Mindsets by Carol S. Dweck Summarised and Synthesised

[atropus]

I have been reading a book called Mindsets by Carol S. Dweck. The book explores the idea that there are two main ways that people approach life and that one tends to stop people from reaching their full potential. She calls them the Fixed and Growth mindsets (I would have called it "progressive" rather than "growth" which is more accurate and less

Comments

[morbid_curious]

Sorry I didn't manage to get over this weekend. Forgot about my flatmate's 30th, and didn't have a lot of energy left over. Will have to catch up soon.

[atropus]

No worries. Chalk that one up as a "growth experience". More active planning needed :)

[morbid_curious]

A little more to it than that, too, but I'll catch you up on that later.
*hug*

[atropus]

Carol Dweck makes an overly simplified point. She illustrates it in her book with, at times, ludicrous simplicity, alluding to movie characters and a cast of "famous people" I have never heard of. She has yet to convince me that these Mindsets she describes are the cause of the problem and not just another symptom of a certain type of dysfunctional personality. She does not go into what might create these mindsets beyond the influence of parents, teachers, sports coaches and bosses, who may label and frame lessons and assessment in such a way that it leads people to think that their performance at any given time summarises their potential. She fails to address the fact that some people may have a temperament that leads them to being less comfortable with change and more anxious and risk averse. The important point though is that through cognitive therapy (identifying and changing how one looks at and thinks about things) even someone who is naturally risk averse and anxious can improve their ability to embrace change and face their