See all 4 images
Follow the Author
Carol S. Dweck
Follow
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Paperback – December 26, 2007
by Carol S. Dweck (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 12,802 ratings
==
Carol S. Dweck
Bornin Brooklyn, New York, The United StatesOctober 17, 1946
GenrePsychology, Health, Mind & Body, Motivational
edit data
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation and is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Her research has focused on why people succeed and how to foster success.
She has held professorships at Columbia and Harvard Universities, has lectured all over the world, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly book Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development was named Book of the Year by the World Education Federation. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20.
==
From the renowned psychologist who introduced the world to “growth mindset” comes this updated edition of the million-copy bestseller—featuring transformative insights into redefining success, building lifelong resilience, and supercharging self-improvement.
“Through clever research studies and engaging writing, Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes
“It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.”
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.
In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.
Read less
Report incorrect product information.
Print length
320 pages
Language
English
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A good book is one whose advice you believe. A great book is one whose advice you follow. This is a book that can change your life, as its ideas have changed mine.”—Robert J. Sternberg, co-author of Teaching for Wisdom, Intelligence, Creativity, and Success
“An essential read for parents, teachers [and] coaches . . . as well as for those who would like to increase their own feelings of success and fulfillment.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Everyone should read this book.”—Chip Heath and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick
“One of the most influential books ever about motivation.”—Po Bronson, author of NurtureShock
“If you manage people or are a parent (which is a form of managing people), drop everything and read Mindset.”—Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start 2.0
About the Author
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. She is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences, and has won nine lifetime achievement awards for her research. She addressed the United Nations on the eve of their new global development plan and has advised governments on educational and economic policies. Her work has been featured in almost every major national publication, and she has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, and 20/20. She lives with her husband in Palo Alto, California.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
THE MINDSETS
As a young researcher, just starting out, something happened that changed my life. I was obsessed with understanding how people cope with failures, and I decided to study it by watching how students grapple with hard problems. So I brought children one at a time to a room in their school, made them comfortable, and then gave them a series of puzzles to solve. The first ones were fairly easy, but the next ones were hard. As the students grunted, perspired, and toiled, I watched their strategies and probed what they were thinking and feeling. I expected differences among children in how they coped with the difficulty, but I saw something I never expected.
Confronted with the hard puzzles, one ten-year-old boy pulled up his chair, rubbed his hands together, smacked his lips, and cried out, “I love a challenge!” Another, sweating away on these puzzles, looked up with a pleased expression and said with authority, “You know, I was hoping this would be informative!”
What’s wrong with them? I wondered. I always thought you coped with failure or you didn’t cope with failure. I never thought anyone loved failure. Were these alien children or were they on to something?
Everyone has a role model, someone who pointed the way at a critical moment in their lives. These children were my role models. They obviously knew something I didn’t and I was determined to figure it out—to understand the kind of mindset that could turn a failure into a gift.
What did they know? They knew that human qualities, such as intellectual skills, could be cultivated through effort. And that’s what they were doing—getting smarter. Not only weren’t they discouraged by failure, they didn’t even think they were failing. They thought they were learning.
I, on the other hand, thought human qualities were carved in stone. You were smart or you weren’t, and failure meant you weren’t. It was that simple. If you could arrange successes and avoid failures (at all costs), you could stay smart. Struggles, mistakes, perseverance were just not part of this picture.
Whether human qualities are things that can be cultivated or things that are carved in stone is an old issue. What these beliefs mean for you is a new one: What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait? Let’s first look in on the age-old, fiercely waged debate about human nature and then return to the question of what these beliefs mean for you.
WHY DO PEOPLE DIFFER?
Since the dawn of time, people have thought differently, acted differently, and fared differently from each other. It was guaranteed that someone would ask the question of why people differed—why some people are smarter or more moral—and whether there was something that made them permanently different. Experts lined up on both sides. Some claimed that there was a strong physical basis for these differences, making them unavoidable and unalterable. Through the ages, these alleged physical differences have included bumps on the skull (phrenology), the size and shape of the skull (craniology), and, today, genes.
Others pointed to the strong differences in people’s backgrounds, experiences, training, or ways of learning. It may surprise you to know that a big champion of this view was Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test. Wasn’t the IQ test meant to summarize children’s unchangeable intelligence? In fact, no. Binet, a Frenchman working in Paris in the early twentieth century, designed this test to identify children who were not profiting from the Paris public schools, so that new educational programs could be designed to get them back on track. Without denying individual differences in children’s intellects, he believed that education and practice could bring about fundamental changes in intelligence. Here is a quote from one of his major books, Modern Ideas About Children, in which he summarizes his work with hundreds of children with learning difficulties:
A few modern philosophers . . . assert that an individual’s intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity which cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism. . . . With practice, training, and above all, method, we manage to increase our attention, our memory, our judgment and literally to become more intelligent than we were before.
Who’s right? Today most experts agree that it’s not either–or. It’s not nature or nurture, genes or environment. From conception on, there’s a constant give and take between the two. In fact, as Gilbert Gottlieb, an eminent neuroscientist, put it, not only do genes and environment cooperate as we develop, but genes require input from the environment to work properly.
At the same time, scientists are learning that people have more capacity for lifelong learning and brain development than they ever thought. Of course, each person has a unique genetic endowment. People may start with different temperaments and different aptitudes, but it is clear that experience, training, and personal effort take them the rest of the way. Robert Sternberg, the present-day guru of intelligence, writes that the major factor in whether people achieve expertise “is not some fixed prior ability, but purposeful engagement.” Or, as his forerunner Binet recognized, it’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR YOU? THE TWO MINDSETS
It’s one thing to have pundits spouting their opinions about scientific issues. It’s another thing to understand how these views apply to you. For twenty years, my research has shown that the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life. It can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you accomplish the things you value. How does this happen? How can a simple belief have the power to transform your psychology and, as a result, your life?
Believing that your qualities are carved in stone—the fixed mindset—creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character—well, then you’d better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.
