Dweck’s mindset theory

• What is a mindset?

  The set of assumptions we have.
• What does our mindset affect?

  Success.
• What is success due to?

  Effort not talent.
• What is a fixed mindset?

  Effort won’t help because talent is fixed in the genes. Focused on performance.
• What is a growth mindset?

  Can improve with effort, enjoy challenge. Focused on learning goals.
• How does a fixed mindset person deal with failure?

  Failure indicates a lack of talent, so they give up.
• How does a growth mindset person deal with failure?

  Opportunity to learn more and put in more effort.
• What is a mixture of the two mindsets called?

  A continuum, depends on the situation.
• What is a positive evaluation of this theory?

  Real world application.

  In business, sport, relationships - seeing failure as a lack of effort rather than talent motivates future effort.
• What is a negative evaluation of this theory?

  Both mindsets involve praise.

  Praising effort still leads to doing things for approval so can discourage independent behaviour.