“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” Perhaps you’ve heard this saying, and many similar ones, throughout your life. If so, you should feel lucky to have been surrounded by so many supportive people. As cheesy as these phrases may sound, they remind us that there is always room for improvement, encouraging us to persevere.

This is the idea behind a growth mindset: a belief that human qualities such as intelligence and creativity can be developed over time.¹ Growth mindsets are one end of the spectrum of how we think about ourselves, with fixed mindsets on the opposite end. Having a growth mindset means we are eager to learn, adapt, find value in embracing challenges, and believe that putting in effort can improve certain skills. Having a fixed mindset, on the other hand, means that we believe our abilities are unchangeable.

Both growth and fixed mindsets are components of a larger concept called mindset theory, which centers on the malleability of abilities and how we understand responses to challenges and setbacks.¹⁶ Broadly speaking, our mindset influences and shapes all aspects of our everyday lives ranging from family to work, and helps us to interpret our past experiences, current situations, and future possibilities. Over the past 30 years, the power of mindset has become a hot topic across several fields including psychology, education, business and management, and personal development.

Mindset: A set of beliefs and attitudes that shape how individuals perceive their abilities, challenges, and potential for growth, influencing their behavior and approach to learning and problem-solving.

Brain plasticity: The brain's ability to adapt and reorganize itself by forming new neural connections in response to learning, experience, or injury.

The study of mindset, which refers to a set of assumptions held by a person or group, is not exactly new in the world of decision-making research.² Use of the term can be traced back to the early 1900s when it was used as jargon in education and psychology texts to describe "habits of mind formed by previous experience".¹⁷ The word mindset (often hyphenated to mind-set at the time) slowly started to appear more frequently in psychological and educational studies, often as a way of describing someone's attitude towards a task. In one study exploring recognition memory, American psychologists Edward Kellog Strong and Margaret Hart Strong used the term mind-set (with a hyphen) as a synonym for 'task attitude', arguing that an individual's attitude (or mindset) towards a task significantly affects their ability to complete a task (in this case, remember words).¹⁸ Research on the topic of mindset later extended to areas such as positive psychology, the study of well-being and what makes life worth living, and social psychology, as in research on groupthink where members of a group achieve consensus without critical thinking.³

But when most people hear the word “mindset,” they likely think of growth versus fixed mindsets.⁴ This distinction, which has become a popular topic in psychological research, was pioneered by American psychologist Carol Dweck.¹

Instead, the inspiration behind the growth and fixed mindsets began when Dweck was a sixth grader in Brooklyn, New York.⁴ In one of her classes, Dweck’s teacher Mrs. Wilson organized students’ seats in order of their IQ scores, a measurement of reasoning and problem-solving abilities to represent intelligence.⁵ Dweck excelled in school and had one of the top IQ scores in her school, which granted her privileges such as erasing the blackboard, washing the erasers, carrying the school flag, and bringing notes to the school principal.⁴ In contrast, students with low IQ scores were not allowed to perform such tasks.

As an adult psychologist, Dweck notes that, on one hand, she didn’t think IQ scores derived from one test could be that important.⁴ On the other hand, all students want to succeed in the models presented to them. In Dweck’s school, academic success was associated with a high IQ score. In fact, she was told that her school was counting on her to get the highest score in a state-wide chemistry test. While she scored 99 out of 100, Dweck believes that the pressure she experienced from her school’s glorification of IQ was a pivotal point, inspiring her future work.

As a young researcher, Dweck was fascinated by the fact that some children faced challenges with calmness and confidence, while others shrunk back in defeat.⁶ Specifically, Dweck’s use of mindset referred to the frameworks in which people understand and respond to the world.¹ 

In what is perhaps her most famous study, Dweck assessed the different types of praise that teachers offered their students.⁴ She found that young children who were called “clever” or “smart” were less likely to approach challenging tasks in the future, out of fear that they would no longer be considered smart and lose such validating praise.¹ Dweck also found that when the students who were called “smart” were later asked to disclose their scores on a difficult test, almost 40% of students lied and inflated their grades. On the other hand, Dweck found that students who were praised for their efforts and participation in the learning process were more truthful about their difficult test scores and more engaged in the tasks.

