Literature Review on Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

Introduction

Mindset refers to one's way of thinking about the flexibility of individual personality traits (Schroder et al., 2017). As the terms would suggest, a person with a growth mindset believes that his or her qualities and intellectual skills can be improved through learning and experience. On the contrary, people with a fixed mindset believe that their character and level of intelligence cannot change (Dweck, 2015). These mindsets might affect decision-making, attitude towards a subject, and methods used to solve a given problem.

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Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, provided insightful information on the impacts of mindset in achieving a goal in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. After studying different athletes who had won championships, Dweck (2008) discovered that people who believe that they are naturally talented put fewer efforts to improve themselves because they always expect to win. Similarly, people with a fixed mentality believe that situations are meant to happen as they expect; if they do not, they might not put much effort to change them. This holds for naturally academically gifted students; they find themselves performing well, and believe that they can only be successful. Other students with a fixed mentality might not perform well, but they do not put much effort to be better.

On the other hand, students with growth-oriented mentality will work hard to better their results from time to time. The students believe they are there to learn, and they will always strive to find new ways to maneuver through obstacles. For them, their intelligence, character, and level of success can improve with time and experience (Zeng, Hou & Peng, 2016).

Generally, people with different mindsets respond to failure differently; for some, it is permanent, but for others, it is a stepping stone to greater heights. According to Dweck (2008), a fixed mentality makes people want to prove themselves; therefore, they might hide their failures instead of trying to improve them. In the fixed mindset theory, efforts contradict talent and failure means that one is not good enough. Therefore, a fixed mindset makes one opt to do what they are capable of, instead of engaging in challenging activities. In a growth mentality, one has to work for intelligence. Therefore, people with this mindset can venture into challenging situations to learn from them. Failure is a wakeup call instead of an embarrassment, and it inspires hard work. Hence, growth mentality might motivate people to venture into businesses ignoring risks and potential failure.

According to Dweck (2008), a fixed mentality makes people only appreciate praise and positive feedback, ignoring helpful criticism. On the other hand, people with a growth-oriented mindset learn from criticism. Therefore, they will use other people's opinions to find ways to improve themselves instead of maintaining the status quo. In Mentality, Dweck (2008) also stated that while people with fixed mentality feel threatened by other people's success, growth mindset makes individuals want to learn and get an inspiration from the achievements of others. Therefore, a growth mindset is key to self-improvement because it eliminates the feeling of being the best and embraces the need to be better. A growth mindset curriculum is instrumental in improving students' ability to develop an interest in learning, thereby reducing stress on teachers (Wright, 2017).

Growth and Fixed Mindsets on Students

Students with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is unchangeable (immutable) and cannot be added or developed, while growth mindset students that intellectual skills are malleable - can be improved with time (Zeng, Hou & Peng, 2016). According to Zeng, Hou & Peng (2016), students who perceive intelligence as malleable experience higher academic success and enjoy studies more. Also, a growth mentality in students helps to improve grades in mathematics for low-performers better than high-achievers. This phenomenon is caused by the resilience demonstrated by growth mindset students and their approach to academic difficulties. For them, failure is not a sign of lack of intelligence, and challenges present an opportunity to learn and develop resiliency.

In their study, Zeng, Hou & Peng (2016) observed that unlike fixed mentality, growth mindset promotes resilience among students. Also, while students with a fixed mindset perceive life as a measure of intelligence and ability, their counterparts believe in learning, growth, and development from one academic level to another. Therefore, growth mentality students are more ready to counter challenges, and they might be more innovative in coming up with solutions. Although resilience can be taught, individuals with a fixed mentality might fail to use it; on the other hand, a growth mentality creates persistence towards achieving a set goal.

The study by Rattan et al. (2015) provided an answer to my question: can one transition from a fixed to a growth mindset? According to the study, students with a growth mentality seek to improve their abilities through efforts and are resilient to obstacles. Individuals with a fixed mindset can learn to value effort and develop a growth mentality through hard work and training in schools and online programs. Also, a growth mindset can be induced after reading a scientific article on the malleability that is developed through learning (Schroder et al., 2014). The study by Rattan et al. (2015) concluded that growth mindset benefits underperforming students; after training to acquire the new mindset, students performed better. Therefore, while a fixed mindset results in the same outcomes, the growth mentality produces outcomes that improve with time.

