The power of mentality is a straightforward yet revolutionary concept that world-renowned psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., of Stanford University, found after decades of research. She demonstrates in this outstanding book how our perception of our skills and abilities may have a significant impact on our performance in virtually every aspect of human effort, including the arts, sports, employment, and education.
Individuals with a growth mentality, or the belief that talents can be enhanced, are more likely to thrive than those with a fixed mindset, or the belief that abilities are fixed. Mindset demonstrates how excellent parents, educators, managers, and athletes may apply this concept to promote exceptional achievement.
Dweck provides fresh perspectives on her already well-known and widely accepted idea in this edition. She explains what she refers to as fake development mentality and offers advice on how to embrace a more profound and authentic growth attitude.
She also applies the mentality notion to social and organisational cultures, extending it beyond the individual. You may inspire those you lead, educate, and care about to change both your own and their life if you have the correct attitude.
Read about Book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill with this detailed guide!
About the Author
Many people consider Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., to be one of the top scholars in the domains of developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality. She holds nine lifetime achievement awards for her research, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.
She has given countries advice on economic and educational issues and spoke before the UN on the eve of their new global development plan. She has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, and 20/20, and her work has been featured in nearly all of the major national publications. She resides in Palo Alto, California, with her spouse.
Review
Another book in the apparently never-ending supply of self-help psychology literature is Mindset. I chose to give it a try after Amazon suggested it to me based on my previous purchases. To be completely honest, this book opened my eyes. It is predicated on the idea that all people possess one of two mindsets: the fixed mentality or the growth mindset.
According to the author, those who have a fixed mindset prefer not to push themselves since doing so could make them aware of any shortcomings in their knowledge or skill set. On the other hand, those with a growth mindset are those who, even in the face of failure, long for the chance to improve, even if it means acknowledging that their knowledge in a given subject or discipline is lacking.
Read about Best Life Coaching Books with this detailed guide!
By exposing the evidence-based understanding that intelligence can be developed and maintained via study and continuous, unrelenting learning, the author also debunks the myth of brilliance and innate aptitude.
Like the brain itself, intelligence, or the capacity to learn, is indeed flexible. Interesting thing. Geoff Colvin’s “Talent is Overrated” is another book that is similar to this one. I’ll have to look through my blog’s archives to see whether I’ve already reviewed it a year or two ago.
I became aware that I had characteristics and aspects of both the fixed mentality and the development mindset halfway through the book. There is no denying that I am a lifelong student. Most of my friends and classmates make fun of me for always reading and attempting to learn new things, however, although some people may not realize it, it’s who I am and always have been.
Having said that, I can recall several instances in my life when I was scared to push myself because I thought it would expose my knowledge or ability gaps. I used to detest criticism when I was younger because I thought it was an outright assault on my identity, and I would react by getting defensive.
Granted, most people will criticize you in order to feel better about themselves or to make you feel inferior because they can see that you’re genuinely trying to do something. However, if someone who is more experienced than you is offering constructive criticism, you should take note because it’s a very useful tool for personal development.
Without a doubt, I’ve discovered that throughout the years. I was maybe 11 or 12 years old when I first began learning karate, and I was really passionate about it. Even though I believed I was a natural, I soon discovered that I still had a lot of work to do before I could even call myself a true martial arts student.
I used to attend my courses with a fire and enthusiasm that equaled the most ardent of students. I first resisted acknowledging that I wasn’t as quick or strong as I believed myself to be. I did not want to change my established thinking. I trained myself how to fight, so I knew I was skilled at punching and kicking. I was not interested in listening to what other people had to say.
Although I eventually discovered the hard way that I would have to follow my professors’ instructions, I continued to struggle with a stuck attitude for many years after that. I didn’t ultimately break the fixed attitude view toward the martial arts until I met my jujitsu master approximately five or six years ago.
Read about My Morning Routine – Benjamin Spall & Michael Xander with this detailed guide!
My instructor repeatedly placed me on my back in agony, and I learnt about “emptying my cup,” as the term goes, as if for the first time. As a newbie, I had to assimilate the concepts of my Jujitsu instructor and relearn around fifteen years of martial arts experience. Ice became my best buddy, let’s say.
Even my studies of the guitar were influenced by my entrenched thinking. I suppose I was always a good musician, but it wasn’t until I met someone at my previous job who completely changed my perception of my ability that I began to develop as a guitarist. I was humbled by the knowledge of this man, who was the most talented guitarist I had ever encountered.
Although I’m still far from playing at his level, the brief time I spent with him improved my guitar skills significantly. I made the decision to start playing with individuals who were significantly better than me after meeting this individual. I looked around for guitarists and begged them to teach me.
I would listen to the other performers as I strolled through Union Square in the city, paying close attention to both their music and their technique. I would approach a couple guitarists who I felt had excellent playing and ask them questions. Others didn’t want to be bothered, while others were keen to educate.
Overall, two of the guitarists I met became close friends with me. They continue to get in touch with me, teach me theory and technique, and I continue to study music on my own when I can. The application of a growth mentality.
In an effort to improve as a writer, I’ve been submitting a lot of my short stories to friends who are professional, well-established writers for feedback and advice. I requested a writer I collaborate with to be tough with one of my short tales a few weeks ago. After reading my narrative, he gave me some comments.
It brought back memories of my early school days when I was given a written project by one of my instructors that had her red markings on it. “Redundant!” “Comma here!” “Be more concise!” “Verb-subject agreement!” Fun times. In any case, I instantly integrated my colleague’s helpful advise into several of my previously written pieces.
I have thus also requested my uncle, a renowned author of apologetics, to give me advice and offer criticism on my work. He has given freely of his time and offered helpful counsel. Until he rejects me, I will continue to harass him with questions about grammar and syntax. I’m willing to pay the price.
Read about Daily Rituals – Mason Currey with this detailed guide!
Now let’s return to the book. This book has a lot of truth, and I will most likely read it again soon. A graphic that contrasts the fixed mentality and development mindset thought processes may be found near the book’s conclusion. It gives a quick description of what each mindset’s members might do or think in a certain situation.
This chart is something I have printed out and placed on my room’s wall so I can see it every day. Although some aspects of my fixed mindset still continue to influence my thinking, I’m now more aware of them. I’m trying to develop a development mentality in its entirety. Please be patient with me; like most others, I’m still working on this.
This book contains several case studies of some amazing people, including famous athletes, actors, politicians, musicians, coaches, and teachers. Each case study supports the author’s thesis, which is that the growth mindset will help you achieve your goals. It’s an excellent book, and I suggest it to anyone who is having trouble improving their abilities in any field.
The author talks about how both the development mentality and the fixed mindset are present in many facets of life. Whether it is in our professional lives—how to learn from and adjust to unethical and dishonest colleagues (something I live with) or in parenting—how some parents instill in their children the belief that they are geniuses, and these children refuse to grow because they believe there is no more growing to be done.
Summary
Carol Dweck is a renowned psychologist who focuses on human motivation and the impact of two mindsets on outcomes. Her work, which combines developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology, explores the self-conceptions people use to structure themselves and guide their behavior.
Dweck’s research explores the origins of these mindsets, their role in motivation and self-regulation, and their impact on achievement and interpersonal processes. Her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, explores how conscious and unconscious thoughts affect us and how even simple wording can significantly influence our ability to improve.
Dweck’s work highlights the power of our most basic beliefs, whether conscious or subconscious, in determining our success and guiding our understanding of our personality.