While completing her Ph.D. at Yale University in the 1970s, Dweck asked children to complete increasingly difficult problems and recorded their reactions.¹ Originally, she hypothesized that students would either be completely defeated by the difficult tasks, or they would reluctantly cope with it. However, the results shocked her: while some children were indeed defeated, the others did more than just cope with the difficult problems. Instead, they were excited to have the chance to approach a challenge. Dweck credits these students—who demonstrated what we now know to be a growth mindset—for her career.⁴ She was determined to figure out the “special sauce” those students had and wanted to share it with the rest of the world.

In her attempts to decode the so-called “special sauce” that drove some students to be excited in the face of a challenge, Dweck considered the terms “fixed mindset entity theory” and “incremental theory.”⁷ Realizing how clunky and ambiguous these terms sounded, Dweck came up with the more appealing labels of growth and fixed mindsets in the early 2000s. Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success was published in 2006 to present her framework to the general population and to help people fulfill their full potential.¹

Following in Dweck’s footsteps, several other practitioners, psychologists, and researchers have built and expanded upon the growth mindset concept, often in collaboration with Dweck. Eduardo Brinceño, for example, co-founded Mindset Works, an organization that provides educational programs to students and educators to help them expand their success through learning about and practicing a growth mindset. Similarly, American psychologist and professor Angela Duckworth has conducted pioneering research on grit, a personality trait defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals and success. Duckworth and Dweck have collaborated on a number of occasions to apply the concepts of grit and growth mindset to education and personal development.

Edward Kellog Strong and Margaret Hart Strong

American psychologists who were recognized for their contributions to the areas of vocational guidance and behavior. Edward was best known for developing the Strong Interest Inventory, a career assessment tool that can help individuals identify their interests in relation to various occupations and ultimately achieve greater job satisfaction. The work of his wife, Margaret, is less well documented, but she played a crucial collaborative role in their joint research and career development initiatives, jointly publishing one of the first studies on mindset.

Carol Dweck

An American developmental, personality, and social psychologist, Carol Dweck is primarily recognized for her work on mindset.⁸ Dweck’s work has focused on motivation and self-regulation, driven by her belief that having the right mindset is critical for success. As a result of her research on growth and fixed mindsets, Dweck has delivered accessible interventions to foster a growth mindset through the website “Mindset Works,” ⁹ books like Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,¹ and TEDtalks.¹⁰ Dweck received her doctorate from Yale University and later taught at Columbia University and Stanford University.¹¹ There, she encouraged students to pursue “risky research” with high potential for theoretical and societal impact, with many students identifying her as the most influential person in their career path.

Peter M. Gollwitzer

Gollwitzer, a German psychologist, conducted extensive research on how goals and plans affect thought, feeling, and actions. Gollwitzer's research on implementation intentions and goal setting is closely linked to growth mindset as it focuses on strategies for turning our intentions into actions and overcoming obstacles to personal development. In the field of mindset theory, Gollwitzer's work looks at the difference between the deliberative mindset—where we weigh up the pros and cons of a goal before committing to it—and the implement mindset—which focuses on taking action and sticking to a plan once the decision to pursue a goal has been made.

What are the 5 characteristics of a growth mindset?

While there are no established characteristics typical of people with a growth mindset, there are some general qualities.

1. Embrace challenges: When we have a growth mindset, we see challenges as opportunities for growth and learning rather than threats to our capabilities.
2. Learn from criticism: Sometimes criticism can feel like failure, but people with a growth mindset see it as another opportunity for learning and development.
3. Persistence (in the face of setbacks): Rather than seeing failures and setbacks as a reason to give up, people with a growth mindset keep going and find other strategies to reach their goals.
4. Effort as a pathway to mastery: People with a growth mindset believe that effort and hard work, rather than inherent talent, lead to success in the future.
5. Continuous learning: With a growth mindset, we never stop learning and have a passion for acquiring new skills, knowledge, and experience throughout our lives.

