Duckworth's Theory Of Grit

In our society today, intelligence is craved. People act more sophisticated for the sole reason to appear more intelligent. Students take so-called “brain enhancing” drugs in attempts to out perform their peers, thinking that intelligence, faux or genuine, is their ticket to a “successful” life. What if that is not the case? Psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth certainly thinks that it isn’t. According to her recent studies, she has come up with the notion of “grit.” Grit is what she describes as “passion and perseverance for very long term goals”. To Duckworth, grit is a more powerful indicator of success than IQ. To test her theory she set out to schools, private companies and military academies administrating grit questionnaires in an attempt

to predict the future success of an individual. Her results were supportive of this notion. The grittier the individual’s responses were, the more likely they succeeded in life.
This notion of grit is something that I find completely plausible and sound. It makes solid sense that the more passionate a person is about a goal, the more likely they are to persevere until achieving it. I believe that when it comes down to success, passion is the most important element of grit. Passion is what truly drives an individual to achieve what they have dreamed for themselves. Without a passion, life would be a series of events conducted to achieve an impersonal goal. Because of this, ultimately, that impersonal goal would feel empty once achieved.
Thinking about grit and listening to Duckworth’s talk has really forced me to re-evaluate my goals and life. It forced me to ask myself “Are you gritty?” The fact that this idea of grit is actually the main contributor for success is what truly resonated with me. Success isn’t a given. It is flexible. I handle my own success. In a way this is a wake-up call for individuals that infer that intelligence is the equivalence to success. The idea that success is something that you can become enlightened to and that you can decide to establish a more gritty perspective on life , is what makes grit so important.
I think that Duckworth is attempting to break down the social barrier we have fortified throughout the years. She completely challenges the long thought belief of intelligence being a pre determiner of close to everything in one’s life. I admire her passion and her creativity and really look forward to seeing the outcome of her additional studies.