INFLUENCE OF STOICISM ON MENTAL RESILIENCE AMONG NCC CADETS OF GUWAHATI

The present study examined the relationship between stoicism and mental resilience among NCC cadets, with a specific focus on emotional regulation strategies as operational indicators of stoicism. The study was guided by two primary objectives: to assess the level of stoicism and mental resilience among NCC cadets, and to explore the relationship between these variables. A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected from a sample of 100 NCC cadets. Stoicism was assessed using the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), which measures two key dimensions—cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression—while resilience was measured using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, were computed to assess the levels of the variables. Inferential analysis was conducted using Pearson’s correlation coefficient to examine the relationship between stoicism and resilience. The results indicated that NCC cadets exhibited moderate levels of cognitive reappraisal (M = 20.81, SD = 5.89) and expressive suppression (M = 18.46, SD = 4.30), along with moderate to high levels of resilience (M = 63.98, SD = 10.55). Correlation analysis revealed a weak positive relationship between cognitive reappraisal and resilience (r = 0.181, p = 0.081) and between expressive suppression and resilience (r = 0.171, p = 0.100); however, both relationships were not statistically significant. The findings suggest that while there are positive trends indicating a potential association between stoicism and resilience, stoicism, as measured through emotional regulation strategies, does not significantly predict resilience among NCC cadets. The results further indicate that resilience in this population may be influenced by a combination of factors beyond emotional regulation, including environmental and training-related variables. The study contributes to the understanding of emotional regulation and resilience within structured training environments and highlights the need for a multidimensional approach to resilience. Future research may explore additional psychological and contextual variables to better understand the determinants of resilience.