Mindset Flashcards
What is a mindset?
A “fixed” or “growth” mindset is a subconscious belief about ourselves and our learning.
What is a growth mindset?
Having a growth mindset indicates you value effort and process. Making a mistake, or not hitting a target, just means you need to try again, try harder, try a different strategy. Mistakes offer you an opportunity to grow.
The growth mindset influences intrinsic motivation, grit and tenacity, allowing you to persist when facing obstacles and increasing your chances of successful goal attainment.
What is a fixed mindset?
The fixed mindset indicates a way of thinking that is based on the thought that we are who/how we are, this is something that is innate or “fixed”.
Along those lines, making a mistake (or failing) would suggest we are not the attribute we are measuring. It also suggests that working hard at something signifies a lack of talent. This way of thinking leads to a ‘giving up’ or avoidance of anything that might challenge you and lead to mistakes (i.e. failure), as this proves the ‘fixed’ ability (or in this case inability).
What are the benefits of having a growth mindset?
If you have a growth mindset, you display a greater willingness to learn and grow.
You have increased motivation, especially in the face of obstacles. This leads to higher goal attainment.
Are mindsets stable? Can they change?
Mindsets are not black and white; you can have a growth mindset while still having some fixed ideas. We often have more of a growth mindset in one aspect of our life, while having more of a fixed mindset in another.
Differences in these attitudes across people have been shown to be present across the lifespan. Even though they generally seem to be stable over time, they can be changed through readings, education and conversations.
What are some ways to cultivate a growth mindset?
Studies have shown that watching videos focusing on either the genetics of weight (fixed) or focusing on the degree that weight is changeable through exercise and diet (growth) can influence someone’s non-conscious beliefs and subsequently change their eating habits (Ehrlinger, Burnette et al. 2017).
Similarly, learning about the malleability of the brain and intelligence improves academic performance and this effect can last multiple years (Blackwell, Trzesniewski et al. 2007).
Can you change your mindset based on the language you used?
The language we use when we talk to ourselves can shift how we think, feel and perform. It is something so simple that we often overlook it. It does not need to be huge intervention - just a subtle, yet conscious decision to adopt helpful ways to talk to yourself. Mindset is often reflected in the language of criticism and praise.
List some strategies for influencing mindset.
• Focus on the process, not the outcome.
• Seeing the long-term goal of something gives you something to work towards and helps develop intrinsic motivation. This also takes the pressure off the short term, direct achievements (or “failures”) and gives the space for growth and working through struggles.- Use mistakes and being challenged as opportunities to learn
- Reflect on what you have done and its success to allow for you to make adjustments
- Ask for feedback, to allow yourself to improve
How can you encourage a growth mindset by using the word “yet”?
You probably won’t change your mindset immediately and will catch yourself making fixed mindset statements. Carol Dweck says adding “not yet” to any fixed mindset statement is a great way to reframe your thought processes. When you’re struggling, just remind yourself that you haven’t mastered that skill… Yet.