Some of us are trained in this mindset from an early age. Even as a child, I was focused on being smart, but the fixed mindset was really stamped in by Mrs. Wilson, my sixth-grade teacher. Unlike Alfred Binet, she believed that people’s IQ scores told the whole story of who they were. We were seated around the room in IQ order, and only the highest-IQ students could be trusted to carry the flag, clap the erasers, or take a note to the principal. Aside from the daily stomachaches she provoked with her judgmental stance, she was creating a mindset in which everyone in the class had one consuming goal—look smart, don’t look dumb. Who cared about or enjoyed learning when our whole being was at stake every time she gave us a test or called on us in class?
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?
But doesn’t our society value intelligence, personality, and character? Isn’t it normal to want these traits? Yes, but . . .
There’s another mindset in which these traits are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although people may differ in every which way—in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments—everyone can change and grow through application and experience.
Do people with this mindset believe that anyone can be anything, that anyone with proper motivation or education can become Einstein or Beethoven? No, but they believe that a person’s true potential is unknown (and unknowable); that it’s impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.
Did you know that Darwin and Tolstoy were considered ordinary children? That Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers of all time, was completely uncoordinated and graceless as a child? That the photographer Cindy Sherman, who has been on virtually every list of the most important artists of the twentieth century, failed her first photography course? That Geraldine Page, one of our greatest actresses, was advised to give it up for lack of talent?
You can see how the belief that cherished qualities can be developed creates a passion for learning. Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.
A VIEW FROM THE TWO MINDSETS
To give you a better sense of how the two mindsets work, imagine—as vividly as you can—that you are a young adult having a really bad day:
One day, you go to a class that is really important to you and that you like a lot. The professor returns the midterm papers to the class. You got a C+. You’re very disappointed. That evening on the way back to your home, you find that you’ve gotten a parking ticket. Being really frustrated, you call your best friend to share your experience but are sort of brushed off.
What would you think? What would you feel? What would you do?
When I asked people with the fixed mindset, this is what they said: “I’d feel like a reject.” “I’m a total failure.” “I’m an idiot.” “I’m a loser.” “I’d feel worthless and dumb—everyone’s better than me.” “I’m slime.” In other words, they’d see what happened as a direct measure of their competence and worth.
This is what they’d think about their lives: “My life is pitiful.” “I have no life.” “Somebody upstairs doesn’t like me.” “The world is out to get me.” “Someone is out to destroy me.” “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me.” “Life is unfair and all efforts are useless.” “Life stinks. I’m stupid. Nothing good ever happens to me.” “I’m the most unlucky person on this earth.”
Excuse me, was there death and destruction, or just a grade, a ticket, and a bad phone call?
Are these just people with low self-esteem? Or card-carrying pessimists? No. When they aren’t coping with failure, they feel just as worthy and optimistic—and bright and attractive—as people with the growth mindset.
So how would they cope? “I wouldn’t bother to put so much time and effort into doing well in anything.” (In other words, don’t let anyone measure you again.) “Do nothing.” “Stay in bed.” “Get drunk.” “Eat.” “Yell at someone if I get a chance to.” “Eat chocolate.” “Listen to music and pout.” “Go into my closet and sit there.” “Pick a fight with somebody.” “Cry.” “Break something.” “What is there to do?”
What is there to do! You know, when I wrote the vignette, I intentionally made the grade a C+, not an F. It was a midterm rather than a final. It was a parking ticket, not a car wreck. They were “sort of brushed off,” not rejected outright. Nothing catastrophic or irreversible happened. Yet from this raw material the fixed mindset created the feeling of utter failure and paralysis.
When I gave people with the growth mindset the same vignette, here’s what they said. They’d think:
“I need to try harder in class, be more careful when parking the car, and wonder if my friend had a bad day.”
“The C+ would tell me that I’d have to work a lot harder in the class, but I have the rest of the semester to pull up my grade.”
There were many, many more like this, but I think you get the idea. Now, how would they cope? Directly.
“I’d start thinking about studying harder (or studying in a different way) for my next test in that class, I’d pay the ticket, and I’d work things out with my best friend the next time we speak.”
“I’d look at what was wrong on my exam, resolve to do better, pay my parking ticket, and call my friend to tell her I was upset the day before.”
“Work hard on my next paper, speak to the teacher, be more careful where I park or contest the ticket, and find out what’s wrong with my friend.”
You don’t have to have one mindset or the other to be upset. Who wouldn’t be? Things like a poor grade or a rebuff from a friend or loved one—these are not fun events. No one was smacking their lips with relish. Yet those people with the growth mindset were not labeling themselves and throwing up their hands. Even though they felt distressed, they were ready to take the risks, confront the challenges, and keep working at them.
SO, WHAT’S NEW?
Is this such a novel idea? We have lots of sayings that stress the importance of risk and the power of persistence, such as “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” or “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” (By the way, I was delighted to learn that the Italians have the same expression.) What is truly amazing is that people with the fixed mindset would not agree. For them, it’s “Nothing ventured, nothing lost.” “If at first you don’t succeed, you probably don’t have the ability.” “If Rome wasn’t built in a day, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.” In other words, risk and effort are two things that might reveal your inadequacies and show that you were not up to the task. In fact, it’s startling to see the degree to which people with the fixed mindset do not believe in effort.
Product details
Publisher : Ballantine Books; Updated Edition (December 26, 2007)
Language : English
Paperback : 320 pages
Customer Review: Carol Dweck shows a path to success for everyone.
Carl Brown
1:34
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Book Review
Lea's Ideas
8:40
Customer Review: The Concept is Great, The Writing Not So Much
Isabella Roland
0:05
Received product damaged/ ripped. Disappointed!
Customer Video
Next page
Upload your video
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Follow
Carol S. Dweck
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is widely regarded as one of the world's leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology. She has been the William B. Ransford Professor of Psychology at Columbia University and is now the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly book Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development was named Book of the Year by the World Education Fellowship. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20. She lives with her husband in Palo Alto, California.
Read less
Sponsored
How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Amazon today?