How can I cultivate a growth mindset?

One of the greatest myths of the growth mindset is that you either have it or you don't. Our brains are incredibly malleable and adaptable, so even if you feel like you weren't “born with a growth mindset,” it doesn't mean you can't develop one. In fact, research on brain plasticity tells us that the connectivity between neurons can rewire with experience, leading to changes in our mindset. By shifting our perspectives on challenges, learning, and work effort, we can easily start to alter our ways of thinking. 

Take, for instance, mistakes. If you are prone to self-sabotage after making a mistake, start thinking of them as part of the learning process. Take a moment to reflect on what you can learn from the experience and how you can reframe it as a springboard for growth. Another important aspect of changing our mindset is to surround ourselves with growth-oriented people who act as inspiration and role models for growth. People with fixed mindsets, on the other hand, might hold us back.

What are the benefits of a growth mindset?

Having a growth mindset can have several short and long-term benefits. Since those with a growth mindset tend to see challenges and setbacks as a positive opportunity, they are therefore often more resilient to the challenges that life throws at them. Similarly, people with a growth mindset are usually more adaptable and are able to look for ways to overcome obstacles during challenging times. 

What is the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset?

A fixed mindset views abilities, intelligence, and talents as static traits that cannot be developed over time. People with a fixed mindset tend to avoid challenges, give up easily in the face of setbacks, and view effort as fruitless. When they receive feedback, they may see it as a criticism of their own self. A growth mindset, on the other hand, believes that abilities can be cultivated over time with effort, learning, and perseverance. These individuals embrace challenges as learning and growth opportunities and view constructive feedback as an essential tool for self-improvement.

Dweck’s research has suggested that a growth mindset drives motivation and achievement.¹² When people believe they can improve their abilities, they understand that effort makes them stronger. This encourages them to put in more time and effort, leading to higher achievement across many aspects of their everyday lives. Research on growth mindsets has also been connected to neuroscience, which has shown just how malleable our brain is. Practicing a skill will grow new neural connections and strengthen existing ones, emphasizing the fact that our abilities are not fixed.

According to research findings, people with growth mindsets tend to achieve more than those with fixed mindsets, since they worry less about looking “smart” and focus their energy on learning.¹³ Much of the research on growth mindsets has been focused on the context of school, especially for younger children, and has also been extended to workplaces.^1,7

Applications of growth mindsets in the classroom have centered around encouragement, explicit lessons on growth mindsets, and feedback.¹ Praising students for the effective strategies they used and the persistence they showed—rather than simply labeling them as “smart”—will yield more long-term benefits.¹⁴ Educators can capitalize on this by portraying challenges as fun and exciting: when students engage in more challenging activities, they have more opportunities to make mistakes, allowing teachers to help them discover new strategies and develop a growth mindset.

Educators can also explicitly teach children about the benefits of a growth mindset and have students engage in activities such as establishing action plans for their goals and reflecting on improvements in certain skills.¹⁴ In terms of the feedback that students receive, the word “yet” is much more valuable than it may seem. If a student says that they aren’t good at something, having a teacher tell them that they may not be good at it yet is important for encouraging the idea that ability is fluid.

Dweck has also considered whether organizations—rather than individuals—can have a growth mindset.⁷ In 2010, the effects of fixed versus growth mindsets were studied in the context of workplaces. A diverse sample of employees from seven Fortune 1000 companies was asked about the extent to which they agree with statements on fixed versus growth mindsets such as, “When it comes to being successful, this company seems to believe that people have a certain amount of talent and they really can’t do much to change it.” After determining whether the organization mostly had a growth or fixed mindset, Dweck and her colleagues then assessed how the organization’s mindset influenced outcomes like employee satisfaction, collaboration, innovation, and ethical behavior.

