The 3 Cs of Hardiness

What is Hardiness?

A lot has been talked about resilience in popular media and, regrettably, most of these discussions don't go beyond the oft-repeated wellness strategies. In this context, hardiness is a psychological construct that contributes to resilience but has received little attention. Previously labeled as existential courage, hardiness is a pattern of attitudes and strategies that together facilitate turning stressful circumstances from potential disasters into growth opportunities. Hardiness functions as a resistance resource in buffering the effects of stressful events and thus contributes to resilience. The 3 Cs of hardiness that help hardy individuals cope better with stress are as follows (Kobasa et al., 1982):

Commitment: Commitment is the belief that no matter how bad things get, you will stay involved with whatever is happening, rather than sinking into detachment, passivity, or avoidance. Commitment helps you have a generalized sense of purpose that allows you to identify with and find meaning in the events, things, and people in your environment. Commitment also fosters a sense of inner balance and confidence, enabling you to approach situations with greater attention and adaptability.

Control: Control is the belief that you have influence (rather than feeling helpless) over stressful life events. This perception of influence involves the exercise of your imagination, knowledge, skills, and choice. Having a strong disposition for control helps you transform stressful events into ones that align with an ongoing life plan, making them less jarring.

Challenge: Challenge is the acceptance that change, rather than stability, is the norm in life, and that the anticipation of change is an interesting opportunity to grow in wisdom and capability rather than a threat. By fostering openness and flexibility, a challenge-oriented disposition allows you to learn from failures and turn them to your advantage.

Attributes of Hardy Individuals

Some of the attributes of hardy individuals are as below (Bonanno, 2004; Kobasa et al., 1982):

• Hardy individuals have been found to appraise potentially stressful situations as less threatening, thus alleviating personal distress.
• Hardy individuals are more confident and better able to use active coping skills.
• Hardy individuals are more likely to engage in positive health practices (e.g., exercise, adequate rest, moderation in food, and substance intake) by virtue of their disciplined and realistic approach.
• When confronted with stressful events, hardy individuals are more inclined to seek out contact with others and social institutions that can decrease their stress.

In contrast to hardy individuals, non-hardy individuals report a greater proportion of life events as undesirable, require a greater adjustment to each life event, and report more depressive symptoms (Rhodewalt & Zone, 1089).

Cultivating the 3Cs

Although some consider it a personality trait, hardiness can be learned. In fact, research suggests that hardiness develops in individuals who are encouraged by those around them to turn adversity into opportunity and observe this firsthand (Maddi, 2002). Several studies have shown that hardiness is a buffer against illness, job dissatisfaction, and low well-being (Richards, 2017). Moreover, hardiness interventions have been shown to curb burnout, especially in health care workers (Henderson, 2015). Use the following techniques to improve the 3Cs of hardiness:

Commitment:

• Have a sense of purpose
• Have well-defined and measurable goals
• Use growth mindset and self-compassion to overcome failures
• Seek support, if needed, to deal with stressful events

Control:

• Have an internal locus of control
• Believe that you have a personal influence over events rather than feeling powerless
• View stressful situations as normal everyday occurrences rather than something out of the ordinary
• When in a stressful situation, focus on the small things that you can control
• Break down the task into smaller parts that are easier to handle
• Learn time management skills
• Prevent scope creep

Challenge:

• Turn challenges into growth opportunities
• Be assertive and challenge the status quo, especially if the current processes are ineffective
• Check if fear of failure or embarrassment is creating an obstacle to overcome a challenge 
• Recall previous challenges you have faced to remind yourself of your successes in the past
• Be open to taking calculated risks
• Use problem-solving instead of denial and avoidance as coping strategies
• Have the cognitive flexibility to adapt and change goals, make new decisions, and set priorities

One becomes a hardy individual when one learns to cultivate all the Cs of hardiness simultaneously (Maddi, 2002). For instance, individuals high in control but low in challenge and commitment fail to learn and grow, becoming impatient and irritable when their control efforts don’t come to fruition. People high in commitment but low in control and challenge tend to lose their individuality and sense of meaning as their influence is mostly defined by external factors. They don't handle change that well. Finally, individuals high in challenge and low in control and commitment are novelty-seekers and risk-takers. They may not care much about influence or interactions with others and are more likely to change course when the thrill of an activity ends. 

Make no mistake: Hardiness is a package deal – either you have all three 3Cs, or you are not a hardy individual.

To learn more about evidence-based self-management techniques that promote mental health and well-being, check out Dr. Duggal's Author Page.

HARPREET S. DUGGAL, MD, FAPA

REFERENCES

Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: have we underestimated the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28.

Henderson, J. (2015). The effect of hardiness education on hardiness and burnout on registered nurses. Nursing Economic, 33(4), 204-209.

Kobasa, S. C., Maddi, S. R., & Kahn, S. (1982). Hardiness and health: a prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42(1), 168-177.

Maddi, S. R. (2002). The story of hardiness: Twenty years of theorizing, research, and practice. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 54(3), 173–185.

Rhodewalt, F., & Zone, J. B. (1989). Appraisal of life change, depression, and illness in hardy and nonhardy women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(1), 81-88.

Richards, T. D. (2017). The Role of Self-Care and Hardiness in Moderating Burnout in Mental Health Counselors. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Dissertation, Counseling & Human Services, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/pecg-7t97