Mindset
According to research, there are two main types of mindsets we can navigate life with, a fixed and a growth mindset; the two are total opposites. The mindsets explain why people differ and what that means for them. Attaining a growth mindset is essential for success, while a fixed mindset can lead to failure and low self-esteem after that. In her research, Carol Dweck found that our beliefs are synthesized into different mindsets. She describes how our conscious and unconscious thoughts affect our attitude and how much impact it has on our ability to improve. Also, throughout time other researchers like Steele have developed more mindsets that broadly describe the variations in people’s attitudes. Steele developed the benefit mindset, which answers the question of why people do what they do. What someone believes about themselves can determine their success or failure. People with fixed mindsets believe that qualities like intelligence and talent are fixed and unchangeable, whereas those with a growth mindset believe that these qualities can be achieved, developed, and strengthened through commitment and hard work.
Mindset is an essential aspect of psychology because it defines our lives and actions towards ourselves and others. The word mindset has been around since the 1920’s, with Dweck and her colleagues trying to understand humans’ behavioral patterns related to success and failures. The psychologists believe that it is not our physical selves that limit us rather our mindsets about our physical abilities. Therefore we have the power to control our physical capabilities through our mindsets. Mindset also affects growth, especially growth that affects the capacity of nurturing and improving personal abilities to perfection; it is based on the mentality that it is possible to accomplish one’s goal through continuous hard work and effort. What a person believes in becomes their thoughts, which later transcend into their actions. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, and your values end up as your destiny.”
According to Kendra Cherry, psychologists define attitude as a learned tendency to evaluate things in a certain way; researchers have discovered that three components make up an attitude. The emotional component, the cognitive component, and the behavioral component, the attitude is an essential building block to mindset because mindset shapes the attitude and attitude reinforces the mindset (Cherry 10).
Dweck’s research has changed the way we think about success and indicates that many people are trained in two types of mindset from an early stage in life. Children who are taught and told that they are smart tend to develop a fixed- mindset; they become more concerned with how society judges them and fear not living up to expectations. On the other hand, children with a growth mindset are taught to embrace and appreciate new experiences and the challenges that come with them, rather than seeing the hardships they are willing to try new things and make mistakes in the process (Dweck 199). Several people, including children, are consumed by proving themselves to others, evaluating each situation to, am I smart enough? Do I look dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I pass or fail? All these factors are desirable, but a mindset in which these traits are not merely a hand you are dealt; it is just the starting point for development. In the growth mindset, people believe that these basic qualities are qualities one can cultivate through their efforts.
According to research done by James Clear, most people can easily exhibit both mindsets depending on the challenge they are facing. A good example is that one may have a growth mindset in matters concerning career development and goals while displaying a fixed mindset in health matters. saying phrases like, “I’m just not the athletic type, or I’m just not good at working out.” To attain a growth mindset, one has to prove things to themselves in small ways before proving it to other people. Proving it to yourself is a great way to develop confidence that one can improve; small wins over time can help one attain a growth mindset; as it is well put by Clear, “confidence is just displayed ability.”
In his article “Decades of Scientific research that started a Growth Mindset Revolution,” Eduardo Briceno presents research about brain plasticity. These findings are based on an analysis of thousands of children about their devastation of small setbacks. Recent advances in neuroscience show that the brain is malleable. He says, when a person is exposed to something repetitively, the connectivity between the neurons can change. He says, “With practice, neural networks grow new connections, strengthen existing ones, and build insulation that speeds transmission of impulses (Briceno 3). These neuroscientific discoveries have shown us that we can increase our neural growth by the actions we take, such as using good strategies, asking questions, practicing, and following good nutrition and sleep habits.” The neuroscientific discovery believes that mindset is related to achievement and can be developed over time through practice. The findings show that when people want to change, they have to behave differently by increasing motivation and directing more effort. In the article “The Nature of Mindset” Ash Buchachan talks about Neuroplasticity, which shows that humans can develop their mindset, even adults. He likens the brain to plastic, something that can be remolded by forming new neuron connectivity. To create a new perspective, you need to recognize what you want and start training your brain in the new skill.
An excellent example of the growth mindset’s benefits is Thomas Edison, the founding father of electricity. He failed more than 5,000 times while attempting to invent the light bulb, but he did not give up, which is why you and I are enjoying artificial light to this day. When Edison presented his idea to John Pierpont Morgan, an investor in the 18th century, Morgan thought Edison’s ideas to be impossible and turned him down severally before agreeing to fund him later (America 2). Edison was considered a problematic child, so his mother decided to homeschool him; he had a rivalry with Nikola Tesla because of the inventions they both worked on. Edison discovered the Direct Current while Tesla discovered the Alternate current, which worked more effectively than D.C., and there begun their rivalry. During his lifetime Edison received 1,093 U.S. patents, all inventions he did not give up on due to failure at the beginning. Edison had a growth mindset that enabled him to keep working even after his first trials failed.
After getting rejected by twelve publishing companies, J.K Rowling sat down and decided to work till she completed her first book of the Harry Potter series. Rowling began writing her book shortly after losing her mother; she fell into depression and then moved to Portugal for an English teaching job. She taught and forgot about her book for some time and got married then shortly after getting a daughter. Life seemed to be going well for the mother of two before her marriage ended; she moved back home and went back to writing her book. She sent the script to twelve different publishers who rejected her work. But that did not deter her; she kept on writing and finally was accepted by Bloomsbury Publishing Company (Year On Team 2). The rejection she faced only fueled her to do and be better; she had a growth mindset that enabled her to learn and keep trying. Rowling went from being a jobless single mother to one of the bestselling authors of all time, which did not happen overnight; she faced rejection and always strived for success. She became one of the first females to become a billionaire author.
According to research, there are eight steps that one can take to attain a growth mindset. The first one is listening to the mindset voice inside you; it is important to first listen to your internal mindset to acknowledge if you have a problem and change your mindset. The second step is recognizing that you have a choice, to protect yourself from failure or keep trying. The third step is talking back to yourself with a growth mindset; instead of falling for the fixed mindset telling you that you’re a failure, try motivating yourself by saying that I’m not sure that I can do it but not trying is the worst form of loss there can be. The fourth step is practice, give yourself challenges, and allow you to thrive from setbacks, failures, and trials. The fifth step is finding outside help; developing a growth mindset is not something one can do; instead, we need encouragement and motivation from other people. The sixth step is to stop seeking others’ approval; while outside help is required, it is essential to not let others overstep, and it is necessary to stop comparing oneself to others. The seventh step is to replace the word failing with learning and recognizing that failing is just a new way of learning, and it’s part of everybody’s process. Finally, the eighth step is taking a growth mindset action; one needs to follow the steps and measures required to cultivate the growth mindset over time (WGU 1-3).
It is essential to note that a growth mindset cannot be obtained by just being open-minded. One has to work to get the mindset. The growth mindset is an essential aspect of psychology that directs our actions. It defines our reactions to setbacks, challenges, and failures. Dweck’s research indicated that no mindset is permanent, and a person with a fixed mindset can develop a growth mindset. A growth mindset is essential for one’s peace of mind, and one must create it to attain a stress-free life. And it can only be attained through hard work and commitment.