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Mindset The New Psychology Of Success By Carol Dweck

Decent Essays

Esteemed developmental psychologist Carol Dweck (2006) coined the word mindset after dedicated research on success and achievement. Mindsets are defined as beliefs - beliefs about oneself and their most basic qualities. In “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” Dweck expounds upon her theory that there are two different types of mindsets. The fixed mindset is a crystallized approach to mentality. In a fixed mindset, individuals believe their basic qualities i.e., intelligence, talents, fixed traits are innate and largely predetermined. In contrast, the growth mindset is a fluid approach towards mentality. The growth mindset emphasizes the role of development and culmination of mental processes. In a growth mindset, individuals believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through hard work and continuous practice. Dweck claims that all individuals are born as learners and possess a growth mindset. However, as individuals begin to grow and interact with the environment they can either retain the growth mindset or transfer to a more static mindset. This theory illustrates the dynamic nature of mindsets and the involvement of external factors on an individual's outlook. One of the factors that influence mindset are cultural stereotypes. Kanahara (2006) defines a stereotype as a “particular belief about a group of individuals” (306). As an individual gains experience, stereotypes influence mindset by grouping society into categories and generalizing behavior.

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