Mindset

Carol S. Dweck · 2006

1. 01About the Author

   Carol S. Dweck is an American psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. For decades she has researched motivation, personality and how people deal with success and failure. In 2006 she published Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, which brought her research on the growth mindset to millions of readers, teachers and business leaders.

2. 02Fixed Mindset and Growth Mindset

   Dweck describes two mindsets. In a fixed mindset, people believe their intelligence and talents are fixed traits. They feel they must constantly prove themselves, so they avoid challenges and fear failure. In a growth mindset, people believe abilities can be developed through effort, good strategies and help from others. They see challenges as chances to learn.

3. 03The Research on Praise

   In one of her studies with Claudia Mueller, children were given puzzles. Some were praised for being smart; others were praised for their effort. The children praised for intelligence later avoided harder puzzles and performed worse after failing. Those praised for effort chose harder challenges and improved. The lesson: praise the process, the effort, the strategy, the progress, not fixed talent.

4. 04The Power of Yet

   Dweck highlights the power of the word yet. If you cannot solve a problem, you have not solved it yet. Failure is information, not a verdict on who you are. She gives examples from sports, business and relationships, showing that people with a growth mindset recover from setbacks and keep improving, while a fixed mindset can make people blame others or give up.

5. 05Changing Your Mindset

   Everyone has a mix of both mindsets. The first step is to notice your fixed mindset voice, the one that says, maybe you are not good enough. Then answer it with a growth mindset voice: I can learn this with effort. Take the challenge, learn from criticism, and be inspired by the success of others. Your brain can grow. So can you.