Flexible consciousness labyrinth. Flexible Mind - Carol Dweck
People with a fixed mindset (a fixed mindset) believe that innate intelligence and talent are unchangeable. They spend time trying to prove to everyone that they are smart and talented, instead of developing their talents. They also believe that talent alone leads to success. And they are wrong. People with a flexible mind (with a growth mindset) believe that all qualities can be developed by systematically working on oneself, and the initial level of intelligence and talent is just a starting point. This approach creates a love of continuous learning and resilience to difficulties and failures. There is hardly a single outstanding person who does not possess these qualities. The transition to an agile mindset enhances motivation and productivity in business, education and sports. It enriches personal relationships. When you read this book, you will find out how this happens.
Introduction
One fine day, students sat me down at the table and literally ordered me to write this book. They wanted other people to be able to take advantage of our discoveries and make their lives better. I've been meaning to put pen to paper for a long time, but only now has this work become my priority.
My book continues a tradition in psychology by exploring the idea of how internal beliefs influence a person. We may or may not be aware of our beliefs, but they have a huge impact on what we want and how successfully we achieve it. Changing beliefs, even simple ones, can have far-reaching consequences.
In this book you will learn how one simple thought - self-image - determines significant part your actions. Strictly speaking, this idea is associated every your step. Both how you see and evaluate yourself, and what prevents you from fully realizing your potential, is dictated by your internal attitude.
No book has yet talked about attitudes or shown how they can be used in life. Now you will suddenly understand the psychology of great people - great in science and art, in sports and in business - as well as those who showed great promise. You will understand your colleagues, your boss, your friends, your children. You will understand how to release the potential - both yours and your child's.
At the end of each chapter, as well as in the last part of the book, you will find specific recommendations on how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: how to determine what attitude is guiding your life, and understand how it works and how it can be changed if desired.
My work is dedicated to the topic personal growth. She helped me accelerate my own development. I hope it helps you too.
Key ideas of the book:
We all have a fixed or growth mindset.
. Those who believe that their level of intelligence and personal qualities are unchangeable have
fixed mindset.
. Those who believe it is possible to change their personality have a growth mindset.
. People with a growth mindset believe that they will have opportunities to
self-improvement.
. Attitudes shape worldview. But they can be changed.
. Students who are praised for their abilities tend to acquire a given mindset.
ity and refuse to make a decision complex tasks. Students who are encouraged for
the efforts made show better results over time.
. Athletes with a growth mindset develop strength of character by constantly
forcing yourself to overcome difficulties.
. Leaders with a fixed mindset who consider themselves geniuses can quickly
ruin the company.
. Companies need to evaluate candidates for leadership positions not based on
their “natural talents”, but from their abilities for personal growth, and necessarily
give them challenges that allow them to learn something new.
. The mentor must show by all means that he is interested in
the student developed and moved on.
Greetings to all. Ekaterina Kalmykova is with you. Have you ever thought about your abilities? Have you ever wondered: are you using them to their full capacity or not? If not, how can you take full advantage of your abilities? Do you think it is possible to improve your abilities or are they unchanged?
If you are interested in getting answers to these questions, then welcome to read this article.
Every person can develop their abilities (intelligence, talent), they just need, firstly, to have the desire, and secondly, to change their thinking.
Renowned psychologist Carol Dweck (Professor of Psychology at Stanford University) long time studied and researched two types of people's thinking - “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset”.
She presented the results of her work and experiments in the book “ Flexible consciousness. A New Look on the psychology of development of adults and children" I read it several times and each time I found something new. And in general, my opinion is that a person who wants to achieve something in this life should read it at least once.
In this book, you will learn how a fixed mindset dooms people to failure, but a growth mindset opens the way to self-realization, building a successful career and establishing happy relationships with others at any age. And also how you can instill such an attitude both in yourself and in others.
“Flexible Consciousness” by Carol Dweck is a very useful book, as it helps you look at yourself from the outside, conduct introspection and analysis of the people around you, identify problematic issues and find ways to solve them. Thanks to the information from the book, you will have the opportunity to improve your attitude towards life, towards people, and most of all, towards yourself. You will realize the power of self-confidence, you will understand how great its importance is in all the changes that occur in your life, whether good or not.
