Stress Hardiness and Lawyers

Abstract

This article empirically analyzes original data to look at stress and stress hardiness in the legal profession. A number of studies address stress in the legal profession and its impact on the mental health of lawyers. Our study is the first to examine stress hardiness in the legal profession. Drawing on quantitative data gathered from 2013-2016 in surveys of 530 law students and lawyers and qualitative data from 106 in-depth interviews with lawyers, and building on the work of research psychologists Salvatore Maddi and Suzanne Kobasa, we look at whether some lawyers more stress hardy than others, and if so, what makes them stress hardy and whether their strategies teachable and learnable? Our data show the following: (1) some lawyers are more stress hardy than others, (2) although no demographic factors correlate to stress hardiness, three behaviors: maintaining a sense of control, a sense of purpose, and cognitive flexibility show a significant correlation to stress hardiness; (3)these behaviors build on each other such that use of one strengthens the use of others, (4) maintaining a sense of purpose, a sense of control and cognitive flexibility are teachable and learnable, (5) the type of stress lawyers experience varies by practice area, (6) the level of stress experienced by law students and lawyers remains fairly constant throughout law school and law practice, (7) law students and lawyers report using the following strategies to help manage stress: exercise, social connectedness and three habits of thought: planning and organization, perspective, and gratitude, (8) lawyers report less reliance on exercise and social connectedness as they age and greater reliance on substance use, (9) reliance on drugs and alcohol to manage stress correlates to greater stress.

Keywords: stress and lawyers, stress hardiness, emotional intelligence, wellbeing and lawyers, professional responsibility, substance abuse and lawyers, happiness, job satisfaction