Dynamics of team mental toughness regulation throughout competition season

The article is devoted to revealing the dynamics of psychological resources mobilization for maintaining mental toughness by the group acting under stress for a long time. The case study method was used during this investigation. The sample consisted of women's beach handball team. The survey was conducted during Russian multistage championship from May to September of 2016. It was assumed that mental toughness of athletes involved in team sports activities may be maintained by means of stable and variable personal regulators. It was also presumed that stable personal resources of maintaining mental toughness depend on handball specificity, and variable resources are connected with conditions of group functioning. The study results confirmed the tested assumption. The stable team mental toughness resources include nervous system mobility and inhibition. It is connected with specific features of women athletes' performance requiring prompt decision making and saving self-control under stress influence. Variable mental toughness resources are strategies of conflict resolution, team activity and organization. Team mental toughness is presumably maintained by means of athletes' personal psychological resources. At the final stage of the investigation, the author registered group resources mobilization as well as the athletes' attempt to keep the capacity of effective performance under stress influence by reducing involvement in group activities.