Dweck’s Fixed and Growth Mindsets

The power of people’s beliefs, both conscious and unconscious, have a profound impact on almost every aspect of their lives. Individuals own two mindsets; fixed and growth. Fixed mindset assumes that people’s creative ability, intelligence, and character are still absolutes which cannot be changed in any meaningful way. However, growth mindset perceives failure as not a proof of fatuity but as an encouraging facilitator for development and for stretching people’s prevailing abilities. These two mindsets provide a great deal of people’s behavior as well as people’s relationship with success and failure in the personal and professional setting.

The paper discusses the growth mindset and what evidence can be found and presented that humans possess a growth mindset.

Humans possess a growth mindset. Essentially, humans have a fundamental belief that their learning and intelligence can develop with experience and time. By doing so, they persevere to achieve their goals. Growth mindset guides their perseverance in their actions. For instance, employees in organizations usually believe they can get smarter. Furthermore, they understand that their effort has an impact on their success, therefore, they put a lot of effort resulting in higher achievement. In another case, within the school context, students believe their capacities and intelligence can grow with persistence, learning, and effort. Simply, their basic capacities are starting point for their potential. Such students with that mindset hold onto the idea that everybody is able to be smarter.

Growth is grounded on the conviction that human’s elementary potentials are things that can be nurtured through efforts. There is a room for everyone to grow and change through experience and application. In her research, Dweck noted that this type of mindset makes a desire for learning instead of hunger for endorsement. The hallmark of this mindset is the belief that people qualities may be nurtured through deliberate practice and effort. Individuals in this mindset, usually don’t get discouraged by failure. In fact, in failing situations they see themselves as learning. As a result, they get motivated. This could be explained in terms of having a growth mindset. With growth mindset, individuals view themselves as winners rather than failures. It is a “self-theory” about one-self that entails believing about one’s capabilities like being intelligent or not, being competent in professional live or not or generally concerning one’s personal life.

Humans are able to admit and embrace their weaknesses. This is done by making modest goals and taking a reasonable time to attain them. In the end, they find themselves succeeding in nearly every task they undertake. In this way, they are more optimistic in what they do. Moreover, humans have the ability to perceive challenges as opportunities. For example, on a daily basis individuals are faced with new challenges like if they would accept a new job or if they would sign up to take a new class. Indeed, challenges play a big role in developing a person. Avoiding challenges would result in lacking opportunities to learn and grow. Ultimately, the ability of the brain to change throughout life is an indication that humans possess a growth mindset. Some people might be aware or not aware concerning their mindsets but whichever the case, the mindset of an individual has a great impact concerning achievements in learning, acquiring skills, personal relationships as well as professional success among several other aspects of life. There are the two main mindsets; the “fixed” and the “growth” mindsets. Those people with fixed mindset trust that their qualities such as intelligence or ability are generally fixed characters. They do not attempt to develop them but rather spend time documenting on them. Moreover, they hold that personal abilities alone can bring success even when there are no efforts made. The learners who have embraced this kind of mindset to be holding that there are only two options concerning their abilities; being “smart” or “dumb” and they lack a method for changing that.

People with growth mindset normally trust their basic capabilities. They built up through being devoted together with working hard. Their basic abilities are actually their starting point. This perception generates love for learning together with a resilience which is very important in accomplishing great achievements. The learners who hold this kind of mindset believes that they have the ability of becoming smarter through working hard. The persons with this mindset are not disheartened by failure. Instead, they perceive challenges as well as failures to be chances for improving their learning together. They actually do not waste their time trying to prove how great they have achieved but rather look upon how they can further improve their achievements. Another aspect that makes “growth mindset” so attractive, it generates a desire for knowledge quite different from deprivation for approval. What is so much interesting is the opinion that human potentials such as intellect and creativeness, as well as even relational aptitudes like love or companionship, can be cultured through effort together with thoughtful practice.

Work Cited

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: How You Can Fulfill Your Potential. London: Robinson, 2012. Internet resource

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