In psychology, grit is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on a person's perseverance of effort combined with their passion for a particular long-term goal or end state (a powerful motivation to achieve an objective).
Distinct but commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include perseverance, hardiness, resilience, ambition, need for achievement, conscientiousness, and tenacity.
This distinction was brought into focus in 1907 when William James challenged psychology to further investigate how certain people can access richer trait reservoirs that enable them to accomplish more than the average person.
[1] However, the construct of grit dates back at least to Francis Galton,[2] and the ideals of persistence and tenacity have been understood as a virtue at least since Aristotle.
[4] They observed that people high in grit were able to maintain their determination and motivation over long periods despite experiences with failure and adversity.
[4] They concluded that grit is a better predictor of success than intellectual talent (IQ), based on their evaluation of educational attainment by adults; GPA among Ivy League undergraduates; dropout rate of cadets at West Point US Military Academy; and ranking in the National Spelling Bee.
[4] Earlier studies of achievement often emphasized the notion that high-achieving people typically possess traits above and beyond that of normal ability.
[6] Despite these high correlations with conscientiousness, it is suggested that[clarification needed] grit is more strongly associated with longer term and multi-year goals such as education.
[6] Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, in his book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise, criticized the tendency to credit persistent practice to traits such as grit or willpower.
He wrote: "It may seem natural to assume that these people who maintain intense practice schedules for years have some rare gift of willpower or 'grit' or 'stick-to-itiveness' that the rest of us just lack, but that would be a mistake for two very compelling reasons.
"[29] Instead of attributing success to grit or willpower, Ericsson recommended analyzing the various factors that shape a person's motivation in a given situation.
[33] A study completed by Müge Akbağ and Durmuş Ümmet[34] examined the role of gender in terms of grit as well as the satisfaction of psychological needs and subjective well-being.