Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success by Carol S Dweck (Random House, £10.99)
ILLUSTRATION: LESLEY BUCKINGHAM
Our internal mindset towards our talents, capabilities and skills plays an important role in realising our potential, whether we’re conscious of it or not. Carol Dweck’s research has identified two key types of beliefs that influence our internal dialogue and ability to grow. Individuals who have an underlying belief that talents can be developed through hard work, finding effective learning approaches and input from others, are said to have a ‘growth mindset’. Those who see individual talents as having an innate level are said to have a ‘fixed mindset’. Dweck has shown that our mindset matters. When we’re trying to learn something new, it profoundly impacts how we respond to obstacles, the amount of effort we put in, how we deal with feedback and criticism and, as a consequence, how much we ultimately develop and achieve.
Developing in a particular area inevitably involves failing, however much natural talent we have for it. If we have a fixed mindset, our self-esteem is bound with this and how we feel our talents are perceived. If we try something and mess up, the unconscious internal belief that this will show others that we’re not as talented as we thought, causes us to avoid trying in the first place.