Fixed mindset believes abilities are set in stone

A person with a fixed mindset believes (whether they are consciously aware that they do, or not) that one’s abilities are static and intrinsic to the value of the person. This predisposes a person with this mindset to defensiveness, competitiveness, risk avoidance, and motivation to prove that they are better (more valuable, special, etc.) than others.

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.^[1]

This mindset is paralyzing and severely limits what can be achieved by the person who has it. Instead of exploring new opportunities (where the risk of failure is higher) and learning new things (acknowledging one’s ignorance of something is a prerequisite to learning it), this mindset locks people up.

The fixed mindset limits achievement. It fills people’s minds with interfering thoughts, it makes effort disagreeable, and it leads to inferior learning strategies. What’s more, it makes other people into judges instead of allies.…^[2] It creates an internal monologue that is focused on judging: “This means I’m a loser.” “This means I’m a better person than they are.” “This means I’m a bad husband.” “This means my partner is selfish.”^[3]

#psychology #effectiveness