Very poor Neutral Great
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
AdamAppleby
1.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book could have easily been summed up in an article but instead it's a 240+ page book repeating essentially the same thing over and over and over. The book is about how your mindset, fixed or open, to challenges, beliefs, and overall life can have a great impact on how you adjust and what you become. As an example, if two children get an F on an assignment with different mindsets, the fixed will tend to think they're dumb and lose interest while the open will know they can learn and view it as a challenge.
That's it. I'm not being overly critical of the book or idea. That is the book stretched out using examples from sports, business, relationships, and pretty much areas where your mindset can help determine where you proceed when faced with a challenge.
I don't know how someone could give this five stars. I don't mean that to be rude but you're more or less reading the same idea on every page.
605 people found this helpful
===
Janie
1.0 out of 5 stars Rather terrible
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
This was the book that completely turned me off from the psychology/self-help genre. It lacked depth and felt like an endless repetition of comparing situations in which one person had the "proper" mindset and another had the "wrong" mindset, followed by a few condescending, didactic paragraphs on why the proper mindset was necessary in leading the former to success; it's apparently the key to everything. Very little was mentioned on *how* to actually achieve this mindset.
On the bright side, I've now become more tolerant towards other not-so-great books. It'd be pretty hard to get any worse than this one.
425 people found this helpful
===
Cong Bui
1.0 out of 5 stars The book keeps repeating the same over and over again ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
The book keeps repeating the same over and over again: the one with a fixed mindset do this, the one with a growth mindset do that... Problem is, it seems the author defined fixed or growth mindset by the action of that person him/herself, which creates a "circular reasoning", rendering the whole idea of mindset pointless.
235 people found this helpful
===
Raymond Ullmer
1.0 out of 5 stars A single blog post stretched into a book
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
Like many, I came to this book by enthusiatic recommendations of others. The main driver, the explanation of fixed vs growth mindsets and their real life implications, is covered immediately in chapter 1. What then follows for hundreds of pages are case studies that seek to "prove" the theory. Finally, on page 223, comes a primer on how to make mindset changes. This too is written from a case study perspective, and ultimately leaves the reader at the end of the book feeling like the payoff chapter you've been waiting for never arrived. It all feels a bit like...an infomercial for something outside the book.
The thesis of fixed vs growth IS an interesting topic. The thing is: it's not new. Fixed, pre-determination is otherwise known as "post modernism", and growth-based, self- determination is "existentialism". I find it very ironic that politically unpopular existentialism - the thought that YOU, not your environment are in control of your outcome - has found a rabid new audience under the renamed "growth mindset"! I'll give Ms. Dweck credit for that trick alone.
It's a great idea, but the book itself is a shambles. If you read the first and last chapters, you'll have not missed anything. One star for at least providing the spark of an idea.
221 people found this helpful
===
THIAGO ZANETTI
1.0 out of 5 stars 240 pages of the same thing
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
By the 45th page the author repeated the same idea 23914820395825092385 times. :D
I did not understand why she kept repeating the same thing over and over and over again.
Impossible to keep reading. Left it at the coffee shop for some one else to read.
117 people found this helpful
===
M. S.
4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing premise with plenty of great examples, but it lacks consistency and completeness in analysis and strategies.
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
I finished reading the book from start to finish and as with many self-help books, it may seem too full of anecdotes and not enough scientific background and strategies for the reader to use. However, I think that together, they help to cover all angles of what the author is conveying. However, I wish that she had analyzed each aspect more equally and gave more deductive reasoning and finished with specific strategies for the reader to use in each scenario.
While she was comparatively very thorough in the parenting and school portions, she breezed through the relationships aspect of life and also the business one to a lesser extent.
Some anecdotes that were given were left hanging with an abrupt "this is not how you do it if you want goal x." Well, then tell me why?! And, how?! Nope, she moves on to a whole new topic with another anecdote and sometimes tiny and generic analysis.
Here seems to be a contradiction... One bigger question among others:
*In terms of competition in relationships, if that scientist woman Cynthia claimed to try to share the life and interests of her partners by performing at her best at what they did, then why was she at fault when her partners were being driven away? Wouldn't that be a problem of them and not her? If she was not being rude, pushy, and boastful about her talents but merely reaching her own potential in subjects that her partners were interested in, wouldn't she be a growth-minded woman with fixed-minded partners? Why just end it with "there are many good ways to support a partner and this is not one of them?"
Read less
71 people found this helpful
==
Top reviews from other countries
Joshua de Vries
3.0 out of 5 stars Very repetitive and concept could be summed up in a paragraph
Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
Repetitive to the point of exhaustion.
Felt more like an attempt at brainwash than anything really interesting.
I will save you all the money and tell you the final conclusion:
People can continue to learn and get smarter.
IQ is not a fixed thing and can constantly be improved by anyone.
Anyone who believes otherwise or that they are special are in a "fixed mindset".
Anyone who believes they can improve their intelligence/skills/knowledge is in a "growth mindset".
Growth mindset is better than fixed mindset.
84 people found this helpful
===
AJ
2.0 out of 5 stars both great reads. I found that this book was very ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
I came across this book while reading bounce by Matthew Syed, and also outliers by Malcolm gladwell. However the forementioned books provide a much more succinct and effective synopsis of the growth mindset, both great reads. I found that this book was very badly structured, making it a hard read, plus the author seemed to repeat herself over and over again
31 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Alex
5.0 out of 5 stars Optimistic and Practical
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
Carol's book is an excellent exploration of what it takes to become better, at anything. An inspirational philosophy that shifts away from ideas of "I'm great/terrible" and towards "I can improve no matter where I am".
Even if you don't agree with every argument made in the book (I didn't) it's a thought-provoking read nonetheless. Especially useful for people who have strong ideas around their "natural talents".
I can safely say I'll be taking many of the ideas in this book with me into the future - optimistic and practical.
6 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Alice
2.0 out of 5 stars A very good point of growth vs fixed mindsets however could be summarised in 15 vs 300 pages
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book makes a very valid point on the importance and differences of a growth mindset vs a fixed one...but it could be literally summarised in a few pages. Instead you get 300 pages of examples for different life situations that in essence make the same point...it's really a drag to read and would have been better if the author used the pages to provide perhaps more verbal guidelines of how to 'speak' in business, parenting, relationships with a growth mindset terminology (verbs, nouns, concrete phrases based on different life situations) vs just reinforcing the same point over and over again based on known to her examples or research.
