Resilience
Doing okay after something that should have broken you — though the field cannot agree whether that is a trait you have, a process you run, or an outcome you land on.
Full definition of Resilience →:: COMPARE ::
ResiliencevsGrit
The short answer
Grit is about persisting toward a goal; resilience is about what happens after a hit. Both have a construct problem, but not the same one: resilience is often defined by the very outcome it is meant to predict, while grit turns out to be very strongly correlated with ordinary conscientiousness.
Side by side
| Aspect | Resilience | Grit |
|---|---|---|
| Concerns | After adversity | Toward a goal |
| Timescale | Event-anchored | Years |
| Agreed definition | No | Contested |
| Risk | Reads as blame | Reads as virtue |
What each one means
Grit
Everyday grit is coarse sand or small hard particles — and, figuratively, plain toughness of character. In psychology it names a specific construct, perseverance and passion for long-term goals, sold as the hidden predictor of success and shown by meta-analysis to be largely conscientiousness under a new name.
Full definition of Grit →