Now let’s take a closer look at the types of thinking. K. Dweck distinguishes two types of them.
Fixed Mindset - This is static thinking. It implies that our character and abilities are static, unchangeable and given to us at birth. The success of people with this type of thinking depends on Mother Nature, on genes. If a person has certain abilities, then he uses them. If not, then no, such is his heredity and fate.
People with this type of thinking try to achieve their goals in order to prove to themselves that they are something. Every time they admire, observe themselves from the outside and answer the question “How am I? Do I look smart in this situation? That is, f fixed thinking strives for self-affirmation.
If the planned goal is not achieved, this category of people becomes upset, self-esteem drops, and this situation generally negatively affects them. If successful, this is considered another proof of the person’s talent and abilities.
Growth Mindset This is dynamic thinking. It implies that character, talent and abilities can be “grow” in oneself, developed, with some effort. If you are not naturally endowed with the desired abilities, you can achieve them through activities, such as training. If something doesn’t work out, a problem arises, then the person does not calm down, but moves on, applying all his strength to achieve the desired results.
In case of defeat, he does not get upset, but on the contrary, he regards all mistakes and failures as teaching moments, from which he draws instructive conclusions for himself. Success encourages a person to study further and learn more about his capabilities and abilities.
A person with a growth mindset understands that their character and abilities are not fixed. They believe that it is impossible to evaluate and know the full potential of a person, to measure all his abilities. There is always the possibility of improvement and development. A growth mindset is committed to learning.
The type of thinking is ingrained in a person in childhood. And his life, his work, his environment, his attitude depend on what type of thinking he will belong to. Believing in developing abilities helps transform a fixed mindset into a growth mindset.
Carol Dweck, in her research, put interesting experiment with kids. They were offered lungs and difficult puzzles. Children who already had a fixed mindset chose easy puzzles and solved them repeatedly, over and over again, thereby proving to themselves that they were quick-witted and smart.
Children with a growth mindset wondered why they did the same puzzles because it wasn't interesting. They tried to solve difficult riddles.
If these observations are projected onto the adult world, we will see a similar picture. Most perform the same functions at work day after day, not wanting to see anything new. To try to change yourself, read book and she will make you try and look at yourself with different eyes.
K. Dweck conducted a study of this topic and here is one of her conclusions:
“The vision you choose for yourself directly affects how you spend your life. If you believe that you have a static level of intelligence, one character for life, and one, unchanging personality, you will exhibit the same qualities over and over again.”
And one more:
“People with a fixed mindset are only interested in the reaction to their actions, not the information itself. If, for example, they answer a question incorrectly, they are often not interested in the correct answer. People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, always listen to the right answer because they are interested in learning, in expanding the boundaries of their knowledge.”
And in conclusion, I would like to note that no matter what type of thinking you are, you have the opportunity to influence and change it.
A digital version of this book can be purchased HERE.
It’s better not to waste time on yet another proof of your superiority, but to spend it on self-development.
It's better to surround yourself with people who don't admire you, but who help you grow.
It’s better not to do the same thing every time, but to use new ways to solve problems.
The most basic requirement for a growth mindset is believing in yourself. Everything depends only on you, and not on nature or hereditary data.
Everything is in your hands - go for it! And if you lack motivation, then read here.
What type of thinking are you? Do you have a desire to change it?
Ekaterina Kalmykova
16.05.2017
Flexible consciousness. A new look at the psychology of development of adults and children
The book flexible consciousness reveals the idea of the influence of internal beliefs on a person. The book Flexible Consciousness reveals how one simple thought - your self-image - determines a significant part of your actions.
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Carol Dweck - About the Author
Carol Dweck is an American psychologist. She graduated from Barnard College in 1967 and received a Ph.D. Dweck is widely recognized as one of the leading researchers in the field of personality psychology. social psychology and developmental psychology. She long years was Ransford Professor of Psychology at Columbia University. Today Dweck is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Foundation Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Flexible Consciousness - Book Review
Chapter 1. What types of settings are there?