One person found this helpful
Report abuse
piotr
5.0 out of 5 stars It opens mind
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2020
Verified Purchase
Amazing book I highly reccomend. Bought an audio before and this one for anybody else
Report abuse
===
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
by Carol S. Dweck
4.07 · Rating details · 119,555 ratings · 9,212 reviews
A newer edition of this book can be found here.
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset — those who believe that abilities are fixed — are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset — those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.
In this edition, Dweck offers new insights into her now famous and broadly embraced concept. She introduces a phenomenon she calls false growth mindset and guides people toward adopting a deeper, truer growth mindset. She also expands the mindset concept beyond the individual, applying it to the cultures of groups and organizations. With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love — to transform their lives and your own. (less)
GET A COPY
KoboOnline Stores ▾Book Links ▾
Hardcover, 276 pages
Published February 28th 2006 by Random House (first published 2006)
Original TitleMindset: The New Psychology of Success
Edition LanguageEnglish
Other Editions (107)
Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential
Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
All Editions | Add a New Edition | Combine
...Less DetailEdit Details
EditMY ACTIVITY
Review of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Hardcover)
Rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Shelves to-read edit
( 1539th )
Format Hardcover edit
Status
May 25, 2022 – Shelved as: to-read
May 25, 2022 – Shelved
Review Write a review
Write a review
Joshua Guest
Dec 24, 2012Joshua Guest rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Okay, so the idea is fine, and usable, and easy to explain to others, and pretty simple. I was about to give this book a one-star rating because I was so irritated with Dr. Dweck trying to shoehorn her idea into every single success story in the history of humanity and basically saying that her theory was the best explanation of that success. Conversely, every failure could have been averted but for a change in mindset. It was the Fixed mindset that caused the Chicago Cubs to never win a World Series. If only they had the Growth mindset, like the Yankees, they would win more World Series.
Dweck may be too in love with her own ideas to realize that she oversells the usefulness of her theory to the extent that the portion that is actually workable seems underwhelming after cutting away from her salesman-like puffery. However, Mindset still serves as a useful supplement to a change manager's library. Its principles are serviceable to the manager, the parent, the spouse, the student, and the teacher.
Just don't mistake it for a panacea.
(less)
flag794 likes · Like · 52 comments · see review
Kirsten
Jul 30, 2015Kirsten rated it did not like it
Let me preface this review by saying that my boss made me read this book, because, apparently, reading assignments are something that I should have as a 5th year PhD candidate. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure no one should require me to read a shitty waste-of time self help book.
Let me save you the money and the aggravation: The point of this book is (admittedly) not terrible, but it could be summed up real fast. Here you go, you're welcome.
Often, people see their abilities as 'fixed' and this attitude stops them from working to better themselves, turns out that if you work hard and keep the right can-do attitude, that you can accomplish more than if you think you're doomed to be a particular skill level forever. There are examples of this all around you.
Boom. Done. But no. What you get with this book is an endless diatribe. Hey, you remember that thing that happened in history? Where X person did Y thing that turned out to be good/bad? Well, if it was bad, it was TOTALLY because they had a fixed mindset. If it was good, it was 100% because of their growth mindset. This is true of literally any example in history ever no matter how poorly researched it might be. Is there any scientific basis for these historical claims? Absolutely not. Michael Jordan? SURE THING. That guy from that one business that went bad? WHAT A FIX MINDED DUMBASS. Bethoven? Duh. Seriously, I don't think I have ever read something so repetitive and belabored in my life. Sure, lady, you make a good point: People shouldn't limit themselves. Maybe give it a break after about 15 pages and I think it would probably be plenty.
Also, if you tell me that I wouldn't be depressed if I just had a better attitude about it, I'm going to be upset and lose faith in your credibility.
Seriously, kids, don't waste your time on this. And if your boss tells you to read it, don't bother, just read this helpful review again. (less)
flag482 likes · Like · 36 comments · see review
Cerealflakes
Nov 18, 2011Cerealflakes rated it it was ok
I keep hearing educators praising this author and, specifically, this book. Maybe she's better in person. I found this book trite. It was very repetitive and full of cherry picked stories pulled out just to prove her obvious conclusion. Are there really people who think that if you go into something with a negative attitude it won't affect the outcome? She goes to the extreme with the positive attitude stuff, though. I just don't buy that anyone can do anything if they just try hard enough. Not trying guarantees you won't do it, but trying really hard doesn't mean you will. Lots of people try hard for years to get into the Olympics and they don't. It doesn't mean that they didn't work as hard as someone who did. The author also inserted herself pretty aggressively into this book. Her story about tears streaming down her face at the wonderfulness of Italians was too much. This book is dated enough that her stories of the greatness of Tiger Woods is pretty funny.
I found Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers to be a much better book about a similar topic. (less)
flag181 likes · Like · 12 comments · see review
Amir Tesla
Jun 07, 2015Amir Tesla rated it really liked it
Shelves: favorites, cognitive-science, success
For practical insights refer to: Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
Have ever noticed those geeks, geniuses, and world-class achievers while thinking to yourself, gosh, if only I had such talents, or if only I had such high IQ? Disappointing, I know, I have been there. Perhaps, such way of thinking and having such beliefs about IQ and talent is the biggest hurdle in the way of great success and achievement.
Thinking that we are born with a pre-determined IQ and talent, is called fixed-mindset according to Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University. The bad news is that people with fixed-mindset live a mediocre life and barely achieve anything extraordinary. The good news, however, is that you can readily change your fixed-mindset and adopt a growth-mindset which is the default mode thinking of world-class achievers.
In this book review, I will provide a summary of the key points in the book “Mindset: The psychology of success”. In addition, I will provide you with practical insights on how you can apply the concepts in the book and alter this self-limiting belief. So, let’s learn how to think like pros.
