What is Mindset Theory?
Mindset theory is an achievement motivation theory that suggests people’s beliefs about the malleability of human attributes—such as intelligence or personality—can influence their motivation, behavior, and performance. Some believe qualities like intelligence can evolve with effort (growth mindset), while others see them as static and unchangeable (fixed mindset). Mindset theory posits that these different beliefs shape how people approach challenges across all areas of life.
The Basic Idea
For some people, it seems like the sky’s the limit, while for others, the ceiling is a bit lower, closer to Earth. We sometimes see this dichotomy as optimists versus pessimists; the ambitious versus the less motivated. Classic bits of folklore starting with, “There are two types of people in this world,” typically fail to account for the people in between, but that doesn’t mean we can’t exist on a continuum of two perspectives.
One of these continua of unique perspectives is mindset theory: the idea that people hold differing beliefs regarding the malleability of human attributes.1 On one extreme is the view that these attributes, such as intelligence or personality, can be changed through effort and determination, while the other extreme is that these attributes are innate and remain fixed over time. Research has explored these two forms of mindsets and found that such lay beliefs can predict a variety of personal outcomes.
The main idea of mindset theory is that our beliefs about our abilities can shape how we think, feel, and behave in any given situation. It suggests that a student’s beliefs about their intelligence can influence their educational outcomes, or that an athlete’s mindset about the role of talent and effort can affect how they respond to training setbacks. Those who believe that their skills, abilities, and personality traits can evolve tend to approach their achievement goals with effort-based strategies, while those who believe these traits are largely fixed tend to avoid challenges that could result in failure.17 People with a growth mindset are thought to possess greater resilience because they generally view setbacks as opportunities for improvement, while those with a fixed mindset are more likely to attribute failures to personal shortcomings or “innate incompetence,” which can hurt mental well-being.
Mindset theory suggests that everyone falls somewhere on this spectrum between fixed and growth. This idea has inspired a substantial body of research exploring the influence of mindset on behavior in various contexts, from educational attainment and job performance to athletic achievement, creativity, and interpersonal judgment.
In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you’re not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn’t need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented.
— Carol Dweck
