Hardiness is a personality characteristic that allows individuals to defend against the negative effects of stress. It consists of three components: a sense of control over one's life, a strong commitment to tasks or goals, and viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. Kobasa studied business executives and found those with high stress but low illness scored higher on hardiness traits than those with high stress and illness, suggesting hardiness helps defend against stress. However, the research relied on self-reports and could be affected by third variables like exercise of control to relax.

1. Hardiness
A set of personality characteristics
that allow the individual to defend
against the negative effects of stress

2. The 3 C’s of hardiness
Control
• Strong sense of control over events in their life, can
overcome their experiences
Commitment
• Highly committed and involved in tasks, strong sense of
purpose
Challenge
• View life events as challenges to overcome – change is an
opportunity for development

3. Research into the ‘hardy’ personality
Aim: To investigate whether a ‘hardy’
personality impacts on an individuals
ability to defend against the negative
effects of stress
Procedure: Kobasa studied 800 American business executives
using the SRRS – 150 of these were identified as having high
stress levels, some with a low illness and other with a high illness
record.
There must be something different about these 2 groups
Gave the 150 participants a hardiness questionnaire

4. Research into the ‘hardy’ personality
Findings:
• High stress/low illness participants scored highly on all 3
characteristics of hardiness
• High stress/high illness scored much lower
• Suggesting that the hardy personality type is linked to
stress levels and that hardiness defends against the
negative effects of stress!
Conclusion:
Kobasa concluded the ‘hardy’ personality encourages resilience
and helps an individual to cope with stress

5. Hardiness A02
P • Further evidence supports Kobasa’s findings
• e.g. Lifton et al (2006) found that low hardiness was
E disproportionately represented amongst university
drop-outs
• This is a strength because it supports Kobasa’s findings
E that a person scoring highly for hardiness is more
successful in coping with stress

6. Hardiness A02
• Kobasa’s research relied on self-report
P methods
• e.g. Some participants might provide false
E information in an attempt to appear more
stressed/relaxed in response to social desirability
• This is a weakness because the study may not
E actually be measuring what it intends to, the
research has low internal validity

7. Hardiness A02
P • Kobasa’s research could be affected by a third
variable
• e.g. ‘hardy’ people might exercise the control
E element of their personality to ensure they have
relaxation time to offset the stress
• This is a weakness because the relationship between
E hardiness and someone's ability to cope with stress might
not be a direct as first assumed