Grit is defined as passion and perseverance for particularly long-term goals. It’s about sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
To truly understand what grit means, it’s helpful to consider what it is not.
Grit is not merely talent. It’s distinct from innate abilities or gifts. You might be naturally skilled at something, but that doesn’t automatically make you gritty.
Grit isn’t simply luck either. While chance and opportunity play roles in life, grit is about what you do with what you have, regardless of circumstance.
And finally, grit isn’t just about the intensity of your desires in a fleeting moment. It’s not about how badly you want something right now. Instead, grit is about having a deeply held “ultimate concern”—a paramount goal that resonates so profoundly that it shapes your actions and provides meaning to almost everything you undertake. It’s about unwavering commitment to this goal, even when faced with setbacks, failures, or slow progress.
Talent and luck undoubtedly contribute to success. However, they are not substitutes for grit. In the long run, grit may be as crucial, if not more so, than innate talent or fortunate circumstances. It’s the sustained effort and dedication that ultimately drive achievement over time.
What Can You Use the Grit Scale For?
The Grit Scale was developed as a scientific tool to measure grit. In scientific inquiry, measurement is fundamental. You cannot effectively study a concept unless you can quantify it. The Grit Scale provides a standardized way to assess an individual’s level of grit.
Beyond research, the Grit Scale can be a valuable tool for self-reflection. Many effective coaches and educators utilize this questionnaire to initiate conversations with their players and students about their evolving passions and perseverance. It serves as a prompt for introspection, encouraging individuals to consider their commitment to their goals and their willingness to overcome challenges.
It’s crucial to acknowledge the limitations of psychological measures, including the Grit Scale. For instance, it is relatively easy to manipulate your score to appear grittier than you actually are. Furthermore, “reference bias” presents a more subtle yet significant limitation. This bias arises from the fact that individuals hold different internal standards when evaluating behavior. Consequently, your Grit Scale score reflects not only your level of grit but also the stringency of your self-assessment criteria. This measurement challenge is discussed in detail in an article co-authored with David Yeager.
In conclusion, while the Grit Scale is valuable for research and personal reflection, its inherent limitations render it unsuitable for high-stakes decisions. It should not be used for employee selection, college admissions, teacher performance evaluations, or comparisons between schools or countries. These contexts demand more robust and multifaceted assessment tools.
Grit Across Different Areas of Life: Is it Transferable?
Being gritty in one area of life doesn’t automatically translate to being equally gritty in all areas. Grit, by definition, is about having passion and perseverance for a specific long-term goal. It’s domain-specific. You might be incredibly gritty when it comes to your career aspirations but less so in your personal fitness goals, for example.
Our finite time and energy necessitate focus. Pursuing excellence in one domain often means diverting resources from others. It’s unrealistic to expect to achieve mastery in completely disparate fields simultaneously – you likely can’t become a world-class pianist, mathematician, sprinter, chef, and philosopher all at once.
However, grit, at its core, implies a commitment to pursuing something with sustained interest and effort. A lack of grit, in this context, would describe someone who consistently avoids committed pursuits altogether, drifting without sustained dedication to any particular goal. It’s about having direction and intentionality in at least one significant area of life.
When Does Grit Matter Most? Identifying Contexts Where Grit is Key
Grit is a predictor of goal achievement, but its relevance varies depending on the nature of the goals themselves. Grit is particularly crucial in contexts that are both highly challenging and personally meaningful. These are situations where sustained effort and resilience are truly tested and where the rewards are deeply valued on a personal level.
Examples of such contexts include persisting through to graduation, whether it’s high school or college, especially when facing obstacles. Another example is returning to a competition, like the National Spelling Bee, year after year, driven by the desire to improve and ultimately succeed after previous setbacks. These scenarios require deep-seated passion and unwavering perseverance to overcome significant hurdles.
However, not all goals necessitate the same level of grit. Some tasks are more about self-control or immediate discipline than long-term perseverance. For instance, starting your taxes before the April 15th deadline requires self-control to overcome procrastination, but it doesn’t necessarily demand the same kind of enduring passion as pursuing a long-term career goal. Similarly, studying for a history test when you’d rather be on social media is more about immediate self-regulation than grit.
For a deeper understanding of the distinctions between grit and self-control, this article provides further insights. Additionally, this article explains how grit is fundamentally about commitment to “superordinate goals”—those higher-level, abstract, and enduring aspirations that give direction to our lives.