The two mindsets and how they determine your future
Dweck, as a young researcher, has always been obsessed with understanding how people cope with failure. So, at schools, she brings children into a room and gives them a series of puzzles to solve. Puzzles start from fairly easy and continue to get harder and harder. As the students grunt, perspire and toil, she watches their strategies. This is where she gets shocked by the two starkly different approaches children adopted when facing difficult challenges.
Confronted with harder puzzles, one ten-year-old pulls up his chair, rubs his hands together, smacks his lips, and cries out, “I love a challenge! Another, seating away on the puzzles, looks up with a pleased expression and says with authority, “You know, I was hoping this would be informative!” As Dweck puts it:
What’s wrong with them? I wondered. I always thought you coped with failure or you didn’t cope with failure. I never thought anyone loved failure. Were these alien children or were they on to something?
These children turned out to be thinking with a growth-mindset. A person with a growth mindset believes that human qualities, such as intellectual skills, can be cultivated through effort. Having this belief, not only they do not get discouraged by failure, they don’t even think they are failing. Rather, they think that they are learning, and consequently, they get smarter!
The superpower of people with growth-mindset is that they have the confidence and courage to start and accomplish anything; and they do accomplish because, in the face of many inevitable failures, they are not discouraged. They do not say to themselves I am a failure, rather, they say I failed. Hence, they persevere, and they will triumph at the task.
People with a fixed-mindset, on the other hand, think that human qualities are carved in stone. You are smart or you are not, and failure means you are not. The sad story for people with fixed-mindset is that the try to avoid failure at all costs, so they can stay (feel) smart. Struggles, mistakes, perseverance are just not part of their philosophy.
Why do people differ
The question that arises here, is why some people are endowed with a growth-mindset, while the others are doomed with the fixed-mindset. The answer is in their childhood upbringing and it is really simple.
Imagine you are given a puzzle and you solve it. Now your parent sees your accomplishment. This is where the seeds to glory or mediocrity get implanted. If your parent praised you in the lines of:
Look, what a smart boy/girl …
You are so intelligent, excellent …
Sorry to tell, but you are doomed if you have heard similar praises during your childhood. Such complements may come from your parents, teachers, caretakers, the source doesn’t really matter. But wait for a second, aren't such praises suppose to uplift your spirit and raise your confidence?
Well, let's see what happens behind the curtain (in your subconscious mind) when you are complimented on a trait, over which you have not direct control (in this case, IQ and intelligence).
Imagine you have solved a puzzle and received a juicy complement hinting on you high IQ or intelligence. Now, you are given a harder puzzle, you strive to solve it, but, you notice it is taking much more time. This is where the self-limiting seeds start to grow. In your subconscious you will start a self-dialog along these lines: hmm, wasn’t I a smart boy/girl, why am I not able to solve this puzzle then??? Hmm, maybe this is just how smart I am. My intelligence is limited to those tasks only …
From then on, you will be very conservative of the activities you will get yourself into for the sake of preserving your self-esteem. Too bad! Don’t freak out though if you are in this category, I will share with you how you can easily change this self-limiting mindset as we proceed.
Now, let’s see how children are endowed with the growth mindset.
Imagine, again, the very same scenario, you solve a problem and now it is time for some praises … Your parent, instructor, while marveling at your accomplishments, says:
Hmm, good job, this might have been an easy puzzle, let’s do something more challenging…
or
Hmm, good job, you seem to have worked so hard, let’s move on to a harder puzzle.
Take note that in the second scenario, there is no emphasis on an innate trait, rather, the praise is on something which is you have control over, that is, your efforts and how hard you work.
Now let’s examine your self-dialog as you face the new harder challenge. When you try to solve the puzzle and it takes time more than the usual, if you could play your subconscious mind’s voice a little louder, you would hear:
Hmm, I have not yet solved it, I have not tried enough, I must work harder on it, it is exciting.
You see the difference?
How do I know if I have fixed-mindset or growth-mindset
The cornerstone of change is to first acknowledge that a shortcoming exist. So, to uncover if you have the fixed or growth-mindset, read the sentences below:
Our intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much.
You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are.
No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
You can always substantially change how intelligent you are.
If you agree more with the sentences 1, and 2, you are mostly behaving and operating with a fixed-mindset, and if you identify yourself with sentences 3, and 4, you operating with a growth-mindset.
When asked people, ranging from children to young adults: When Do You Feel Smart: When you are flawless or when you are learning? Here are how differently people with a fixed-mindset replied:
It’s when I don’t make any mistakes.
When I finish something fast and it’s perfect.
When Something is easy for me but other people can’t do it.
And this is how people with growth-mindset replied:
When it’s really hard, and I try really hard, and I can do something I couldn’t do before.
When I work on something for a long time and I start to figure it out.
See the difference? Which set of answers resonates most with you?
There was a saying in 1960 which read: “Becoming is better than being”. The fixed-mindset robs people from the luxury of becoming. They have to already be.
Mindset in relationships
Mindsets manifest themselves in every domain, whether you are a leader, teacher, parent, or a husband/wife. I chose relationship since I guess there are lots of myths around this topic (we all once craved to find our one true soulmate I guess), and also you must beware that even people with growth-mindset, might approach a domain like relationships with fixed-mindset.
People with fixed-mindset think that if their relationship is the right one, and if they are compatible with one another, well, this means most things will fall into its place. In the face of problems, they tremble and threads of doubts and fears start to sneak in.
People with fixed-mindset say if this is the right relationship and if we are compatible, there must be no need for hustle and hard work to get it to work. Remember the delusions sparked by the fixed-mindset? “If you have the ability, then you shouldn’t work hard for it”.
Aaron Beck, noted marriage authority, says that one of the most destructive beliefs for a relationship is “If we need to work at it, there’s something seriously wrong with our relationship.” Says John Gottman, a foremost relationship researcher:
Every marriage demands an effort to keep it on the right track; there is a constant tension . . . between the forces that hold you together and those that can tear you apart.
As with personal achievement, this belief—that success should not need effort—robs people of the very thing they need to make their relationship thrive. It’s probably why so many relationships go stale—because people believe that being in love means never having to do anything taxing.