The conviction that your qualities are carved from granite - fixed mindset- gives you the need to assert yourself again and again. If you are given certain moral qualities, a certain individuality, a certain, strictly fixed amount of intelligence, then there is only one thing left: to prove that the amount of all this good is quite large. There is no way to demonstrate or even feel a lack of such fundamental qualities.
The second attitude is based on the belief that your qualities, even the most fundamental ones, can be cultivated if you put effort into it. And although people can differ in literally all aspects - in their initial talents and abilities, in their interests, in their temperament - thanks to their efforts and acquired knowledge, everyone is able to change and develop. This growth mindset.
Defining your own installation
Read each statement and decide whether you generally agree or disagree with it.
1. Your mental abilities are your fundamental quality, and you are not given anything to significantly change.
2. You can learn new knowledge, but you are not able to change your level of intelligence.
3. No matter what your level of intelligence is, you can always improve it significantly.
4. You can always become a lot smarter.
People with a fixed mindset will answer “yes” to questions 1 and 2. Positive answers to questions 3 and 4 reflect a growth mindset
Chapter 2. Installation: an inside look
People with a growth mindset aren't just looking for opportunities to challenge themselves. Tests are fertile ground for them. And the greater the test, the more actively they develop. People with a growth mindset thrive when they develop themselves.
All people are born with a love of learning, but a fixed mindset can stifle that love in its cradle. Remember how you used to be passionate about something - solving crossword puzzles, some kind of sport, or learning a new dance. And then this activity turned into a burden, and the hobby disappeared. Maybe you were starting to feel hungry, tired, or dizzy, or bored. Next time something like this happens, don't fool yourself. This is the fixed mindset in you. Shift to a growth mindset. Imagine how new connections are formed in your brain as you face a challenge and gain new knowledge. Do not stop.
There is always a great temptation to create for yourself a world in which you are perfect. (Oh, what a sweet feeling! I remember it from the days high school.) We can start choosing partners, choosing friends and hiring people who will make us feel infallible. But think: don’t you really want to grow? Next time you're tempted to surround yourself with followers, go to church. Better yet, look for constructive criticism.
Is there in your past life something that you feel has put a stigma on you? For example, failed an exam? Someone's betrayal? Getting fired from your job? Or maybe your feelings were rejected? Focus on this event. Feel all the emotions that it aroused in you then. Now look at this event from a growth mindset perspective.
Honestly evaluate your role in it and realize that it cannot serve as a measure of your intelligence or your personality. And just ask yourself: What lesson did I learn (or can I learn) from this experience? How can I use it as a base for growth? And let this thought always accompany you.
How do you act when you feel depressed? Are you starting to work more actively on problems or are you letting things take their course? The next time you feel down, adopt a growth mindset - think about learning new things, thinking about a challenge, thinking about overcoming obstacles. See effort as a positive, constructive force rather than a tedium. Give it a try.
Is there something you've always wanted to do, but you're afraid you're not up to it? Include this in your plans for the near future
Chapter 3: The Truth About Ability and Achievement
The author devotes this chapter to the question of what achievements actually consist of. The question is why some people achieve less than could be expected of them, while others, on the contrary, exceed expectations.
Fixed Mindset limits the scope of achievements. It fills people's heads with conflicting thoughts, causes hostility toward effort, and prevents them from mastering more productive methods of acquiring knowledge. Moreover: it turns other people into our judges, not our allies. And it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about Darwin or an ordinary schoolboy: significant achievements always require full concentration, dedicated efforts and flexible strategies and tactics. And we also need allies in our studies. All this gives people a growth mindset. It contributes to the development of their talents and brings real results.
Growth mindset allows people - even those who are negatively labeled - to use and develop their brains to their full potential. Their heads are not filled with limiting thoughts, self-doubt and the belief that other people can tell them where they belong.
Chapter 4. Sports: Setting Up Champions
Think of a sport that you would like to try, but you always thought you couldn't do it. How can you know this in advance without putting in maximum effort? Some of the world's best athletes weren't all that good at their discipline to begin with. If you dream of playing a sport, try investing in it and see the results.
