Grit vs. Resilience: What It Means for Your Mental Health

There is an intriguing conundrum in humanity that all social workers and mental healthcare practitioners have witnessed firsthand or conceptualized in their personal lives. You may have experienced it as well. This phenomenon cannot be easily studied or measured, and no one definitively knows why some people exhibit more grit and resilience than others, or in what contexts. The definitions of these traits are complex and challenging to pinpoint due to factors such as subjectivity, cultural variations, values, environment, genetics, and brain chemistry—all the elements that make us individuals. Yet, the fascinating anomaly of grit and resilience is arguably a significant determining factor in how well we function in this intense, wonderful, painful, exciting, and challenging world. They may also influence your ability to find joy in life, as well as your overall mental and physical well-being.

My journey to becoming a therapist involved exposure to various arenas of service and advocacy. One significant leg of that journey was working for the Texas Department of Child Protective Services (CPS). My experience at CPS included a rigorous three-month training program known as The Academy. I went through this training twice due to changing roles. One of my instructors had spent the majority of her career in the department, and I suspect she was postponing retirement just to make my training more grueling than it inherently needed to be.

Despite her draconian and dictatorial approach, her extensive experience in child protection, particularly during its historical evolution in the U.S., afforded me valuable insights that only time can provide. She introduced me to the concept of resilience. During her work in child protection in the 1980s, she observed a phenomenon among sibling groups that could not be easily explained. Despite sharing genetic contributions, parents, and similar traumas and environmental factors, each child in a sibling group that was removed and observed in foster care presented dramatically different behaviors. One child might act out sexually, another might flip desks, another could be completely withdrawn, while yet another might function at a surprisingly high level. What’s more, some siblings might even thrive. This phenomenon was unexplainable then and remains so today. The only clue we have is that there was a difference in each child's individual resilience and grit.

At first glance, grit and resilience may appear to be synonymous; however, there is a distinct difference. Resilience refers to the ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma, or stress. It encompasses how well and to what degree we adapt to challenges and recover from setbacks. Resilience is a beautiful quality inherent in all humans, yet we each possess it in varying degrees and unique ways. In her book "The Gifts of Imperfection" (2010), prominent researcher and social worker Brené Brown states, “Resilience is not a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To be resilient, you must develop your own personal toolkit of resilience strategies.” Similarly, Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry discuss resilience related to trauma in their book "What Happened to You?" They conclude that resilience is “not just about overcoming adversity; it’s about understanding the impact of trauma and developing the capacity to thrive despite it.”

I define resilience as simply “the ability to get back up when life knocks you down.” While some have more opportunities to practice resilience than others, we all must utilize that tool at some point.

Grit, however, is somewhat different.

Grit is defined as a combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. It involves the determination to pursue something meaningful over time, despite challenges or setbacks. Grit is about continually working towards a goal, even when faced with obstacles. It embodies passion and a long-term focus. Angela Duckworth, a former inner-city school teacher turned researcher, authored the book "GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance." She writes, “To be gritty is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. To be gritty is to hold fast to an interesting and purposeful goal. To be gritty is to invest, day after week after year, in challenging practice. To be gritty is to fall down seven times and rise eight” (Duckworth, 275).

I define grit as “intentionally putting yourself in a position to get knocked down by life in order to get back up and continue pursuing your goal.”

Resilience is surviving; grit is thriving. One requires action, while the other requires intention.

Like any skill, you can strengthen your resilience and grit. Every time you overcome a difficult challenge, you strengthen your resilience. Similarly, each time you make and keep a promise to yourself, no matter how hard it may be, you are building your grit. Most importantly, every time you invest in your mental and physical health, you strengthen both. 💛

I wish you well on your journey,

Cristina Chinchilla, LCSW
Lead Therapist at Untamed Journey
President of The Phoenix Rise Initiative: Ending Human Trafficking (501(c)(3))

References

For Angela Duckworth's book:

• Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.

For Brené Brown's book:

• Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection. Hazelden Publishing.

For Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry's book:

Perry, B. D., & Winfrey, O. (2021). What happened to you? Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing. Flatiron Books.