Dweck's Mindset Theory

Carol Dweck is an American psychologist who developed the mindset theory, which explores how a person's beliefs about their own abilities affect their motivation, learning, and achievement. Dweck's work has had a significant impact on education and is a key topic in GCSE Psychology.

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What is Mindset?

According to Dweck, a mindset is a set of beliefs that a person holds about their own abilities and intelligence. Dweck identified two main types of mindset:

Fixed Mindset

A person with a fixed mindset believes that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are fixed traits — they are born with a certain amount and cannot change them.

Characteristics of a fixed mindset:

• "I'm either smart or I'm not — I can't change it"
• Avoids challenges because failure would prove they lack ability
• Gives up easily when things get difficult
• Sees effort as pointless — if you have to try hard, you must not be naturally good
• Ignores criticism and feedback
• Feels threatened by the success of others

Growth Mindset

A person with a growth mindset believes that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and persistence.