It’s also important to consider that grit might manifest differently in various settings, especially for young people. While standardized tests are often used to assess academic achievement, they don’t capture the full spectrum of a student’s capabilities and potential. This article discusses the limitations of relying solely on standardized test scores as measures of student success.
Often, grit becomes most evident in activities pursued outside the traditional classroom—in extracurriculars like school plays, sports teams, orchestras, or community service initiatives. Educational psychologist Warren Willingham’s 1985 research, and more recent findings research, support this idea. These activities often provide opportunities for students to demonstrate passion and perseverance in ways that traditional academic settings may not fully capture.
Grit, Self-Control, and Conscientiousness: Exploring the Connections
Grit is related to self-control and conscientiousness, two other important personality characteristics. Individuals who exhibit high self-control or conscientiousness are also likely to score higher in grit. These traits share common ground in their emphasis on persistence and goal-directed behavior. This article further explores these relationships.
However, despite their overlap, grit is not simply the same as self-control or conscientiousness. Research indicates that grit independently predicts achievement in challenging goals, even when self-control and conscientiousness are statistically controlled for. In other words, grit offers unique predictive power beyond what these related traits capture. This is highlighted in this article.
For example, grit has been shown to be a stronger predictor of success in completing the demanding first summer of training at West Point military academy compared to both self-control and conscientiousness. This suggests that grit encompasses unique aspects of perseverance and passion that are particularly critical for overcoming extreme challenges.
Can You Have Too Much Grit? Considering the Potential Downsides
Currently, there’s no empirical evidence suggesting inherent drawbacks to being exceptionally gritty. In fact, individuals scoring at the very highest end of the Grit Scale often demonstrate remarkable success and high life satisfaction. They tend to be individuals who have achieved significant accomplishments while also experiencing a sense of fulfillment.
However, it’s important to consider the potential for “too much grit” in specific contexts, particularly regarding lower-level goals. Excessive stubbornness in pursuing short-term or mid-level objectives can be counterproductive. It can lead to persisting with projects that are no longer viable or overlooking better alternatives that emerge unexpectedly. It’s possible to become so fixated on a particular path that you miss out on potentially more fruitful opportunities.
These potential pitfalls primarily relate to inflexibility in adjusting tactics or lower-level goals in service of higher-level aspirations. Your overarching, enduring goals—your “ultimate concerns”—should remain steadfast. For example, if your highest-level goal is to contribute to children’s well-being through psychological science, as it is for Angela Duckworth, unwavering commitment to this mission is a strength. However, being rigidly attached to a specific research project or methodology, even when it proves ineffective, might be an example of “too much grit” at a lower level. The key is to maintain grit towards your ultimate goals while remaining adaptable and open to change in your approach.
Grit and Gender: Are There Differences Between Men and Women?
Research on gender differences in grit has yielded mixed results. Some studies have shown slightly higher average Grit Scale scores for women compared to men, but this is not a consistent finding across all samples. In other studies, no significant gender differences in grit have been observed.
Therefore, current evidence is not robust enough to conclude that there is a reliable difference in grit levels between men and women. Grit appears to be a characteristic that is distributed relatively evenly across genders.
Does Grit Undermine the Importance of Socioeconomic Factors? Addressing Misconceptions
The emphasis on grit has sometimes been misconstrued as downplaying the significance of poverty and inequality. This is a critical misunderstanding. Focusing on grit does not negate the profound impact of structural barriers and socioeconomic disparities on individuals’ lives and opportunities.
As Angela Duckworth discussed with a sociologist, pitting grit against systemic issues creates a false dichotomy. It’s not about choosing one over the other. Both grit and societal factors are crucial and interconnected.
Recognizing the importance of fostering grit in young people, regardless of their background, does not diminish the need to address systemic inequalities. Duckworth’s extensive experience in urban classrooms as both a teacher and researcher underscores the critical role of environmental factors. A child who is hungry, unsafe, or lacks basic resources like eyeglasses is not in a position to fully leverage grit or any other personal strength for learning and growth.
The environment is crucial in two ways: First, opportunity is essential for grit to translate into achievement. Second, the environments in which children grow up deeply shape their character, including their grit and other essential qualities.
The core message of grit is this: While grit alone is not a panacea, it is undeniably necessary for success. To equip children for productive and fulfilling lives, adults must provide two essential elements: challenges that encourage growth beyond their current capabilities and the support systems that make such growth attainable.