Dweck found that employees tended to have a consensus about each company’s mindset, which the survey presented each with a set of characteristics.⁷ Employees at a company with a fixed mindset, for example, often felt that a few star employees were valued more than other employees, which decreased overall employee commitment. These employees were dissuaded from innovative projects out of fear of failing, often kept secrets, and cut corners or cheated to get ahead.

Employees in a company with a growth mindset were 47% more likely to say they had trustworthy colleagues, 34% more likely to feel committed to the company, 65% more likely to say that the company supports taking risks, and 49% more likely to say that the company encourages innovation.⁷ As a result, Dweck has considered how organizations can embrace a growth mindset. Ultimately, it requires dedication and hard work from those in management positions, especially when making hiring decisions. Companies that hire and promote from within their ranks, as opposed to reflexively looking for outsiders, are more likely to have a growth mindset. Rather than emphasizing credentials and past accomplishments, companies with a growth mindset will value potential and a passion for learning.

Dweck’s ideas behind the growth and fixed mindsets have become a bit distorted in their translations.¹³ As a result, Dweck has addressed three common misconceptions, with the first being a “false growth mindset,” which is when people say they have a growth mindset when they do not. Essentially, the growth mindset’s popularity has led it to be perceived as simpler than it really is.⁶ 

People tend to confuse having a growth mindset with being open-minded or having a positive outlook on life, which are ultimately qualities that people believe they have always had.¹³ A teacher might applaud a child for putting in effort on a failed test because they believe that doing so will promote a growth mindset.⁶ However, this sort of empty praise is one of the issues that growth mindsets were developed to overcome.

The issue of the “false growth mindset” is tied to another common misconception, which is that growth mindsets are solely about praising and rewarding effort.¹³ While support is important, outcomes matter too. Rather than just praising the effort, Dweck suggests that people praise the effort that led to the outcome or learning progress, encouraging the person to find another learning strategy.⁶ In the context of school, students need to know that they need more than just effort when they’re stuck: they need to know when to ask for help and when to use certain resources. In fact, Dweck herself has voiced her concerns that mindset concepts, originally intended to help close achievement gaps among students, will actually be used to hide them as everyone will be told that their effort was good even if they are not achieving.¹⁹

The third misconception is that simply saying and believing you have a growth mindset will result in success.¹³ A company that has a mission statement with values of growth, empowerment, and innovation is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if the company doesn’t implement policies to make those growths and empowerment attainable. Dweck emphasizes the importance for organizations to encourage risk-taking and support collaboration to truly embody a growth mindset.

Even if we overcome these misconceptions, Dweck acknowledges that it’s not as easy to attain a growth mindset as people may think.¹³ Why? Because we all have triggers in our everyday lives that revert us to a fixed mindset. When receiving criticism or comparing ourselves to others, we can fall victim to insecurity and defensiveness, two responses that inhibit growth. Certain environments can also be structured to be fixed mindset triggers, such as working for a company that encourages competition among employees.

Of course, people can learn to identify and work around their triggers for a fixed mindset.¹³ Dweck hopes that by making more resources accessible, people can recognize when their fixed mindset “persona” appears and how to find responses other than insecurity or defensiveness. One such resource is the 2016 edition of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success which has been updated to address false growth mindset.⁶

Economic disadvantages and academic achievement

Academic achievement is influenced by many more factors than a student’s IQ score alone, including the student’s socioeconomic status and psychological factors (such as their beliefs about their abilities).¹⁵ Economic disadvantages have been shown to impact academic achievement through many different mechanisms such as higher stress levels, reduced access to resources, and poor nutrition.  As a result, researchers in Chile were interested in whether students’ mindsets—specifically, having a growth mindset—could lessen the effects of economic disadvantage on academic achievement.

