Carol Dweck, a Stanford professor, has a new book out that I intend to read very soon. It’s called Mind Set: The New Psychology of Success and I’m simply fascinated by the theme. Dr. Dweck posits that there are essentially two different mindsets in the population: the fixed and the growth.
Someone with a fixed mindset assumes that his/her intelligence, abilities, etc., are, essentially, pre-determined. That is, either you have the potential, smarts, whatever to do something or you don’t. If you say to yourself “I can’t do math” you may have a fixed mindset.
A fixed person also hates to make a mistake and sees any level/type of failure as a serious negative. So, if, for example, the fixed person thinks she can’t do math, she won’t even try to learn math because she might not be able to do it well right off and that would, in her mind, prove her point–“I can’t do math–I tried and I failed–period.”
This mindset causes fixed people to be risk-averse and, in the long run, limits their potential for success.
The growth mindset person, however, accepts that failures aren’t fun, but what they do is give a person an opportunity to learn and to grow. Growth people take risks, make mistakes, and keep trying. Because of this attitude, growth people are more often successful.
A growth person might say “I’m not very good at math” but, knowing that math will help her career goals, she would take classes to get better. If she struggles, she’ll seek out other sources for help (tutors, etc.).
Dr. Dweck, according to the reviews and interviews with her I have read/heard, offers help to change. If you’re a fixed person, you can become a growth one. Even before reading her book, I can believe that because that is what I have done in my own life.
So, which are you? If you’re a fixed person, are you willing to take the first risk and try to change?