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Gumption trap

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A Gumption Trap is an event or mindset that can cause a person to lose enthusiasm and discourage them from starting or continuing a project. The term has seen little literary use since being coined by Robert Pirsig in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance despite being an important part in the practical application of his Metaphysics of Quality.

The word Gumption itself is from old Scots meaning 'common sense, shrewdness and a sense of initiative'.

Pirsig refers to two types of Gumption Trap, setbacks and hang-ups, which arise from external and internal circumstances respectively, and further splits hang-ups into value, truth and muscle traps.[1]


See also


References

  1. ^ Pirsig, Robert M. (1999). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values. New York: Quill. ISBN 0688171664. 25th Anniversary Edition.
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