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ESS3808Sport Psychology
Martin I. JonesBSc MSc Phd PGCHE CPsychol CSci AFBPsS SFHEA
Grit
Learning objectives
To critically examine the role of grit on performance To explore the theoretical underpinnings of gritTo critically examine conceptual similarities and differences between grit and other performance oriented constructs
Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are damped, our drafts are checked. We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental resources. . .(wo)men the world over possess amounts of resource, which only exceptional individuals push to their extremes of use.
(William James, 1907, pp. 322–323)
William James was one of the leading thinkers of the late nineteenth century and is believed by many to be one of the most influential philosophers the United States has ever produced, while others have labelled him the "Father of American psychology
First, what are the types of human abilities and, second, by what diverse means do individuals unleash these abilities?
Sir Francis GaltonThe hereditary of genius
We know lots about stable individual differences that reveal what people are capable of (i.e., IQ)
We know less about why people use only a small amount of their resources (e.g., IQ) and why some people are able to push themselves to the limits of their abilities.
Why do some people accomplish more than others of equal
potential?
Plato“No two persons are born exactly alike; but each differs from the other in natural endowments, one being suited for one occupation and the other for another.”
(Plato 360BC)
What is grit?
A passionate commitment to a single mission and an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission
Sustained interest and persistent effort in the passionate pursuit of long-term goals
(Duckworth et al., 2007).
perseverance of effort
The tendency to work hard even in the face of
setbacks
consistency of interestThe tendency to not
frequently change goals and interests
GRIT
Persistence required because mastery rarely occurs in the absence of initial (or consistent) failure
Consistency Required because many hours of deliberate practice are normally required to achieve mastery
(rule of thumb 10,000 hours / ten years)
Perseverance
Consistency
Perseverance Consistency
VS.
GRIT
Answer?
We have no idea – no one has ever done it
People strong in this form of courage (grit) involving unchanging pursuit of their specific goals show effort and interest in moving toward these goals over years, despite failure and adversity
(Maddi et al., 2012 p 20)
Bursts of effort vs constancy of effort over time?
Sprinter or marathon runner?
Individuals who either disengage their efforts in the face of obstacles or who constantly change their interests are unlikely to ever engage in enough deliberate practice to achieve high levels of performance
For some, disappointment and failure is a signal to change direction
“Everybody’s got a plan
until you get hit.” Mike Tyson
The gritty person just stays the course
Resilience vs grit?
GRIT“Perseverance and passion for long-term goals”
(Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007, p. 1087)
and
“. . . not just resilience in the face of failure, but also having deep commitments that you remain loyal to over many year”
Conscientiousness vs grit?
Conscientiousness is the personality trait of being careful, or vigilant.
Conscientiousness implies a desire to do a task well.
Conscientious people are efficient and organized as opposed to easy-going and disorderly.
Duckworth et al. (2007) and Duckworth and Quinn (2009) reported correlations between conscientiousness and grit scores that rise to .97 (N 1,554); .90 (N 706), .83 (N 190), and .80 (N 1,308) after correcting for the unreliability of both conscientiousness scores and grit scores.
Empirical redundancy?
How Gritty are you?
Is being low in GRIT a bad thing?
How do you develop GRIT?
Do you want to?
Grit as a predictor of performance and success and as a focus of interventions holds much intuitive appeal, but grit as it is currently measured does not appear to be particularly predictive of success and performance and also does not appear to be all that different to conscientiousness.
