As Carol Dweck notes, we all hold both fixed and growth mindsets. Identifying si

Question

As Carol Dweck notes, we all hold both fixed and growth mindsets. Identifying situations that trigger a fixed-mindset voice can be a beneficial first step. These are situations that make you feel defensive, anxious, or worried about your ability (e.g., getting performance-improvement suggestions, low grades, new projects, etc.) What are some fixed-mindset triggers you experience at work and at school? Explain how you these make you feel. Choose one of your identified fixed-mindset triggers. How might you respond with a growth mindset voice instead? Think of a recent setback and explain how you were able to overcome it or how you plan to respond to the challenge.

Explanation / Answer

Receiving remarks of appreciation for an assignment or comments of poor performance in a sport or test at school and other such responses from people we care for may easily trigger fixed mindset. While in case of appreciation, our fixed mindset may make us feel proud of our intelligence and capabilities, the negative comments may sabotage our self-confidence and bring out self-esteem down. The reason behind this is a person with fixed mindset perceives success, failure, achievements and accomplishments and feedback from others as feedbacks on their personal strengths or weaknesses.

A person with a growth mindset will, however, understand that the compliments or negative remarks he receives are not about his fixed and unchangeable personality rather they are about his performance, value or potential.

One fine example that comes to my mind is of a client feedback that I received on my article in a magazine few months back. Those words of appreciation immediately made me jump for a joy thinking that I did a great job and I felt so proud of my capabilities. That was perhaps a moment that triggered my fixed mindset. However, a few weeks later, I got another feedback from a reader suggesting that I could have done a better job. Once again that fixed mindset came in making me feel less competent and capable but thanks to a close friend who helped me take it as a feedback s to a close friend who helped me take it as a feedback on my work and not on my skills and inherent creativity. That was the moment when growth mindset helped me improve further and come up with better articles than before.

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