New book on resilience, written by leading experts on the psychology of lawyer behavior, credits 30 years of Talogy’s Caliper Profile
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Talogy, a global leader in talent management solutions, has been recognized for its pivotal role in advancing workplace resilience research in a new book Thin-Skinned: Why Lawyers Are So Low in Resilience and the New Science That Can Help.
Published by the American Bar Association, the book by leading legal psychology experts Dr. Larry Richard and Dr. D’Arcy Lyness credits 30 years of data from Talogy’s Caliper profile assessment as the foundation for its insights into high-stakes workforce performance.
Drawing from a database of 4.5 million Caliper assessments, the book highlights a central workplace paradox: the very traits required for exceptional job performance are often the exact traits that leave professionals vulnerable to stress. Specifically, Dr. Richard’s data shows that lawyers average just 30% on resilience, compared to 50% for the general public, with nine out of 10 scoring in the bottom half of the resilience scale. This is a pattern that has remained unchanged since 1994.
“In the three decades that we have been evaluating and coaching legal professionals, we have seen a clear pattern,” said Dr. Larry Richard. “Law schools admit, firms hire and clients reward individuals who demonstrate high skepticism, high urgency, high self-reliance and an intolerance for error. While those traits produce stronger legal documents and won cases, our research shows they also predict rumination, defensiveness, isolation and difficulty coping with criticism, stress and change.”
This dynamic extends far beyond law. Any workforce that hires and promotes for vigilance, perfection and precision under pressure faces the same risks, such as manufacturing safety leads, ICU charge nurses, compliance officers, federal investigators or public safety supervisors.
By using Talogy’s assessment data to view resilience as a measurable trait rather than a temporary mood, leaders across all organizations can act on three core operational insights:
- Early risk detection: Identify psychological risk factors before they lead to turnover, prolonged absences, or safety incidents.
- Separating skill from leadership: Recognize that a top individual performer is not automatically equipped to be a resilient leader.
- Actionable intervention: Address workforce vulnerabilities directly using science-backed development strategies.
“The Caliper Profile measures the innate personality traits and behavioral motivations that dictate how individuals process stress, setbacks, and criticism,” said Nataliya Baytalskaya, Ph.D. and Managing Research Scientist at Talogy. “Low resilience is not a barrier, it is a developmental opportunity. By leveraging objective measurement, organizations can deploy targeted, evidence-based strategies that help high-performing teams adapt under pressure without sacrificing their operational edge.”
Authors to participate in exclusive LinkedIn Live session, September 30 at 12pm ET
Dr. Larry Richard and Dr. D’Arcy Lyness will join Talogy for a 30 minute conversation to uncover what the science of resilience can teach us about building stronger, more sustainable high-performing teams. Sign up.
Thin-Skinned: Why Lawyers Are So Low in Resilience and the New Science That Can Help is available through the American Bar Association:
https://www.americanbar.org/products/inv/book/458426107/
To learn more about how Talogy and the Caliper Profile help organizations measure and build workforce resilience, visit Talogy.com.
About Talogy:
Talogy is proud to be one of the world’s leading talent management solution providers. Crafting personalized solutions to help select, develop, and transform talent and organizations worldwide.
Partnering with organizations to truly understand their challenges inside out to help them make the best data-driven people decisions.
Combining 75+ years of expertise, an extensive content library, and innovative technology, Talogy helps clients find, build, and grow the best talent.
SOURCE Talogy
