ambitie

Ambitie is a strong desire and determination to achieve success or to reach a specific goal. It typically involves setting clear objectives, planning, and sustained effort, often over long periods. Ambition can manifest in many domains, including career, education, sports, art, and public service.

The word ambitie derives from Latin ambitio, meaning “a going around to seek favor,” via Old French ambition, and is cognate with the English word ambition. In Dutch and many other languages, it denotes the drive to improve one's position or attain recognized milestones.

From a psychological perspective, ambition is linked to achievement motivation, combining intrinsic motivation (personal interest or satisfaction) with extrinsic motivation (external rewards or status). It is sometimes assessed through constructs such as the need for achievement (nAch) and achievement goal orientation. When well aligned with personal values and capabilities, ambition can sustain perseverance and skill development; when excessive or misdirected, it may contribute to burnout, risky behavior, or unethical choices.

Socially, ambition is shaped by upbringing, education, socioeconomic context, and cultural norms. Some cultures prize ambition as a marker of initiative and success, while others emphasize humility or collective over individual gains. Gender norms and organizational environments also influence how ambition is expressed and rewarded.

Ambition is related to concepts such as aspiration, goal setting, motivation, and drive. It can be short-term or long-term, domain-specific or broadly oriented, and its expression may evolve across life stages or in response to feedback and changing circumstances.