Is Grit Hurting You? The Dark Side of Psychological Resources in Goal Pursuit

Khan, Rahman; Neveu, Jean‐Pierre; Murtaza, Ghulam

Abstract

This article presents a study of the curvilinear role of psychological resources during goal striving through an interactive model linking work goal progress to a valued resource. Specifically, we explore the nonlinear relationship of grit with work goal progress. Additionally, we test the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS) for this relationship. We hypothesized that an employee’s goal pursuit is not merely contingent on the excessive availability of the selected resources but instead might be an outcome of interaction between personal resources and the environment. Our sample comprises 293 university professors working in the United States who completed questionnaires at two time points. The study findings confirm the curvilinear role of grit in predicting work goal progress. Furthermore, the moderating role of POS on the nonlinear relationship between grit and work goal progress is confirmed to be significant. We discuss the theoretical implications for industry concerning performance and self-regulation based on our findings.

Citation

Khan, R., Neveu, J., & Murtaza, G. (2021). Is Grit Hurting You? The Dark Side of Psychological Resources in Goal Pursuit. Applied Psychology, 70(3), 1323-1344. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12279

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 24, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jul 24, 2020
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Deposit Date: Jan 23, 2025
• Journal: Applied Psychology
• Print ISSN: 0269-994X
• Electronic ISSN: 1464-0597
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 70
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 1323-1344
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12279