How do I go from fixed-mindset to growth-mindset
In this section, I share with you how you can adopt a growth mindset. Congrats, we have already taken the first step by shedding the light on these two modes of thinking. Regardless of these further steps, the sheer awareness of these two mindsets takes you a long way, but, it may not be enough.
One way which is a profoundly effective way to instill the growth-mindset is studying the lives of great performers, and world-known figures like Michael Jordan, Mozart, Michelangelo, etc. Why, you might ask. The reason is that when you study the lives of such achievers, you will notice a common theme in their life story and that it, “hard work”, and not talent or IQ. While people marveled at the Pietà masterpiece, this is how the wizard, Michelangelo responded:
If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all...
For practical insights refer to: Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
(less)
flag119 likes · Like · 16 comments · see review
Jamie Doerschuck
Oct 25, 2013Jamie Doerschuck rated it did not like it
Shelves: self, did-not-finish
I think a lot of people who rated this book highly must have had a "fixed mindset".
I think this book was a waste of money, personally. The tone of the book is very repetitive and annoying. Essentially people with a growth mindset are better than people without it in every possible way. If you have a fixed mindset you'll have lower grades in school, be unhappier, die earlier, be fatter, (be more likely to) never get married, make a bundle less money, you name it! It reads more like fear mongering than actual research, rattling off a list of everyone's most basic fears "But if you listen to me, Carol Dweck, all of your dreams and more will come true!".
I also don't recall Dweck listing many references to any of her research, you're just supposed to take her stories at face value "Because I'm a researcher!".
Mindset offers a lot of words with little substance. I will admit that I haven't finished the book, and I don't plan to. Dweck's tone really just grated on my nerves, and I don't feel I gained anything useful from reading what parts of the book I read. I can't imagine anything more useful coming to light at the end. (less)
flag89 likes · Like · 11 comments · see review
Michael
Mar 12, 2011Michael rated it it was amazing
Excellent book. This one sounds like a typical self-help book, but it's a real find. The author is a pyschology researcher at Columbia, and her book is filled with insights and illustrations regarding the differences that a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset can have when applied to business, parenting, school, and relationships. Her research has been highlighted in many venues, including an excellent book on parenting titled Nurture Shock.
I give it 5 stars because I can see so much of myself in the book's description of the fixed mindset. The book's message spoke to me and the mindset I've adopted in some areas of my life. I'm particularly prone to the "Effort Gone Awry" scenario where I would work hard, but not with a growth mindset (i.e., one associated with the love of learning). Rather, I'd be working hard to prove myself to others. I worked hard to have achievements that would validate my self worth and adopted identity. The downside is that you end up being unwilling to take risks or face tough challenges (if you fail, your self worth goes down). Also, you end up running yourself ragged and being stressed out because you're afraid of losing the approval of others if you don't succeed.
I find the growth mindset fits very well within a Christian perspective as our life in God needs to be always one of continual growth -- "higher up and deeper in" as C.S. Lewis would say. The fixed vs. growth mindset isn't the whole story, but it's an important part of the puzzle in helping us better understand how our minds work.
I like the diagram on p.245 that I believe sums up the message of the book.
Fixed Mindset:
-E.g., Intelligence is static
Leads to a desire to look smart and therefore a tendency to...
Challenges: avoid challenges
Obstacles: get defensive or give up easily
Effort: see effort as fruitless or worse
Criticism: ignore useful negative feedback
Success of others: feel threatened by the success of others
=> As a result, they may plateau early and achieve less than their full potential
Growth Mindset:
-E.g., Intelligence can be developed
Leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to...
Challenges: embrace challenges
Obstacles: persist in the face of setbacks
Effort: see effort as the path to mastery
Criticism: learn from criticism
Success of others: find lessons and inspiration in the success of others
=> As a result, they reach ever-higher levels of achievement
These basic questions are also helpful in developing a growth mindset.
I need to continually ask myself:
-What are the opportunities for learning and growth today? For myself? For the people around me?
As I think of opportunities and form a plan, I need to ask:
When, where, and how will I embark on my plan?
As I encounter difficulties, I need to ask:
When, where, and how will I act on my new plan?
And when you succeed, ask yourself:
What do I have to do to maintain and continue the growth? (less)
flag79 likes · Like · 5 comments · see review
Becca
Mar 13, 2014Becca rated it did not like it
Shelves: nonfiction, abandoned, cultural-commentary
It's pretty bad when after 15 pages, I want to fling a book away in disgust. But I kept reading. (Okay, it turned into skimming pretty quickly). And it DIDN'T GET BETTER.
I've read several thoughtful and interesting pieces of journalism lately referencing the general thesis of this book that were really thought provoking. But the book itself is just empty tripe and cliches, without adding any content of interest to bolster the general idea that it's more important to foster a growth mindset over a static mindset in people, so that they can better cope with and adapt to situations in which they are not just naturally talented. I'm actually very sympathetic to this general idea, but the book was just terribly written, and in fact made me wonder if I should rethink my agreement with her.
Here is just a small sampling of ridiculousness that is within the pages of this book:
- A section is literally begun with the words "Since the dawn of time." Your average ninth grader should be aware that this is a terrible idea.
- An extensive summary of the movie "Groundhog's Day" is given as support for a theory of psychology.
- Half the book is filled with "interesting trivia" that suggest that people who begin stupid can work hard and be AMAZING!!! For example, did you know people thought Einstein was slow as a child?! - Yes, everybody knows that piece of faux-trivia. And it's not even true - real evolutionary psychologists believe that Einstein's brain was larger than average in areas that encourage spatial reasoning and an intuitive grasp of numbers. (Steven Pinker told me that in _The Blank Slate_. After about three pages of this book, it was not hard to decide which author I find more credible.)