Sometimes exceptional talent is a curse. Naturally gifted athletes may remain stuck in a fixed mindset and fail to learn how to overcome challenges. Maybe in some sport, everything was easy for you at first, until you reached the ceiling? Try to adopt a growth mindset and try it again.
Character - important quality in the world of sports, and it comes from having a growth mindset. Think about those times when during a difficult match you had to squeeze out the last of your strength, and you didn’t even know you had it. Think about the growth mindset champions mentioned in this chapter and how they dealt with challenges in similar situations. What can you do the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation to activate your growth mindset?
Athletes with a growth mindset see success in acquiring new knowledge, skills and improvement, not just winning. The more firmly you adhere to this point of view, the more satisfaction you will receive from sports - both you and those who are in the same group with you!
Chapter 5. Business: Attitude and Leadership
What type of installation is typical for your company? Do you think that people around you only evaluate you or help you develop? You may be able to transform your work into a place where there is a growth mindset if you start with yourself. Maybe instead of making excuses for mistakes, you could start looking for ways to overcome them? Maybe you could benefit more from feedback on your work? Maybe you could find more sources of new experience and knowledge for yourself?
How do you treat your colleagues? Perhaps you yourself are a boss with a fixed mindset, focused on your power more than the well-being of your subordinates? Maybe you yourself have ever confirmed your status by humiliating others? Have you ever squeezed smart employees because you saw them as a threat?
Think about how you can help your employees develop and improve on the job. Maybe organize an internship? Seminar? Training? Also, think about how to start treating your subordinates as workmates and seeing them as a team. Make a list of possible tactics and action strategies and try them out. Do this even if you already consider yourself a leader with a growth mindset. Well-designed support and developmentally stimulating assessment never go amiss.
If you run a company, look at it through the lens of attitude. Maybe she needs her Lou Gerstner?
Think seriously about how you can eradicate elitism and create a culture of self-criticism, free communication and teamwork. Read Lou Gerstner's great book, Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? to learn how.
Do you have a workplace environment that encourages groupthink? If so, the entire decision-making process is in great jeopardy. Create conditions to encourage alternative opinions and constructive criticism. Appoint special people to act as devil's advocates and take positions opposite to yours so that you can see the flaws in your ideas. Get people to openly discuss different aspects of specific issues.
Keep a box for anonymous suggestions, and make its replenishment a mandatory part of the decision-making process. Remember: people are quite capable of simultaneously thinking independently and acting as a team. Help them realize both of these abilities.
Chapter 6. Relationships: Attitude and Love (or Hate)
How do you feel when you are rejected - humiliation, resentment, desire for revenge? Or, despite the pain, do you hope to forgive the person, learn from what happened and move on? Think about the most painful of such cases. Remember all your feelings, and then try to look at the situation from the point of view of a growth mindset. What did that incident teach you? Has it helped you better understand what you want from life and what you don’t want for nothing? Maybe he taught you something positive that was useful in subsequent relationships? Are you able to forgive that person and wish him happiness? Are you able to get rid of resentment?
Imagine your ideal love affair. This means that between you there should be full compatibility in everything, right? No disagreements, no compromises, no efforts and no sacrifices? Yes? Then please think again. In any relationship, friction arises. Try to look at them from a growth mindset perspective: challenges can be a means of achieving greater understanding and greater intimacy. Allow your partner to voice their grievances. Listen to them carefully and discuss them patiently and kindly. You will be surprised how much closer you will become to each other after this.
Perhaps, like me, you often give in to the desire to shift the blame to someone else. The desire to pin everything on your partner does not help strengthen the relationship. Create your own Maurice, and let him take the rap for everything. But it will still be better if you try to get rid of the need to look for someone to blame. Stop thinking about mistakes and mistakes all the time, step over them. Remember how I tried to learn this myself.
You're shy? Then you really need a growth mindset. Even if it doesn't get rid of your shyness, it won't let it deform your social contacts. The next time you find yourself on the cusp of a new social situation, consider that communication skills can be improved and that social interaction exists for you to learn and enjoy, not to be judged and judged. And keep practicing this.
Chapter 7. Parents, teachers and coaches: how are attitudes formed?
