Ambitiousness Trait

An Ambitiousness Trait is a personality trait that drives individuals (ambitious person) to set and pursue high goals, demonstrate perseverance, and aim for success in various aspects of life.

• Aka: achievement striving.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) be associated with high levels of Goal Orientation, where individuals consistently seek to achieve long-term objectives.
  • It can (often) involve a combination of Perseverance and Self-Discipline, allowing individuals to overcome obstacles in pursuit of their ambitions.
  • It can (often) be viewed as a double-edged sword, with individuals described as ambitious often being seen as either positively driven or overly competitive.
  • It can (often) be influenced by environmental factors such as upbringing, culture, and societal expectations, which may shape how ambition is expressed.
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  • It can range from being a Moderate Ambitiousness Trait that focuses on personal satisfaction to a High Ambitiousness Trait focused on external achievements and recognition.
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  • It can be measured using Ambitiousness Measures, such as: Achievement Motivation Scale or other related measures of ambition and drive.
  • It can vary between individuals based on their intrinsic motivation and external rewards.
  • It can involve calculating risks to achieve ambitious goals.
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• Example(s):
  • one expressed in an Entrepreneur who works relentlessly to grow their startup into a successful enterprise.
  • one expressed in a Student who sets a goal to graduate with honors and takes on additional coursework to achieve this ambition.
  • one expressed in a Politician who aims to attain a leadership position, demonstrating drive and strategic thinking throughout their career.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Contentment, where individuals are satisfied with their current situation and do not seek additional success or recognition.
  • Laziness, characterized by a lack of motivation or drive to achieve goals.
  • Apathy, where there is no strong desire for personal achievement or advancement.
• See: Perseverance, Goal Orientation, Self-Discipline, Achievement Motivation, Workaholism.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambition_(character_trait) Retrieved:2024-9-23.
  • Ambition is a character trait that describes people who are driven to better their station or to succeed at lofty goals.

    It has been categorized both as a virtue and as a vice.

    The use of the word "ambitious" in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (1599), for example, points to its use to describe someone who is ruthless in seeking out positions of power and influence:

     : The noble Brutus
    Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
    If it were so, it was a grievous fault. Today, however, someone may be described as "ambitious" who has more benevolent aspirations: someone who has lofty goals, drive, initiative, tenacity, and the pursuit of excellence. Aristotle encountered the same ambiguity in Greek, where φιλότιμος (ambition) and ἀφιλότιμος (lack of ambition) each had positive or negative connotations depending on the context. He was unable to discover a good term that unambiguously described the desirable golden mean for this trait: "as there is no recognized term for the observance of the mean, the extremes fight, so to speak, for what seems an empty place".

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