Work 144Chapter 10 What We Can Learn from Hardiness in High-Stakes Performance Careers 147Playing Out Hardiness as a Musical Director 148Secrets of Long-Term Success as an Entertainer 154Looking at Hardiness in Young Performing Musicians 159Hardiness in Sports 160Winning the US Tennis Open 167What You Can Learn from Increasing Hardiness Levels in Competitive Swimmers 174Chapter 11 The Role of Hardiness in First Responders 179Hardiness and Policing 179One Way That Firefighters Cope with Stress 182Hardiness and Homicide Police Investigator Mark Mendelson 184Can Hardiness Help in the Selection of Police Officers? 189Some Things We Can Learn from First Responders 191Chapter 12 The Hardy Leader 193World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 195Coaching Hardiness 196Coaching Techniques to Build Hardiness 197Chapter 13 Hardiness at the US Military Academy—West Point 201Welcome to West Point 202Becoming Leaders 203Women at West Point 205Who Drops Out? Hardiness and the Ability to Persist 206Portrait of a Hardy Cadet 209Beyond West Point 210Making Yourself a Hardy Leader 211Chapter 14 Hardiness and Your Health 213Hardiness and Heart Disease 214Hardiness and Diabetes 215Hardiness and the Immune System 216Hardiness and Cancer 217Hardiness and Arthritis 218Health, Hardiness, and Social Support 219Hardiness and Sleep 220Hardiness and Health Habits 222Using the Three Cs of Hardiness to Stay Healthy 223Chapter 15 Moving from Life Stress to Life Success 227From Tragic Loss to Uplifting the Lives of Others 228Transcending One’s Circumstances 231From Tragedy to the World Stage 235New Life in a New Country: Struggles and Achievements 239Physical Fitness, Hardiness, and the Stress of a Child’s Life-Threatening Illness 242Conclusion 246References 247Acknowledgments 262About the Authors 263Index 264