Every word and action of a parent sends a signal to the child. Tomorrow, listen carefully to what you say to your children and catch the messages embedded in your words. What information do they carry? That the child’s qualities are unchanged and you evaluate them? Or that he developing personality and are you interested in its development?
How do you use praise? Remember that by praising a child's intelligence or talent, you are imposing a fixed mindset on him. Don't do this, no matter how great the temptation. Praise weakens and undermines a child's self-esteem and motivation. Instead, try to focus on the process of his actions - on the tactics that the child uses to achieve some goals, on his efforts or on his choices. Practice and you will get used to praising your child for his progress towards success in his interactions with him.
Watch your child and listen to what he says when he does something wrong. Remember: constructive criticism is the type of feedback that will help your child understand how to correct the consequences of what they have done. It's not about labeling or just making excuses. At the end of each day, write down the constructive criticism (and praise for the process) that was given to your child.
Parents often set goals for their children to strive for. Don't forget that natural talent is not the goal. But developing skills and acquiring knowledge can. Pay special attention to the goals you set for your child.
If you are a teacher, remember that lowering standards does not improve students' self-esteem. Just as raising standards does not raise it, if at the same time students are not given a method of achieving a level that corresponds to these standards. A growth mindset gives you the opportunity to set high standards while helping students achieve them. Try serving educational material so that it contributes to the development of students, while at the same time providing them with information about how progress is being made. I think you'll like the result.
What do you think about your students who learn the material more slowly than others? That they will never be able to study well? What do they think about themselves? That they are stupid and will remain so? Try to figure out what exactly they don’t understand and what methods of learning new knowledge they don’t know. Remember: all great teachers believe that talent and intelligence can be developed, and they themselves are passionate about the process of learning.
Are you a coach with a fixed mindset? Do you think first of all about your records and reputation and do not tolerate mistakes? And are you trying to motivate your players with your harsh sentence? Maybe this is why your athletes cannot develop to their full potential?
Try shifting to a growth mindset. Instead of asking them to play without making mistakes, ask them for total dedication and maximum effort. Instead of judging them, give them the respect and mentoring they need to thrive.
We, parents, teachers and coaches, have an important mission: to develop people's potential. Let's apply the lessons of a growth mindset—and everything else we can—to fulfill this mission.
Carol Dweck
Flexible consciousness. A new look at the psychology of development of adults and children
Introduction
One fine day, students sat me down at the table and literally ordered me to write this book. They wanted other people to be able to take advantage of our discoveries and make their lives better. I've been meaning to put pen to paper for a long time, but only now has this work become my priority.
My book continues a tradition in psychology by exploring the idea of how internal beliefs influence a person. We may or may not be aware of our beliefs, but they have a huge impact on what we want and how successfully we achieve it. Changing beliefs, even simple ones, can have far-reaching consequences.
In this book you will learn how one simple thought - your self-image - determines a significant part of your actions. Strictly speaking, this idea is associated every your step. Both how you see and evaluate yourself, and what prevents you from fully realizing your potential, is dictated by your internal attitude.
No book has yet talked about attitudes or shown how they can be used in life. Now you will suddenly understand the psychology of great people - great in science and art, in sports and in business - as well as those who showed great promise. You will understand your colleagues, your boss, your friends, your children. You will understand how to release the potential - both yours and your child's.
At the end of each chapter, as well as in the last part of the book, you will find specific recommendations on how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: how to determine what attitude is guiding your life, and understand how it works and how it can be changed if desired.
My work is devoted to the topic of personal growth. She helped me accelerate my own development. I hope it helps you too.
Carol Dweck
Chapter 1. What types of settings are there?
When I was a young aspiring scientist, an event occurred that changed my entire life.
I was passionate about understanding how people cope with their failures. And I began to study this 1, observing how junior schoolchildren solve difficult problems. So, I invited the kids one at a time into a separate room, asked them to get comfortable, and when they were relaxed, I had them solve a series of puzzles. The first tasks were very simple, but then they became more and more difficult. And while the schoolchildren puffed and sweated, I watched their actions and reactions. I assumed that children would behave differently when trying to cope with difficulties, but I saw something completely unexpected.
