Carol Dweck: A Summary of Growth and Fixed Mindsets

There are two main mindsets we can navigate life with: growth and fixed. Having a growth mindset is essential for success. In this post, we explore how to ... SkiptomaincontentSkiptoheaderrightnavigationSkiptositefooterTweet0Facebook0LinkedIn0Print0Philosophy|ReadingTime:7minutesCarolDweck:ASummaryofGrowthandFixedMindsets Therearetwomainmindsetswecannavigatelifewith:growthandfixed.Havingagrowthmindsetisessentialforsuccess.Inthispost,weexplorehowtodeveloptherightmindsetforimprovingyourintelligence. *** CarolDweckstudieshumanmotivation.Shespendsherdaysdivingintowhypeoplesucceed(ordon’t)andwhat’swithinourcontroltofostersuccess.Hertheoryofthetwomindsetsandthedifferencetheymakeinoutcomesisincrediblypowerful. Asshedescribesit:“Myworkbridgesdevelopmentalpsychology,socialpsychology,andpersonalitypsychology,andexaminestheself-conceptions(ormindsets)peopleusetostructuretheselfandguidetheirbehavior.Myresearchlooksattheoriginsofthesemindsets,theirroleinmotivationandself-regulation,andtheirimpactonachievementandinterpersonalprocesses.” HerinquiryintoourbeliefsissynthesizedinMindset:TheNewPsychologyofSuccess.Thebooktakesusonajourneyintohowourconsciousandunconsciousthoughtsaffectusandhowsomethingassimpleaswordingcanhaveapowerfulimpactonourabilitytoimprove. Dweck’sworkshowsthepowerofourmostbasicbeliefs.Whetherconsciousorsubconscious,theystrongly“affectwhatwewantandwhetherwesucceedingettingit.”Muchofwhatwethinkweunderstandofourpersonalitycomesfromour“mindset.”Thisbothpropelsusandpreventsusfromfulfillingourpotential. InMindset:TheNewPsychologyofSuccess,Dweckwrites: Whataretheconsequencesofthinkingthatyourintelligenceorpersonalityissomethingyoucandevelop,asopposedtosomethingthatisafixed,deep-seatedtrait? TheTwoMindsets Yourviewofyourselfcandetermineeverything.Ifyoubelievethatyourqualitiesareunchangeable—thefixedmindset—youwillwanttoproveyourselfcorrectoverandoverratherthanlearningfromyourmistakes. InMindset,Dweckwrites: Ifyouhaveonlyacertainamountofintelligence,acertainpersonality,andacertainmoralcharacter—well,thenyou’dbetterprovethatyouhaveahealthydoseofthem.Itsimplywouldn’tdotolookorfeeldeficientinthesemostbasiccharacteristics. […] I’veseensomanypeoplewiththisoneconsuminggoalofprovingthemselves—intheclassroom,intheircareers,andintheirrelationships.Everysituationcallsforaconfirmationoftheirintelligence,personality,orcharacter.Everysituationisevaluated:WillIsucceedorfail?WillIlooksmartordumb?WillIbeacceptedorrejected?WillIfeellikeawinneroraloser? Thesethingsareculturallydesirable.Wevalueintelligence,personality,andcharacter.It’snormaltowantthis.But… InMindset,Dweckwrites: There’sanothermindsetinwhichthesetraitsarenotsimplyahandyou’redealtandhavetolivewith,alwaystryingtoconvinceyourselfandothersthatyouhavearoyalflushwhenyou’resecretlyworriedit’sapairoftens.Inthismindset,thehandyou’redealtisjustthestartingpointfordevelopment.Thisgrowthmindsetisbasedonthebeliefthatyourbasicqualitiesarethingsyoucancultivatethroughyourefforts. Changingourbeliefscanhaveapowerfulimpact.Thegrowthmindsetcreatesapowerfulpassionforlearning.