What Is a Mindset and Why It Matters

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFixed vs. Growth MindsetsFormationImpactYour Mindset (Quiz)Change Your Mindset

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets

Formation

Impact

Your Mindset (Quiz)

Change Your Mindset

Close

Your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation. It means that what you believe about yourself impacts yoursuccess or failure.

Mindsets can influence how people behave in a wide range of situations in life. For example, as people encounter different situations, their mind triggers a specific mindset that then directly impacts their behavior in that situation.

According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, your beliefs play a pivotal role in what you want and whether you achieve it.

Dweck describes two basic mindsets: fixed and growth. If you have a fixed mindset, you believe your abilities are fixed traits and therefore can’t be changed. You might also believe that your talent and intelligence alone lead to success, and effort is not required.

On the flip side, if you have agrowth mindset, you believe your talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence. People with this mindset don’t necessarily believe that anyone can become Einstein or Mozart, but that everyone can get smarter or more talented if they work at it.

Here are some fixed vs. growth mindset examples.

Press Play for Advice On Growth

Subscribe Now:Apple Podcasts/Spotify/Google Podcasts

How Mindset Forms

So how is your mindset created in the first place? Dweck’s research reveals two primary sources: praising and labeling, both of which occur in early childhood.

The Impact of Praise

In a landmark series of experiments, Dweck and her colleagues found that kids behaved very differently depending on the type of praise they received.They found that personal praise, or praising a child’s talents or labeling them as “smart," promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message to a child that they either have an ability or they don’t, and that there is nothing they can do to change that fact.

Process praise, on the other hand, emphasizes the effort a person puts in to accomplish a task. It implies their success is due to the effort and the strategy they used, both of which they can control and improve over time.

The Impact of Labels

Labeling, which involves assigning people characteristics based on stereotypes or associations with different groups, can also lead to the development of fixed or growth mindsets. A person who holds a stereotype that girls are bad at math or that boys are bad at reading may form a fixed mindset about their own abilities in those specific domains.

For example, researchers have found that just having students check boxes about sex and race was enough to invoke internalized stereotypes that affected test performance.

The Impact of Mindset

Your mindset plays a critical role in how youcope with life’s challenges. When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement.

As adults, these same people are more likely to persevere in the face of setbacks. Instead of throwing in the towel, adults with a growth mindset view it as an opportunity to learn and grow. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets are more likely to give up in the face of challenging circumstances.

In her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Dweck writes that those with fixed mindsets are constantly seeking the validation to prove their worth not just to others, but also to themselves.

Carol Dweck"I’ve seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves in the classroom, in their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is evaluated: Will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser?

Carol Dweck

“I’ve seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves in the classroom, in their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is evaluated: Will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser?

What Motivation Theory Can Tell Us About Human Behavior

What Is My Mindset?

If you tend to agree most with statements 1, 2, and 5, then you probably have a more fixed mindset. If you agree most with statements 3, and 4, 6, however, then you probably tend to have a growth mindset.

How to Unfix a Fixed Mindset

While people with a fixed mindset might not agree, Dweck suggests that people are capable of changing their mindsets. Here’s how.

6 Strategies for Success in Life

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.O’Keefe PA, Dweck CS, Walton GM.Implicit theories of interest: Finding your passion or developing it?Psychol Sci. 2018;29(10):1653-1664. doi:10.1177/0956797618780643Gunderson EA, Gripshover SJ, Romero C, Dweck CS, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC.Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children’s motivational frameworks 5 years later.Child Dev. 2013;84(5):1526-1541. doi:10.1111/cdev.12064Steele CM, Aronson J.Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995;69(5):797-811. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.69.5.797Dweck CS.Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Updated Edition. Ballantine Books; 2007.Moser JS, Schroder HS, Heeter C, Moran TP, Lee Y-H.Mind your errors: Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to adaptive posterror adjustments.Psychol Sci. 2011;22(12):1484-1489. doi:10.1177/0956797611419520

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.O’Keefe PA, Dweck CS, Walton GM.Implicit theories of interest: Finding your passion or developing it?Psychol Sci. 2018;29(10):1653-1664. doi:10.1177/0956797618780643Gunderson EA, Gripshover SJ, Romero C, Dweck CS, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC.Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children’s motivational frameworks 5 years later.Child Dev. 2013;84(5):1526-1541. doi:10.1111/cdev.12064Steele CM, Aronson J.Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995;69(5):797-811. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.69.5.797Dweck CS.Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Updated Edition. Ballantine Books; 2007.Moser JS, Schroder HS, Heeter C, Moran TP, Lee Y-H.Mind your errors: Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to adaptive posterror adjustments.Psychol Sci. 2011;22(12):1484-1489. doi:10.1177/0956797611419520

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

O’Keefe PA, Dweck CS, Walton GM.Implicit theories of interest: Finding your passion or developing it?Psychol Sci. 2018;29(10):1653-1664. doi:10.1177/0956797618780643Gunderson EA, Gripshover SJ, Romero C, Dweck CS, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC.Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children’s motivational frameworks 5 years later.Child Dev. 2013;84(5):1526-1541. doi:10.1111/cdev.12064Steele CM, Aronson J.Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995;69(5):797-811. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.69.5.797Dweck CS.Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Updated Edition. Ballantine Books; 2007.Moser JS, Schroder HS, Heeter C, Moran TP, Lee Y-H.Mind your errors: Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to adaptive posterror adjustments.Psychol Sci. 2011;22(12):1484-1489. doi:10.1177/0956797611419520

O’Keefe PA, Dweck CS, Walton GM.Implicit theories of interest: Finding your passion or developing it?Psychol Sci. 2018;29(10):1653-1664. doi:10.1177/0956797618780643

Gunderson EA, Gripshover SJ, Romero C, Dweck CS, Goldin-Meadow S, Levine SC.Parent praise to 1- to 3-year-olds predicts children’s motivational frameworks 5 years later.Child Dev. 2013;84(5):1526-1541. doi:10.1111/cdev.12064

Steele CM, Aronson J.Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995;69(5):797-811. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.69.5.797

Dweck CS.Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Updated Edition. Ballantine Books; 2007.

Moser JS, Schroder HS, Heeter C, Moran TP, Lee Y-H.Mind your errors: Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to adaptive posterror adjustments.Psychol Sci. 2011;22(12):1484-1489. doi:10.1177/0956797611419520

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.Cookies SettingsAccept All Cookies

By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Cookies SettingsAccept All Cookies