Faced with more serious tasks, one ten-year-old boy pulled his chair closer to the table, rubbed his hands, licked his lips and declared: “I love difficult problems!” Another boy, having sweated considerably over the puzzle, raised his satisfied face and gravely concluded: “You know, that’s what I’m looking for.” hoped- what will be educational!”
“What’s wrong with them?” - I couldn’t understand. It never occurred to me that failure could cause someone like. Are these kids aliens? Or do they know something like that?
Each person has his own role model, someone who showed him the right path to crucial moment life. These children became a role model for me. Obviously, they knew something that was unknown to me, and I decided to figure it out: what is the essence of the attitude that can turn difficulties into a gift?
What did they know? Apparently, human abilities, such as intellectual skills, can be sharpened with effort. And that's exactly what they did - became smarter. Failure did not discourage them at all - It didn’t even occur to them that they were losing. They thought they were just studying.
I believed that abilities are given to a person once and for all. Either you are smart or you are not, and if you fail once, it means you are not smart. It's simple. As long as you manage to achieve success and avoid failure (at any cost), you remain one of the smart ones. Attempts, mistakes, efforts in this “game” do not count.
Carol Dweck
Flexible consciousness. A new look at the psychology of development of adults and children
Introduction
One fine day, students sat me down at the table and literally ordered me to write this book. They wanted other people to be able to take advantage of our discoveries and make their lives better. I've been meaning to put pen to paper for a long time, but only now has this work become my priority.
My book continues a tradition in psychology by exploring the idea of how internal beliefs influence a person. We may or may not be aware of our beliefs, but they have a huge impact on what we want and how successfully we achieve it. Changing beliefs, even simple ones, can have far-reaching consequences.
In this book you will learn how one simple thought - your self-image - determines a significant part of your actions. Strictly speaking, this idea is associated every your step. Both how you see and evaluate yourself, and what prevents you from fully realizing your potential, is dictated by your internal attitude.
No book has yet talked about attitudes or shown how they can be used in life. Now you will suddenly understand the psychology of great people - great in science and art, in sports and in business - as well as those who showed great promise. You will understand your colleagues, your boss, your friends, your children. You will understand how to release the potential - both yours and your child's.
At the end of each chapter, as well as in the last part of the book, you will find specific recommendations on how to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: how to determine what attitude is guiding your life, and understand how it works and how it can be changed if desired.
My work is devoted to the topic of personal growth. She helped me accelerate my own development. I hope it helps you too.
Carol Dweck
Chapter 1. What types of settings are there?
When I was a young aspiring scientist, an event occurred that changed my entire life.
I was passionate about understanding how people cope with their failures. And I began to study this 1, observing how primary schoolchildren solve difficult problems. So, I invited the kids one at a time into a separate room, asked them to get comfortable, and when they were relaxed, I had them solve a series of puzzles. The first tasks were very simple, but then they became more and more difficult. And while the schoolchildren puffed and sweated, I watched their actions and reactions. I assumed that children would behave differently when trying to cope with difficulties, but I saw something completely unexpected.
Faced with more serious tasks, one ten-year-old boy pulled his chair closer to the table, rubbed his hands, licked his lips and declared: “I love difficult problems!” Another boy, having sweated considerably over the puzzle, raised his satisfied face and gravely concluded: “You know, that’s what I’m looking for.” hoped- what will be educational!”
“What’s wrong with them?” - I couldn’t understand. It never occurred to me that failure could cause someone like. Are these kids aliens? Or do they know something like that?
Each person has his own role model, someone who showed him the right path at a turning point in life. These children became a role model for me. Obviously, they knew something that was unknown to me, and I decided to figure it out: what is the essence of the attitude that can turn difficulties into a gift?
What did they know? Apparently, human abilities, such as intellectual skills, can be sharpened with effort. And that's exactly what they did - became smarter. Failure did not discourage them at all - It didn’t even occur to them that they were losing. They thought they were just studying.
I believed that abilities are given to a person once and for all. Either you are smart or you are not, and if you fail once, it means you are not smart. It's simple. As long as you manage to achieve success and avoid failure (at any cost), you remain one of the smart ones. Attempts, mistakes, efforts in this “game” do not count.