- So many ridiculous cliches (introduced as ARGUMENTS and EVIDENCE) that it would be impossible to catalogue them all. This book is practically an encyclopedia of phrases like "nothing ventured, nothing gained!" and "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
- The explanations of the research projects that created these "findings" make it obvious that you cannot trust these results. For instance, they presented kindergarteners with a test that they said was "very important." Before administering the test, they asked followup questions of the five year olds: "Do you think this test will measure how smart you are?" and "Do you think this test will measure how smart you will be as a grown-up?" Almost all of them said yes, except for one five year old I am certain is fictional, who responded "No way! Ain't no test that can measure that!" If you ask a FIVE YEAR OLD an extremely leading question who has been given no information, you are almost guaranteed to get a shower of "yes!" answers. The fact that they didn't immediately display suspiciousness toward researchers and critically deconstruct their questions is evidence of nothing. At best, it's evidence that children respond to leading questions and/or don't listen and think very deeply or carefully when asked leading questions.
- There is one section that is full of reports about "genius children" to suggest that some of them turned out well (the ones who still applied hard work) and some who didn't (because they just rested on their natural proclivities). All of these stories feel impossible to believe the way they are presented. The author read a book once that told a story about a four month old baby who asked his parents "Mom and Dad, what are we eating for dinner tonight?" This is third-hand, not cited, and completely un-credible. (Even if a baby was genius enough to speak in full sentences at four months old, he cannot eat solid food yet, so why on earth does he care what they are making for dinner?).
In short, this might be the worst book I've ever read. Before reading it, I was very persuaded by its premise. After reading it and discovering that at least this explanation of the thesis is the opposite of convincing, I will approach all writers who accept this theory with a huge degree of distrust and suspicion.
(less)
flag70 likes · Like · 6 comments · see review
Thomas
Oct 09, 2013Thomas rated it liked it
Shelves: psychology, nonfiction
Great overarching concept, lackluster execution. In Mindset, Professor of Psychology Carol S. Dweck discusses the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. The fixed mindset focuses on immovable measures of achievement and ability, such as the idea that everyone is born with a certain amount of unchangeable intelligence. The growth mindset advocates that everyone can improve themselves in any area of life through hard work. Dweck argues that we should adapt the growth mindset because it aids in parenting, academics, relationships, and more.
As a Psychology major I learned about growth and fixed mindsets in my classes, and it was cool to see Dweck apply the concepts to several different areas, such as sports, marriage, and politics. However, I wish she had done more with her main argument: instead of delving deeper into the psychology behind the mindsets, it felt like she stayed at the surface level of her ideas and applied them to a wide range of interesting yet repetitive anecdotes. She could have connected growth and fixed mindsets to mental health, stereotype threat, feminism, or an assortment of other topics that would have strengthened the thesis of her book.
After 276 pages, I did not feel like I learned anything new. It's not like anything Dweck wrote was wrong or bad, but I could capture her main argument and share it with people just by having them read an article or two, as opposed to this entire book. (less)
flag66 likes · Like · 3 comments · see review
SJ Loria
Aug 09, 2013SJ Loria rated it it was ok
Watered down and scientifically not that accurate (grit is a part of conscientiousness - see studies below), welcome to education's favorite book!
Here is my two sentence summary of this book (best spoken in kindergartner teacher voice): There are two kinds of people in the world, people who believe things are fixed, others who believe they can change through hard work and effort, so believe in the ladder and success will open in front of you! Hooray you are a special snowflake that can grow!
Heavy on the inspirational stories and antidotes, light on the data to support some of the arguments and essentially void of the how to. I agree that the right attitude, one that embraces struggle and hard work in order to increase your talents (which are not fixed, but fluid), helps you succeed in life. But it's about putting ideas into action. This book offers very little practical advice or steps one can take in order to do so. I think most people, after reading this, get that warm fuzzy feeling that wow, this makes sense! But then that fades, and life resumes, and it's just a book on the shelf. Maybe even a companion book to put this idea into action to train the elephant in you (thanks Happiness Hypothesis).
Ultimately, success requires the right attitude but also the sweat to make it happen. And this doesn't really offer practical steps on how to make it happen. There ain't no short cut.
Studies that debunk this book:
http://communityconnectors.ohio.gov/P... (read the abstract page one) (less)
flag55 likes · Like · 5 comments · see review
Otis Chandler
Mar 19, 2007Otis Chandler rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: nonfiction, parenting, business, psychology
2 notes & 12 highlights
Recommended in Stanford Magazine and by Guy Kawasaki.
A very useful book about the growth mindset. Essentially, the book makes a case that those people who look at everything they do in life as a learning opportunity are much more successful.
I think where this comes into play most often is when we face a setback, or a failure. Whether thats getting rejected from something (a job, a team, etc), messing up at work, having your boss yell at you, losing at something, getting laid off, making a bad bet, etc - most of us have many setbacks in our lives. How we deal with those is incredibly important. If we let the setback define us, we might think we aren't talented after all, and lose confidence. If on the other hand, we look at it as something we can learn from, we improve as a person.
I came at the book as it was recommended to me as being good for parents. My daughter is only 1.6 years, but already she is learning fast. The book recommends praising our children's efforts, instead of their results. Telling them they are "amazing", and "smart" is so easy to do, but if you do that their whole lives they won't succeed when they get to the real world. What you want is to encourage a learning attitude. This quote sums it up:
"So what should we say when children complete a task—say, math problems—quickly and perfectly? Should we deny them the praise they have earned? Yes. When this happens, I say, “Whoops. I guess that was too easy. I apologize for wasting your time. Let’s do something you can really learn from!"
Looking at life as a constant challenge is fun. And you can't fail at a personal challenge! Here is a great mental imagery technique the book mentioned when you are doing something you are bad at:
"Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and learn. Keep on going."
Another interesting bit was how people at the top of their game can get caught up in a fixed mindset. You see this in sports all the team - the champion team from last year thinks they can cruise through this year, doesn't work hard, and suddenly they are losing a lot. It's so hard to maintain the edge. John Wooden puts it best:
"I believe ability can get you to the top,” says coach John Wooden, “but it takes character to keep you there.… It’s so easy to … begin thinking you can just ‘turn it on’ automatically, without proper preparation. It takes real character to keep working as hard or even harder once you’re there. When you read about an athlete or team that wins over and over and over, remind yourself, ‘More than ability, they have character.'" (less)
flag47 likes · Like · 4 comments · see review
Stark
Dec 27, 2008Stark rated it really liked it
This is probably all i really need to hear out of this book, but i will read the whole thing anyway. there are two mindsets. fixed and growth.