“Whywastetimeprovingoverandoverhowgreatyouare,”Dweckwrites,“whenyoucouldbegettingbetter?” Whyhidedeficienciesinsteadofovercomingthem?Whylookforfriendsorpartnerswhowilljustshoreupyourself-esteeminsteadofoneswhowillalsochallengeyoutogrow?Andwhyseekoutthetriedandtrue,insteadofexperiencesthatwillstretchyou?Thepassionforstretchingyourselfandstickingtoit,even(orespecially)whenit’snotgoingwell,isthehallmarkofthegrowthmindset.Thisisthemindsetthatallowspeopletothriveduringsomeofthemostchallengingtimesintheirlives. PuttingitintoPractice Ourideasaboutriskandeffortcomefromourmindset.Somepeoplerealizethevalueofchallengingthemselves,theywanttoputintheefforttolearnandgrow,agreatexampleofthisisTheBuffettFormula.Others,however,wouldratheravoidtheeffortfeelinglikeitdoesn’tmatter. InMindset,Dweckwrites: WeoftenseebookswithtitleslikeTheTenSecretsoftheWorld’sMostSuccessfulPeoplecrowdingtheshelvesofbookstores,andthesebooksmaygivemanyusefultips.Butthey’reusuallyalistofunconnectedpointers,like“Takemorerisks!”or“Believeinyourself!”Whileyou’releftadmiringpeoplewhocandothat,it’sneverclearhowthesethingsfittogetherorhowyoucouldeverbecomethatway.Soyou’reinspiredforafewdays,butbasically,theworld’smostsuccessfulpeoplestillhavetheirsecrets. Instead,asyoubegintounderstandthefixedandgrowthmindsets,youwillseeexactlyhowonethingleadstoanother—howabeliefthatyourqualitiesarecarvedinstoneleadstoahostofthoughtsandactions,andhowabeliefthatyourqualitiescanbecultivatedleadstoahostofdifferentthoughtsandactions,takingyoudownanentirelydifferentroad. […] Sure,peoplewiththefixedmindsethavereadthebooksthatsay:Successisaboutbeingyourbestself,notaboutbeingbetterthanothers;failureisanopportunity,notacondemnation;effortisthekeytosuccess.Buttheycan’tputthisintopracticebecausetheirbasicmindset—theirbeliefinfixedtraits—istellingthemsomethingentirelydifferent:thatsuccessisaboutbeingmoregiftedthanothers,thatfailuredoesmeasureyou,andthateffortisforthosewhocan’tmakeitontalent. FromSetbacktoSuccess InMindset,Dweckwrites: Theotherthingexceptionalpeopleseemtohaveisaspecialtalentforconvertinglife’ssetbacksintofuturesuccesses.Creativityresearchersconcur.Inapollof143creativityresearchers,therewaswideagreementaboutthenumberoneingredientincreativeachievement.Anditwasexactlythekindofperseveranceandresilienceproducedbythegrowthmindset. InfactDwecktakesthisstoicapproach,writing:“inthegrowthmindset,failurecanbeapainfulexperience.Butitdoesn’tdefineyou.It’saproblemtobefaced,dealtwith,andlearnedfrom.” Wecanstilllearnfromourmistakes.ThelegendarybasketballcoachJohnWoodensaysthatyou’renotafailureuntilyoustarttoassignblame.That’swhenyoustoplearningfromyourmistakes–youdenythem. ThePowerof…Yet InthisTEDtalk,Dweck describes“twowaystothinkaboutaproblemthat’sslightlytoohardforyoutosolve.”Operatinginthisspace—justoutsideofyourcomfortzone—isthekeytoimprovingyourperformance.It’salsothecriticalelementtodeliberatepractice.Peopleapproachtheseproblemswiththetwomindsets…“Areyounotsmartenoughtosolveit….orhaveyoujustnotsolvedityet.” Speakingtotheculturalpressuretoraiseourkidsfornowinsteadofnotyet,intheTEDtalkDwecksays: