Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
"Fixed Mindset” and “Growth Mindset” are terms coined by Carol Dweck to describe
beliefs regarding personal qualities such as ability and talent.
According to this research, those with a “Fixed Mindset” tend to believe
that attributes such as ability and talent are fixed. In comparison,
those with a “Growth Mindset” perceive ability and talent as starting points which can be further developed with effort and dedication.
A fixed mindset
affords little emphasis on effort – if you have talent in an area,
(such as playing a musical instrument) you should succeed without
additional effort and if you don’t have talent in an area, it is very
hard to change despite efforts made. Mistakes are viewed as a sign of
failure.
A
growth mindset drives a desire to learn as it believes that ability and
talent can be developed with dedicated effort despite how high or low
ability or talent is measured to be initially. Mistakes are seen as
necessary to learn.
For more information on Growth Mindset, watch this video which features Carol Dweck talking about the power of believing that you can improve.
Excerpts From: Learn.Grow.Flourish