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A study in 2017 commissioned by UK Sport examined the differences between the elite and so-called 'super-elite'.
It found that: "High-achieving athletes often have a more intense drive to achieve, which is underpinned by factors such as compulsive striving, an identity tied to winning and being the best they can be at their sport. Their motivation is potentially more emotionally charged than other athletes and non-athletes."
'Compulsive striving' is what many see as another term for 'mentality monsters'.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been credited with coining the phrase, frequently using it to describe his players during his tenure.
"It's really tough and to get through that you can't do it with a normal mentality. As humans most of us are nice, but we have a tendency to be weak, to get tired," he said, speaking to BBC Sport about Liverpool in 2024.
"And then be like, oh God, again? And that's not the mood we can be in. To always find a way again to show up and really fight against pretty much everything, is something I don't take for granted. I expect us to do it, but I don't take it for granted. That is why I think these boys are mentality monsters."
In March, former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole spoke to Sky Sports about the Gunners, saying: "They look strong. They look solid. They look like mentality monsters. They are not giving anything up. After 20 years they should win it."
But sports psychologist Dr. Nikki Crawley from Changing Minds UK, who has worked with professional sports athletes and Premier League clubs, does not personally use the term.
"It's difficult for me to define it, but resilience comes to mind, and I think the main thing that comes to mind is the way someone is able to display resilience in a particular moment," she said.
"However, we do need to consider the particular environment that they are in, and the role they are being asked to play because resistance is a dynamic construct. It is not a concept.
"It is not something that someone has either got or they don't. So even using the term 'mentality monsters' there will be certain situations where someone is better able to display a resistant response."
Changing Minds UK provide services that look at psychological factors impacting an athlete or team's readiness to perform over consistent periods of time or a single event.
Their clients include developing athletes, such as academy football players transitioning into the first team, as well as established elite athletes or teams.
Sports psychologist Alex Feary says the aim of the organisation is helping athletes "to perform on the big stage, under bright lights and under pressure".
"We have certain characteristics or performance that we know are really important for athletes. One of them on the broad scale is called regulation, which is about managing emotions and behaviours, especially under pressure and being able to adapt," Feary said.
"[We would] help them understand their default, level of arousal in a performance environment and how they might adjust that to get the best performance they can."