IheardaboutahighschoolinChicagowherestudentshadtopassacertainnumberofcoursestograduate,andiftheydidn’tpassacourse,theygotthegrade“NotYet.”AndIthoughtthatwasfantastic,becauseifyougetafailinggrade,youthink,I’mnothing,I’mnowhere.Butifyougetthegrade“NotYet”youunderstandthatyou’reonalearningcurve.Itgivesyouapathintothefuture. “NotYet”alsogavemeinsightintoacriticaleventearlyinmycareer,arealturningpoint.Iwantedtoseehowchildrencopedwithchallengeanddifficulty,soIgave10-year-oldsproblemsthatwereslightlytoohardforthem.Someofthemreactedinashockinglypositiveway.Theysaidthingslike,“Iloveachallenge,”or,“Youknow,Iwashopingthiswouldbeinformative.”Theyunderstoodthattheirabilitiescouldbedeveloped.TheyhadwhatIcallagrowthmindset.Butotherstudentsfeltitwastragic,catastrophic.Fromtheirmorefixedmindsetperspective,theirintelligencehadbeenupforjudgmentandtheyfailed.Insteadofluxuriatinginthepowerofyet,theyweregrippedinthetyrannyofnow. Sowhatdotheydonext?I’lltellyouwhattheydonext.Inonestudy,theytoldustheywouldprobablycheatthenexttimeinsteadofstudyingmoreiftheyfailedatest.Inanotherstudy,afterafailure,theylookedforsomeonewhodidworsethantheydidsotheycouldfeelreallygoodaboutthemselves.Andinstudyafterstudy,theyhaverunfromdifficulty.Scientistsmeasuredtheelectricalactivityfromthebrainasstudentsconfrontedanerror.Ontheleft,youseethefixedmindsetstudents.There’shardlyanyactivity.Theyrunfromtheerror.Theydon’tengagewithit.Butontheright,youhavethestudentswiththegrowthmindset,theideathatabilitiescanbedeveloped.Theyengagedeeply.Theirbrainisonfirewithyet.Theyengagedeeply.Theyprocesstheerror.Theylearnfromitandtheycorrectit. It’seasytofallintothetrapofnow.OurkidsbecomeobsessedwithgettingA’s–theydreamofthenexttesttoprovethemselvesinsteadofdreamingbiglikeElonMusk.Aby-productofthisisthatwe’remakingthemdependentonthevalidationthatwe’regivingthem—thegamificationofchildren. Whatcanwedoaboutthis?Don’tpraiseintelligenceortalent,praisetheworkethic. …[W]ecanpraisewisely,notpraisingintelligenceortalent.Thathasfailed.Don’tdothatanymore.Butpraisingtheprocessthatkidsengagein:theireffort,theirstrategies,theirfocus,theirperseverance,theirimprovement.Thisprocesspraisecreateskidswhoarehardyandresilient. Howwewordthingsaffectsconfidence,thewords‘yet’or‘notyet,’“givekidsgreaterconfidence,givethemapathintothefuturethatcreatesgreaterpersistence.”Wecanchangemindsets. Inonestudy,wetaughtthemthateverytimetheypushoutoftheircomfortzonetolearnsomethingnewanddifficult,theneuronsintheirbraincanformnew,strongerconnections,andovertimetheycangetsmarter.…studentswhowerenottaughtthisgrowthmindsetcontinuedtoshowdeclininggradesoverthisdifficultschooltransition,butthosewhoweretaughtthislessonshowedasharpreboundintheirgrades.Wehaveshownthisnow,thiskindofimprovement,withthousandsandthousandsofkids,especiallystrugglingstudents. Mindset:TheNewPsychologyofSuccessisamustreadforanyonelookingtoexploreourmindsetandhowwecaninfluenceittobealittlebetter.CarolDweck’sworkissimplyoutstanding. ReadNextNextPost:TheTensionCreatedByStretchGoals It’sonethingtosetbigstretchgoals.It’sanotherthingentirelytoacknowledgethetensionandincentivestheycreate…