Therefore, the relevant question is not whether to focus on grit or address structural barriers. Both are paramount and intrinsically linked. Creating equitable opportunities and fostering grit are complementary, not competing, goals.
Defining Talent: Clarifying the Meaning in the Context of Grit
The term “talent” is often used in different ways, leading to potential confusion. Warren Buffett, for example, uses “talent” more broadly to encompass the totality of a person’s capabilities, including their current skill set. In this sense, talent is seen as a general aptitude or competence.
However, in the context of grit, “talent” refers more specifically to the rate at which a person’s skills improve. Talent, in this definition, is about learning efficiency or the speed of skill acquisition. A highly talented basketball player, for instance, will likely improve more rapidly than a less talented player, given comparable practice and opportunities.
Drawing a distinction between skill and talent, as advocated by Will Smith, is helpful. Skill is the current level of proficiency, while talent is the rate at which skill can be developed. Grit, in turn, is about the sustained effort applied to develop skills over time, regardless of the rate of initial talent. Chapters Two and Three of Duckworth’s book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” delve deeper into this distinction.
Grit vs. Character Strengths: Is Grit More Important Than Honesty or Kindness?
Grit is one aspect of character, but it’s not the only one, and arguably not the most important in a broader ethical sense. If forced to choose between her daughters developing honesty or grit, Angela Duckworth would prioritize honesty. Similarly, kindness would be prioritized over grit. These values represent fundamental moral principles, while grit is more about achievement and long-term pursuit of goals.
Fortunately, there isn’t necessarily a trade-off between “goodness” and “greatness.” It’s possible, and indeed desirable, to cultivate both ethical character strengths and grit. Duckworth encourages her daughters to explore their interests and develop a sense of purpose, fostering passion as a guiding force in their lives. She also emphasizes perseverance, guiding them to practice challenging tasks daily and to view failures as essential learning opportunities.
The ultimate aspiration is to lead lives that are not only gritty but also honest and kind. A well-rounded character encompasses both the drive to achieve and the commitment to ethical principles and prosocial behavior.
Nature vs. Nurture: Is Grit Predetermined by Genes?
The age-old debate of nature versus nurture applies to grit as well. The contemporary scientific understanding is that both genes and experience play crucial roles in shaping grit, and indeed all human traits.
Genetics undoubtedly influence predispositions and tendencies, including aspects related to perseverance and passion. However, grit is not solely determined by genes. Environmental factors, upbringing, learning experiences, and conscious effort all contribute significantly to the development of grit.
Chapter 5 of “Grit” outlines a compelling argument for the malleability of grit—the belief that grit can be cultivated and grown. This perspective is empowering, suggesting that individuals are not simply bound by their genetic inheritance but can actively shape their own capacity for passion and perseverance.
Happiness vs. Success: Is One More Important Than the Other?
The question of whether happiness or success is more important is fundamentally a question of values, not a matter of scientific fact. Science can, however, offer insights into the relationship between these two concepts.
Research suggests that happiness and achievement are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they often go hand in hand. While examples of happy but unsuccessful individuals, or successful but unhappy individuals, exist, these are often exceptions rather than the rule.
The “grit paragons” interviewed by Duckworth tend to be both highly successful and deeply satisfied with their lives. While they may not be characterized as “carefree” or “laid-back,” they express a strong sense of fulfillment, even amidst ongoing striving for improvement. A drive for continuous improvement and a sense of contentment can coexist. Many highly gritty individuals are constantly reflecting on how they can do better while still experiencing overall happiness.
Teaching Grit in Schools: Resources and Relevance
While “Grit” has a chapter on parenting, the entire book is fundamentally about teaching grit. Angela Duckworth’s background as a classroom teacher deeply informs her perspective. Her experiences in education led her to recognize the profound impact of psychology on student achievement.
Every chapter of “Grit” holds relevance for educators. Chapters Two and Three are particularly useful for explaining the importance of effort over innate talent to students, promoting a growth mindset. Chapters Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine—focusing on interest, practice, purpose, and hope—define the four key psychological assets that underpin grit. Chapter Nine, while focused on parenting, explores dynamics that are equally applicable in the classroom. Chapter Ten explains why institutions like Harvard value grit in extracurricular activities, highlighting its importance beyond academics. Chapter Twelve offers practical examples of how to cultivate a classroom culture that fosters grit.
For educators seeking to cultivate grit in their students, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” provides a comprehensive framework and practical insights applicable across various educational settings.