Believing that your qualities are carved in stone -- the fixed mindset -- creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character -- well, then you'd better prove you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn't do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics.
...
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?
...
There's another mindset in which these traits are not simply a hand you're dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you are secretly worried it's a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you're dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.
...
Do people with this mindset believe that anyone can be anything, that anyone with proper motivation or education can become Einstein or Beethoven? No, but they believe that a person's true potential is unknown (and unknowable); that's its impossible to forsee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.
"a person's true potential is unknown (and unknowable)" i feel like those words contain so much freedom for both those who have been made crazy by high expectations in their upbringing, and put down with low ones. it is not a knowable thing, what your potential is, anyone who told you they knew, it was a lie, and you have nothing to prove and nothing to hide? what a relief (less)
flag43 likes · Like · 5 comments · see review
Alex
Jul 24, 2011Alex rated it it was ok
Shelves: psychology-excellence-etc
Another book that attempts to build upon the research of Anders Ericsson.
The way I read it, I would break the book into 3 parts:
Part 1: How people fail because they don't have the right mindset
Part 2: How people success because they have the right mindset
Part 3: You could also call this part 2a - it basically deals with children and success in school, home, etc.
The first part of the book was the worst. Its case after case of "this person tried to succeed and failed because he didn't have the right mindset". Great. So what was the right mindset? She doesn't tell you. How do you obtain it, or get into that mindset? She doesn't tell you. She tells you whats wrong without explaining WHY it is wrong, etc. She sorta reserves that for the next part of the book. Also, there is no form. Its kind of a rambling, unorganized mess. You read it and are wondering "Ok, this person failed, that person failed. They didn't have the right mindset. Do you mind explaining to me what the right mindset ACTUALLY IS? How a bout how do *I* get the right mindset so I can avoid all this?" Some of those questions never get answered.
The second part of the book has all these success stories, and she tells you that they were successful because they had the right mindset. She delves slightly into what the right mindset is, but there really aren't a new revelations here. And she never tells you how to get into that mindset. IOW, there is nothing in the book about motivation (intrinsic or extrinsic). There is nothing about background and upbringing or lessons learn earlier in life. There is no compare and contrast with the first part of the book to bring things into a proper context.
IOW, shes not teaching you about mindset, shes just telling you. Thanks. Its like describing to someone how the piano is played vs actually giving someone lessons.
If you are interested in this type of material, check out Geoffry Colvin's "Talent Is Overrated" and Matthew Sayid's "Bounce" - preferably in that order. Read it and you will see all that this book is missing. And though Colvin's book can get dry at time, it still has forward movement, and ideas build upon previous ones, and things are explained very well. All things that this one is lacking. (less)
flag37 likes · Like · 2 comments · see review
Justin Tate
Jul 04, 2017Justin Tate rated it it was amazing
This is as simple as it is revolutionary. Should be required reading for parents and educators, but everyone can benefit--even if you aren't really on the prowl for 'success'. What I love most is that the concept will improve yourself, but even if you struggle to change your mindset from 'fixed' to 'growth' you can instill benefits on others by praising work rather than talent.
If you've ever praised someone for being 'smart' or destined to be the 'next Mozart' or a 'natural' you'll realize that you've inadvertently wrecked havoc on their psyche. As victims of this type of praise, you'll learn how to change your mindset after being damaged. Of course the book is much more than that, but those segments were the most life-changing for me. The 'growth' and 'fixed' mindset concepts extend to every aspect of life and, unlike many self-help books, it's not necessarily something that's common sense. This IS revolutionary. Check it out!!! (less)
flag37 likes · Like · 1 comment · see review
Tanja Berg
Aug 15, 2017Tanja Berg rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction, psychology-psychiatry, business
I bought this book last year, but didn't get around to it. While reading something else recently, it referred to this one and I decided to give it a go.
The basic premise is that "the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life."
"Believing that your qualities are carved in stone - the fixed mindset - creates and urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character - well, then you'd better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn't do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characterstics."
"The growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. Although many people may differ in every which way - in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests or temperaments - everyone can change and grow through application and experience."
I've done some soul searching on myself, because I can certainly be angst-ridden and defensive. However, no matter how terribly I've failed, I have always tried again. I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as talent, only practice. It wasn't just Malcolm Gladwell who convinced me of this.
I went to an elite highschool. We were all told we were smart, but that that would not put us through - only effort would. The growth mindset cultivated in my class led to many remarkable achievements. I had already cultivated good study habits, and these saw me through. I was more interested in learning than in being the best - the latter would have been futile in the group I was in anyway.
The psychology classes of those highschool years taught me about IQ tests and the difficulty of measuring such a thing because of biases. It also taught me that most of the things measured could be learned. The IQ tests I have taken prove as much. I excel at langauge, anagrams, visual patterns and numbers - these are things I have practiced. I suck at logic. I never really attempted to learn it in the theory of knowledge classes either, but I could have and could still.
When I was appointed my first management position, I read. When I got more responsibility and felt overwhelmed, I went back to part-time school and took a semester of work and organization psychology. This also involved some very specific things around Norwegian employment law, in addition to learning more about how people react to different situations. These classes were incredibly helpful. If I had had a fixed mindset, I would probably not have put so much effort into learning how to be a better boss having believed my traits and talents fixed. But I'm not done, and I never will be - there are always more things to learn.
Lately I've become better at recognizing destructive thought patterns and tweaking my reactions. This is cognitive psychology, something this author doesn't seem to hold high in regard. However, the cognitive psychology I have been reading focuses much on behavior. If you want to live a more healthy lifestyle, start behaving like you are. Get your ass out of the sofa. And so forth. I find that the cognitive approach and the growth mindset go hand in hand.
When things go to hell, don't take it personally but do accept personal responsibility for it. Learn what you can, move on and do better next time. Take it from me, the biggest screw up contain the biggest potential lessons.
There is no talent. There is only effort and practice.
(less)
