Causal Modeling of Psychological Hardiness Based on Irrational Beliefs with the Mediating Role of Emotional Flexibility among Iranian Artists: A Reflection within the Cultural Context

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Niloufar Mikaeili 1
sima Rasouli 2
1 Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2 1. PhD student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
10.22047/hsd.2025.525118.1081
Abstract
Background and Aim: Background and Objective: Art has always been a powerful tool for shaping culture and influencing society. In Iranian culture, art plays a key role in storytelling, value transmission, and identity preservation, artists act as cultural agents. Traits such as psychological hardiness and specific cognitive beliefs may influence how artists cope with social challenges and pressures, ultimately affecting their cultural role. This study aimed to model the causal relationship between psychological hardiness and irrational beliefs, with emotional flexibility as a mediator, among Iranian artists within a cultural context.
Method: This correlational and descriptive study employed a structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population included visual and performing artists active in Tehran. A convenience sample of 224 participants completed the Psychological Hardiness Questionnaire (1982), the Irrational Beliefs Scale (1968), and the Emotional Flexibility Scale (2019). Data were analyzed using SPSS v24 and LISREL v8.8.
Findings: There were significant positive correlations between psychological hardiness and irrational beliefs (r = 0.74, p < 0.001), psychological hardiness and emotional flexibility (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), and irrational beliefs and emotional flexibility (r = 0.62, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Irrational beliefs—such as perfectionism, need for approval, and fear of failure—undermine psychological hardiness in artists. Emotional flexibility mediates this relationship, mitigating negative effects and enhancing resilience. Strengthening emotional regulation and reshaping cognitive beliefs can be effective strategies for improving mental health and creative performance among Iranian artists.
Keywords
Artists
Culture
Emotional flexibility
Irrational beliefs
Psychological hardiness
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Development of humanities
Volume 6, Issue 12 - Serial Number 12
Humanities
Volume 6, Autumn and Winter 2025-2026, No. 12
March 2026
Pages 199-214