Chilean tenth-grade students in public schools responded to a national survey in which their family’s socioeconomic status was recorded and students were evaluated on whether or not their mindsets surrounding intelligence could be developed.¹⁵ Using a version of Dweck’s mindset scale, students who agreed with statements like “You can learn new things, but you can’t change a person’s intelligence” were categorized as having a fixed mindset, while students who disagreed were categorized as having a growth mindset. Any students who were uncertain about the statements on intelligence were categorized as having a mixed mindset.

The researchers found that students who held more of a growth mindset consistently outperformed students who did not, at every socioeconomic level and on a national scale.¹⁵ In terms of mindset and economic disadvantages, the students with the lowest familial income were twice as likely to report a fixed mindset, compared to students from families with the highest incomes. Additionally, having a fixed mindset was an even stronger predictor of academic achievement for students from low-income families. For low-income students who held a growth mindset, however, this mindset buffered against the effects of low income on academic achievement.

Based on these findings, researchers suggested that structural inequalities such as socioeconomic status can lead to psychological inequalities, such as the difference between a growth or fixed mindset.¹⁵ Those psychological inequalities can then strengthen the impact of structural inequalities on academic achievement, resulting in a never-ending cycle of certain children being disadvantaged. These results highlight the importance of acknowledging structural inequalities like low socioeconomic status and increasing access to resources for those who need it most. If schools prioritized students’ nutrition, for example, it is possible that this could allow students to focus their efforts on academic achievement rather than their diet, subsequently improving their access to future opportunities.

Carol Dweck

For a more comprehensive look into Carol Dweck’s many research achievements, take a look at her thinker piece. Dive into the innovative ideas that drove her work, the life events that shaped her, and the different avenues that have made mindset theory accessible.

Mindset theory

Growth mindsets are only one end of the spectrum of mindset theory, with fixed mindsets on the other end. To explore more general applications or criticisms of Dweck’s work, or case studies that have put mindset theory to the test, read through this article.

1. Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
2. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1990). Action phases and mind-sets. In The Handbook of Motivation and Cognition: Foundations of Social Behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 52-92). Guilford Press.
3. French, R. P. (2016). The fuzziness of mindsets: Divergent conceptualizations and characterizations of mindset theory and praxis. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 24(2), 673-691.
4. McInerney, L. (2015, June 25). Carol Dweck, professor of psychology, Stanford University. Schools Week. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/carol-dweck/
5. Wilson, J. (2014, February 19). What your IQ score doesn’t tell you. https://www.cnn.com/2014/02/19/health/iq-score-meaning/index.html
6. Gross-Loh, C. (2016, December 16). How praise became a consolation prize. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/12/how-praise-became-a-consolation-prize/510845/
7. How companies can profit from a “growth mindset.” (2014, November). Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/11/how-companies-can-profit-from-a-growth-mindset
8. Carol Dweck. (n.d.). Stanford Profiles. https://profiles.stanford.edu/carol-dweck
9. About us. (2017). Mindset Works. https://www.mindsetworks.com/about-us/default
10. Dweck, C. S. (2014, November). The power of believing that you can improve. https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve
11. 2019 APS mentor awards. (2019, March 29). Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/2019-aps-mentor-awards
12. The science. (2017). Mindset Works. https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
13. Dweck, C. S. (2016, January 13). What having a “growth mindset” actually means. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means
14. Dweck, C. S. (2010). Even geniuses work hard. Educational Leadership, 68(1), 16-20.
15. Claro, S., Paunesku, D., & Dweck, C. S. (2016). Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(31), 8664-8668.
16. Kapasi, A., & Pei, J. (2021). Mindset Theory and School Psychology. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 37(1).
17. Buchanan, A. (2024). The history of mindset: Honouring lineage, transcending partial stories, making mindset research and practice an interdisciplinary and intergenerational project. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology. 
18. Strong, M. H., & Strong E.K. (1916). The Nature of Recognition Memory and of the Localization of Recognitions. The American Journal Of Psychology, 27(3), 341-362.  
19. Dweck, C. (2015, September 22). Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-carol-dweck-revisits-the-growth-mindset/2015/09
20. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493