Developing Grit - Dr Sangeetha Madhu and Eliza Abraham

Dr. Angela Duckworth a leading psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania is the one who coined the term “Grit”. This traitis a key factor in the personal success of individuals. Dr. Angela defined grit as “passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way” (Fessler, 2018).She first started studying grit while she was teaching mathematics to seventh-grade students in the USA. Post which she spent numerous years studying grit and its effects on the performance of individuals at work, academics, and interpersonal relationships. She later went on to publish a book titled; Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which also became a New York Times bestsellerand gave numerous TED Talks about it (Fessler, 2018).

Through her research, it can be understood that grit is an outcome of nature and nature and it is developed in individuals who have a growth mindset. She believes that grit is a trait that is developed through experience and along with a shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. On the other hand, resilience is the ability to “adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant sources of stress” (“Building your resilience”, 2012).

Ways to develop Grit and Resilience

1.      Connect with others and be more social.

2.      Learn to control your response to unfavorable situations you encounter.

3.      Learn to accept constant change in life and to abandon goals that are not attainable anymore.

4.      Use the Kaizen principle on your goals, i.e. start with the smallest component that pertains to your long-term factor.

5.      Acquire decision-making skills so that you can make independent decisions in tough situations.

6.      Be open to learning from your struggles and bad experiences. It will provide you valuable insights.

7.      Refrain from negative self-talk/criticism and inculcate the habit of positive self-talk/affirmations.

8.      Life consists of ups and downs, learn to accept the low moments and bad experiences and try to have a different perspective while viewing your life.

9.      Be optimistic.

10.  Be self-compassionate, introduce exercise to your routine, laugh, and spend time learning something new (Miller, 2020).

Dr. Angela also developed a Grit Scale, which you can use to understand how gritty you are. This can help you to learn to develop the level of resilience and grit within yourself.

 

References

(2020). Building your resilience. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/resilience

Fessler, L. (2018, March 26). “You’re no genius”: Her father’s shutdowns made Angela Duckworth a world expert on grit.Quartz at Work. https://qz.com/work/1233940/angela-duckworth-explains-grit-is-the-key-to-success-and-self-confidence/

Miller, K. A. (2020, October 12). 5+ Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset Using Grit and Resilience. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/5-ways-develop-grit-resilience/

 

 

 

Finding Flow - Dr Sangeetha Madhu and Eliza Abraham

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who is one of the co-founders of the field of positive psychology is the psychologist who identified and researched on the concept of “Flow”.

Csikszentmihalyi, 1990 defined flow as “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (as cited in Oppland, 2020).

Flow experiences varies among people, some experience it while engaging in sports and other in activities such as writing, drawing etc. According to Csikszentmihalyi, people experience flow when they have a task to complete and their goals need specific responses. He states that if the task does not have many challenges, then flow can only be attained when the challenges increase or if the individual learns a new skill to cope with the challenges. Having flow improves performance and skill development (Cherry, 2020).

Csikszentmihalyi gave the following 8 characteristics of flow:

1. Complete concentration on the task.
2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback.
3. Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down).
4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding.
5. Effortlessness and ease.
6. There is a balance between challenge and skills.
7. Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination.
8. There is a feeling of control over the task (Oppland, 2020).

Ways to achieve Flow

1.      The task or activity should be something, that you are interested, passionate and enjoy doing.

2.      It should have at least one component that is difficult or challenging.

3.      It should force you to stretch your current level of skills.

4.      You should have a clear idea about your goal and plan of action (Cherry, 2020).

 

References

Cherry, K. (2020, June 3). 'Flow' Can Help You Achieve Goals. Understanding the Psychology of Flow. Verywellmind.https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-flow-2794768#:~:text=Experiencing%20the%20State%20of%20Flow,The%20ego%20falls%20away.

Oppland, M. (2020, October 12). 8 Ways To Create Flow According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/