Sunday, April 2, 2017

The Force of a Growth Mindset

You will find both the "Force" and "Dark Side" infographics here: The Force of a Growth Mindset vs the Dark Side of a Fixed Mindset. I've transcribed the "Force" here, and you can find "The Dark Side" here.


The Force
Growth Mindset
Intelligence can be developed
Leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to...
If you hold a Growth Mindset, you believe that intelligence can be developed, that the brain can be grown and strengthened like a muscle that can be trained. This leads to your desire to improve.
... embrace challenges
And how do you improve? First you embrace challenges because you know you'll come out stronger on the other side.
... persist in the face of setbacks
Similarly, obstacles or external setbacks do not discourage you. Your self-image is not tied to your success or how you will look to others. Failure is an opportunity to learn and so, whatever happens, you will win.
... see effort as the path to mastery
As a Growth Mindset individual, you see effort as necessary to grow and master useful skills and knowledge: you do not view effort as something useless or to be avoided. You are not turned away by fears that you might make an attempt, or even work hard, and that failure is possible.
... learn from criticism
Criticism and negative feedback are sources of information. That doesn't mean that all criticism is worth integrating or that nothing is ever to be taken personally. As a Growth Mindset individual, you know that you can continue to change and improve, so negative feedback is not perceived as being directly about you as a person but rather about the current state of your abilities.
.... find lessons and inspiration in the success of others
You see the success of others as sources of inspiration, information, and opportunities to learn. Growth Mindset individuals do not view success as a competitive, zero-sum game with others.
As a result, you reach ever higher levels of achievement. All this gives you a greater sense of free will.
As a Growth Mindset individual, you note your improvements and this creates positive feedback loops that encourage you to continue learning and improving. 
Most people do not have a 100% Growth Mindset or 100% Fixed Mindset; most of us have some of both. The good news is that it is possible to change your worldview from Fixed Mindset to Growth Mindset. Carol Dweck's research indicates that both children and adults can be taught to change their mindset.

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