Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset – How to Know What Yours Is

You are right if you think your thoughts and capabilities matter the most in transforming your life. Our perception of our talents and abilities shapes our mood; it can also influence our accomplishments, whether we adopt new habits or try new skills. This subject discusses growth versus a fixed mindset and how to know what yours is.

A growth mindset implies a firm belief in harnessing talent and intelligence with time. A fixed mindset means you think intelligence is unchangeable, so you can never develop it if you don’t have a skill or excellence. This article will help you get motivated to adopt a positive perception of growth and development. Let’s first understand what growth and fixed mindsets are, how a growth mindset can benefit us and if people can switch to a growth mindset with time.

Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset – How to Know What Yours Is

A fixed mindset makes you believe your intelligence and talent are fixed. If you cannot achieve something, it will always remain unapproachable. A growth mindset lets you believe in yourself and your capabilities. You can polish your skills and talent with constant learning and effort. Furthermore, your mindset about perceiving different things play a significant part in your motivation, accomplishment, and strength.

People might be aware of these descriptions of growth mindset and fixed mindset, but some might want to learn what their mindset is. How can you turn your fixed mindset into a growth one? Renowned psychologist, Dr. Carol Dweck says:

« It’s not just that some people recognize the value of challenging themselves and the importance of effort. Our research has shown that this comes directly from the growth mindset. When we teach people the growth mindset, with its focus on development, these ideas about challenge and effort follow.

As you begin to understand the fixed and growth mindsets, you will see exactly how one thing leads to another—how a belief that your qualities are carved in stone leads to a host of thoughts and actions, and how a belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road. »

What is a Growth Mindset?

People with a growth mindset believe they can improve their skills and talents through learning and efforts. They perceive intelligence and smartness as quickly acquirable with time and effort. It doesn’t imply that growth mindset individuals can be the next Stephen Hawking. A growth mindset means that obstacles are a part of the growth journey and lets people stand firm by boosting motivational strives.

This mindset doesn’t perceive failure as permanent, rather it is integral for learning, growing, and staying motivated. People with a growth mindset possess the following traits:

• Quick to adapt learning
• Believe they can upscale their abilities
• Strive more to learn
• Believe their efforts can turn into excellence
• Believe failures are not permanent
• Take feedback constructively
• Ready to accept challenges
• Become genuinely inspired to see others succeed

What is a Fixed Mindset?

Those with a fixed mindset have limited beliefs; they think their abilities and talents are fixed. These people are not willing to take on challenges in life; they quickly lose hope and feel insecure by seeing other people’s success. Fixed-minded people usually have negative perceptions about life and life experiences. They believe that if a person is not intelligent enough, he can never gain smartness because it’s something that comes by default.

A fixed mindset harms a person; for example, if a fixed-minded person experiences failure, he will blame it on his fixed capabilities. A person with a growth mindset on facing failure would want to learn from it and improve skills with practice.

Such types of people believe that personality traits are fixed regardless of efforts. Fixed-minded people mostly:

• Believe that skills and intelligence are fixed
• Reluctant to take on challenges due to fear of failure
• Avoid feedback from successful people
• Feel insecure about other people’s accomplishments
• Hide their mistakes to avoid judgment
• Take feedback as a criticism
• Lose hope easily

How was the growth mindset discovered?

Before we explore the benefits of a growth mindset, let’s first learn who discovered this mindset. Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, first explored and studied the growth mindset. She conducted exemplary research on people’s failures and successes and the reasons behind both experiences.

In one of her studies, some school kids got a challenge with different levels of puzzles. Researchers were surprised to observe that some students who failed the challenge took it as a learning curve. This positive approach helped Dweck invent the term, ‘growth mindset.’

Dweck’s studies also show, as opposed to general perception, that appreciating the process is more important than praising natural talent and skills. According to her research, personality traits like planning, perseverance, and resilience should be encouraged. These processes are integral in offering positive responses and nurturing a healthy relationship between educators and students.

In another study, she described the effort as a crucial part of a growth mindset; however, it shouldn’t be the focal point of praise. In the case of students, their efforts should be a source of learning and rectification. The idea of nurturing a growth mindset lies in constantly telling ourselves that we have made a « great effort ». However, we should also strive for improvement, to feel positive in that moment and beyond.

Benefits of a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset positively influences our performance, whether it’s academic or professional. When you have a growth mindset, you don’t fear failures. You keep learning and strive for the best. This hunger for learning and improving is the key to functioning extraordinarily well.

A growth mindset:

• Lets you explore new avenues
• Promotes resilience
• It helps you become the best version of yourself
• Keeps you modest

In one of the studies, when high school students learned about a growth mindset, it increased their motivation and overall academic results. Researchers also believe that a growth mindset is crucial for science and mathematics students. Students with a growth mindset generally perform better than those with a fixed mindset. Other benefits of a growth mindset that you can enjoy are:

• Less burnout
• Less mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, etc.
• Lesser behavioral issues

How Can You Develop a Growth Mindset?

The most appealing factor about a growth mindset, according to Dweck, is that it ignites curiosity to learn more instead of seeking validation. Growth-minded people do not feel threatened by failure; they take failure as an opportunity to learn and do better.

Dweck writes:

“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 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.”

You are not yet late if you believe your personality traits are more inclined towards a fixed mindset. You can shift towards a growth-based mindset, believing that you still have several opportunities to learn and improve.