Growth and Fixed Mindsets for Teachers

Growth mindset is essential for teachers just like it is for students; according to Ahmed & Rosen (2019) individuals with a fixed mentality believe that teaching is a natural ability that one can have or lack. On the other hand, teachers with a growth mindset believe that teaching is a skill that can be developed. Growth mindset can help teachers to grow professionally by finding learning opportunities such as workshops and further training. This mindset can also help them to use the feedback they get from their students to improve their teaching skills. Unlike those with a fixed mindset, teachers with a growth mindset are likely to try out new teaching methods, and if they fail, they try harder (Ahmed & Rosen, 2019).

Teachers with a fixed mentality tend to believe that their skills, as well as the abilities of their students, are fixed (Auten, 2011). This mentality is limiting since the teachers may fail to recognize and appreciate the efforts put by their students. Growth mentality enables teachers to encourage their students to work hard towards success (Ahmed & Rosen, 2019). Therefore, this mindset is more beneficial to both teachers and students compared to fixed mentality.

Fixed and Growth Mindset in Entrepreneurship

A fixed mindset limits personal and professional growth in entrepreneurship while a growth mindset allows room for personal development and improvement (Brown, 2015). According to Brown (2014), if employees adopt a fixed mindset, they might be unable to come up with adequate solutions to business problems, and also fail to satisfy the customer needs. On the other hand, if employees embrace growth mentality, and strive to rise above the status quo, they will come up with innovative solutions, and suitable products for the market. Based on his argument, a business thrives if it regularly experiences change, growth, and has improved products and services required by the target customers. It would seem that the same mindsets drive companies to carry out extensive market research to come up with new products or to improve the existing ones, to compete favorably with other businesses. For instance, Apple and Samsung are two giants in the technology industry; each of their new devices is an improvement of pre-existing technology. Therefore, although mindset is a simple concept in psychology, it can be a significant aid to the generation of profits in entrepreneurial activities.

In a fixed mindset, a person or a company might believe that a situation is not changing, and it has its limitations. Therefore, improvement to solve the a problem might not be possible because no action will be taken. Conversely, cases are variable with no fixed restraints for people with a growth mindset, and problem-solving is practical (Brown, 2015). Similarly, the fixed mentality theory holds that one is either talented or untalented, intelligent or not, thereby leaving no chance for the development of skills or future improvement. On the other hand, a growth mindset allows people to continually improve their talents and abilities through learning and experience, to experience fewer limits in their line of work (Brown, 2015). Besides, talents and required skills change from time to time with improving technology and growing market. Hence, hiring employees with a growth mentality is better than having a talented worker with a fixed mindset, because the services of the former will improve to meet changing expectations of the business.

According to Brown (2015), growth mentality helps workers to learn from mistakes, accept challenges and obstacles, and react to them creatively, accept helpful feedback, encourage innovation, and acquire new skills. Therefore, the growth mindset makes people problem solvers and creative innovators.

Conclusion

Growth mindset is superior to a fixed mentality since it is instrumental in making people more productive. Students with a fixed attitude believe that intelligence and other abilities are immutable, and they avoid obstacles because struggling might show they are not smart. On the other hand, students with a growth mentality believe that intelligence is malleable, and can be improved with time. They face challenges, and learn from them; therefore, develop their abilities continuously by learning from the obstacles they conquer. Consequently, these students perform better than their counterparts. However, a student with a fixed mindset can learn to embrace challenges, develop resilience to obstacles, and improve their skills through training. Growth mentality is also important to teachers since it enables them to improve their teaching techniques and empower their students to succeed. Workers and entrepreneurs with growth mentality also experience higher levels of success because they embrace change, and find innovative solutions to problems.

References

Ahmed, S., & Rosen, L. (2019, January 18). A Growth Mindset: Essential for Students and Faculty Success. Retrieved from https://facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/a-growth-mindset-essential-for-student-and-focus-success/

Auten, M. A., (2011). Helping educators foster a growth mindset in community college classrooms. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1073/

Brown, E., (2015, April 17). Innovative Thinking: Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets. Retrieved from https://www.businessmagazinegainesville.com/innovative-thinking-fixed-vs-growth-mindsets/

Dweck, C., (2015). Carol Dweck revisits the growth mindset. Education Week, 35(5), 20-24. Retrieved from https://www.stem.org.uk/system/files/community-resources/2016/06/DweckEducationWeek.pdf

Dweck, C. S., (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.integrityia.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Mindset-by-Carol-Dweck-Book-Summary-and-PDF...