Hardiness

These are turbulent times in which it becomes increasingly important to survive and thrive despite stressful circumstances. Hardiness is the pattern of attitudes and skills that provides the courage and strategies that helps people be resilient by turning potential disasters into growth opportunities and fulfillment, thereby enhancing their performance, sense of fulfillment, and health. Hardiness as the pathway to resilience under stress has become of considerable interest, it is beginning to have an influence on the emerging emphasis of positive psychology by expanding this approach beyond mere happiness, to the courage and strategies needed to make the most of difficult times.

The book starts with the special value of hardiness in being resilient by not only surviving, but also thriving under stress, and thereby achieving fulfillment in living. The book then elaborates on the pattern of attitudes and skills of hardiness that form the pathway to this needed resiliency. It discusses the 30 years of validational research and practice that is available concerning hardiness. The book offers various applications of hardiness assessment and training that can contribute to a better life. These include, among others, how hardiness can be trained in school and emphasized in psychotherapy, how hardiness facilitates the intimacy and longevity of relationships, and what organizations need in order to perform successfully in these turbulent times.

The book is of interest to academics, industrial and organizational psychologists, clinical psychologists, mental health professionals, and professionals in public health, social work, sociology and human resources.

From the reviews:

“Maddi offers comprehensive coverage of the hardiness construct. … it would be an excellent textbook in many psychology classes; the themes relate to counseling, clinical, developmental, community, social, cognitive, neuro-, and organizational psychology. Although the book primarily captures the history of hardiness research and the current state of hardiness investigations, it also conveys content on the topic of human growth. … It covers so much potentially engaging material and is so geared toward 21st-century challenges that it deserves a wider audience.” (Dolores E. McCarthy, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 58 (25), June, 2013)

“This short book contributes to a growing body of literature aiming to provide an overview of psychological concepts and frameworks and their application to real life settings. Hardiness is written in such a way that the concepts described are easily accessible to a wide audience particularly those who do not have a strong psychological background. … provide a starting point for academics interested in pursuing research this area. … Hardiness will be of most interest for individuals or organisations seeking enhance resilience to stress.” (Felicity Ann Cowdrey and Sasha Louise Walters, Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 8, 2013)

Though pursuing a wide range of interests in personality and psychopathology, Salvatore R. Maddi is especially concerned with stress management and creativity. According to him, these are best considered related concerns, integrated by the personality hardiness model. Through deepening the attitudes of commitment, control, and challenge marking hardiness, persons can simultaneously develop, reach their potentialities, and cope with the stresses encountered on the way. Maddi's research concerns these topics, using naturalistic designs and training with a range of adult and adolescent subjects in their occupational, familial, and school settings. Also studied is the role of psychosocial factors in the etiology and progression of various physical illnesses.