Fixed Mindset Research Paper

The way that people think about their ability to change and grow can impact their lives. In her book, Mindset: The new psychology of success, Carol Dweck introduces this way of viewing of the world as our mindsets. She proposes that there are two different types of mindsets: growth and fixed. People with a growth mindset see their abilities as something that can be cultivated and changed through effort. They are more willing to take chances to learn and grow.

People have mindsets, Fixed and Growth mindsets. Some people respond With a fixed mindset means that people`s intelligence is “fixed” or permanent.

People who have a fixed mindset usually want something easy and not challenging; they feel scared to lose while growth mindset people tend to love challenges and making mistakes lives within their body as a trait. The author proves when she said that students with fixed mindset will never showed any interest when they found difficulties in completing those assignment. Only when they did well right away, they will feel the enjoyment. In contrast, the harder it gets, the more urges for the growth mindset to grab the knowledge and feel excited to learn something. Carol Dweck also gives an example in Columbia where she met a lot of intelligent med students who always get A’s in their test. It only took a day to make them a failure, when they said

Fixed mindsets believe that you’re born with a certain amount of intelligence. This mindset believes that their fixed traits are responsible for their success. Fixed mindsets tend to avoid challenges because they’re afraid to look stupid or dumb.

A fixed mindset is having the belief that your traits and talents are "given". Nothing can be done to change those traits and abilities - you have it or you don't. People with this mindset are worried about how adequate they are and believe that they have something to prove to themselves and to others (Dweck n.p.).

============Generally speaking, fixed mindsets are when “...students believe that intelligence is fixed, that each person has a certain amount and that’s that (Dweck, 2006).” By contrast, growth mindsets are when students believe their intelligence is not fixed, and that, in fact, it can be further developed, or “cultivated through effort and education (Dweck, 2006).” Dweck futher illustrates the differences between fixed and growth mindsets, in relation to one’s learning, through a two-year analysis of seventh-graders enrolled in math class. ============

Even the most gruesome of challenges is capable of making life changing experiences, despite the setbacks. One of them is the possession of a fixed mindset, which has proven to be harmful and can negatively influence the thought process of an individual. From personal experience, the transition from middle school to high school deemed to be difficult as the exams and expectations became overwhelming. Critical thinking and memorization skills became prominent tactics in order to earn high marks in classes and on exams. However, even the smallest of work habits can create the most effective results. For me, one subject had kept me focusing on the fixed mindset, which led to the cycle of self-doubt.

The reason behind students having a fixed mindset is definitely the fear of failing and letting someone they love or themselves down. Failing is seen in light of what has been lost or not achieved and as an example of our own inadequacy. Probably the most damaging effect of a fixed mindset is that the emphasis on external rewards and validations takes attention away from internal development. By constantly striving for external recognition and signs of success, we find ourselves deceiving others and distracting ourselves from who we truly are.

The growth mindset is an essential part of being a learner in this day and age. The growth mindset is a learning philosophy erected by Stanford Psychologist Carol Dweck. She found that there are two type of learners; fixed mindset and growth mindset. Students with a fixed mindset believe intelligence is an innately given trait and can’t do anything to change it. On the latter, there are growth mindset students; they believe that intelligence is something that can be grown and developed. Through Dweck’s numerous studies she found that students with a fixed mindset tend to suffer academically, especially as they reach higher levels of schooling. These students care more about looking smart than about actual learning. Dweck found that these learners sacrifice valuable learning opportunities where they could have made mistakes and asked questions,

After learning about the “power of yet” and the difference between a growth and fixed mindset, I came to the conclusion that I have a fixed mindset. One example from, “Carol Dweck: The power of believing you can improve,” asks the questions, “Are we raising kids who are obsessed with getting A’s? Are we raising kids that don’t know how to dream big dreams?” In relation to the quote, when I was in seventh grade I failed a pre algebra test. When I saw my grade I was too ashamed to tell my parents, so instead I hid the fact that I failed from my parents. I was disappointed in myself and felt dumb. This proves that I have a fixed mindset because I was so used to being able to get A’s and being praised for being successful, I could not possibly

Do you think intelligence is a fixed trait? If you do, then you might be one of many people with a fixed mind-set. In Carol S. Dweck’s an essay, “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids”, she describes fixed and growth mind-sets. She describes how they affect school, and how they affect social relationships as well. The two central ideas of “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids” are that fixed mind-sets can make a person shy away from a challenge and that growth mind-sets can be put into place by parents.

But, I want to share with you what people with fixed mindset think and how people with growth mindset think. And, I look at the fixed mindset and think this was me. I was stuck in this place and it just destroyed me. It kept me from doing anything that made me happy and what I enjoyed. Nowadays, I still have to catch myself and think that if I made a mistake or something happens to my business that was not suppose to go as planned, I think man, “Is this really where I’m supposed to be?”

People that have fixed mindset tent to think that intelligence is just a fixed trait. They use to think that you born with certain amount of intelligence, and you cannot change that. This people believe in their basics qualities of intelligence, and they do not see beyond their abilities. Fixed mindset people believe that talent is coming naturally without effort. Fixed mindset people also think that you are or you are not good in something, because is just who you are.

Angela Duckworth was a seventh-grade teacher in New York Public Schools, and became a psychologist. She is the author of the TED Talk “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance”. The main point of this TED Talk is that having grit is what will help you to succeed in life. She asks herself, who is successful and why, and she concluded that people who succeed in life are those who have grit, which is the passion and perseverance to achieve every long-term goal. She emphasized that talent or social intelligent is not what will lead you to succeed, but the key that will help you to succeed are passion and perseverance. Those who can stick with their future goals for years and work hard to make that future a reality is more likely to succeed. Moreover, she explained in her speech that growth mindset is great for building grit, which based on the TED Talk people who have a growth mindset are those people that do not believe that failure is a permanent condition. In my point of view those people who have growth mindset are more likely to be successful in life.

Do you remember Dr. Carol Dweck? Please bear in mind that for you to understand your mindset, you have to think about what she has found from her teaching about this subject of mindset. She had been quoted again and again in many discussions about mindset. Much of she said on mindset has been tested and trusted. As time passes by, we’re seeing that her words are true and more helpful on this matter. For instance, she said that intelligence and personality can be cultivated and developed. And that they’re not what you can’t change if you have the growth mindset. So the terms or expressions: fixed mindset and growth mindset came from her. Let’s explain these two main types of