Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck Book Review

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck describes in her “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” how the thoughts of our abilities can influence success. According to Dweck, people who think they have limited capabilities cannot succeed. On the other hand, those who believe there is no limitation to their abilities can excel in their life. This is one of the best books on discipline and self-growth. 

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Chapter Summaries:

Mindset: The New Psychology of SuccessIn “Mindset,” Dweck mentions that our genes significantly influence our intelligence and talents. But a child is not born with these qualities as fixed. Instead, she says people who believe their genes and destiny shape their abilities possess a “fixed mindset.” This is one of the best mindset books regarding the present era.

On the contrary, those who believe that their skills are sharpened and strengthened by practicing are said to have a “growth mindset.” These two types of mindset play a significant role in developing our personal and professional lives. 

Buy From AmazonDweck has performed many experiments that suggest a fixed mindset holds you back in life, no matter what. If you believe your laziness results from your genes, you will never be able to work hard to overcome your procrastination. You will lose hope, thinking that your genes are the reason behind your failure. You will not have any motivation to work further or face any challenging task.

Meanwhile, people having a growth mindset can change their fate or strengthen their qualities. According to Dweck, this person works hard to achieve their true potential. And they also get the inspiration to face tough challenges and seek better opportunities. They do not give up easily; they learn from their mistakes. They take advantage of this opportunity to learn new things. They practice again and again and try new ways of overcoming their problems. 

What do famous people follow?

Famous people like Albert Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, Isaac Newton, etc., did not get to the position overnight where they are now. Reaching their goal took them a long time and a massive effort. And all this was possible because they had a growth mindset. They failed again and again, but they never gave up. Instead, they learned from their mistake and climbed the ladder of success.

After that, they took this opportunity to try solving their problems differently. Thus, they got to learn different learning methods and apply the techniques.

Our parents and teachers play a huge role in molding our mindset. Whatever they teach us develops us to have either a fixed or a growth mindset.

This book contains some workshops designed by Dweck and her colleagues. These workshops will help students shift from a fixed to a growth mindset because only a growth mindset can help individuals reach their goals and make their lives successful. Therefore, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” is an appropriate book for success by knowing the human brain activities.

Most important message from the “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” book

1. How to describe a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset?

Fixed mindset: People with a fixed mindset believe their biological traits control their talents and abilities. They do not try to improve their intelligence; instead, of blaming their destiny for being what they are.

Growth mindset: People having a growth mindset think out of the box. They believe that they can sharpen and strengthen their talents by working hard. They believe that these qualities can be developed through experiences and practice. 

2. What does Dweck’s mindset theory suggest?

In “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Carol S. Dweck explains how our mindset influences success. Dweck’s mindset theory suggests that beliefs can change how individuals behave and act. According to her, people who think their limited abilities cannot proceed much further. In other words, they are said to have a fixed mindset. On the other hand, people who have a growth mindset, i.e., believe that their abilities have no limitations, can improve their life by working hard.

Dweck developed some workshops along with her colleagues based on this mindset theory. These workshops will help students turn their fixed mindset into a growth mindset through efforts and facing challenges.

3. How does mindset affect others?

Mindset is nothing but the way we think about everything. People having a fixed mindset are easily discouraged when they face any obstacles. They give up and show interest in anything. On the contrary, people with a growth mindset try to overcome obstacles and reach their goals simultaneously. The effects of mindset can be explained through the hare and tortoise fable.

The hare was sure that he would be the one to win. So, he took some rest and slept during the race. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept running at its slow and steady pace, not knowing what would happen in the future. When the hare woke, he found that the tortoise had already crossed the finish line and won the race. 

The hare had a fixed mindset, believing his instinctive abilities would always help him win. On the other hand, the tortoise had a growth mindset. He thought he would win the race if he worked hard and kept running.

4. Who are the famous people with a growth mindset?

A growth mindset believes individuals can strengthen their talents by working hard and accepting challenges. Some of the famous people who possess a growth mindset are – 

Katy Perry: 

Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter, and television reality show judge. As a teenager, she used to sing in the church. Her family had to depend on church food to survive. She had been very unsuccessful at the beginning of her life as a singer. But she did not lose hope and worked hard. And now she is one of the Forbes “top-earning women” worldwide.

J. K. Rowling:

J. K. Rowling is well-known for her Harry Potter series. But she did not get into this position overnight. She faced so many rejections from different authors; she had been rejected from Oxford University. At a time, she lost her mother to Multiple Sclerosis; her marriage was also a failure. Yet, she had overcome all these problems to reach where she is today. And this all happened because of her growth mindset.

Michael Phelps:

Michael Phelps is the youngest male swimmer in the Olympics. He holds the world record for most medal wins. But he had to overcome so many problems in his life to get here. His parents divorced when he was nine. This left a significant impact on his mental health. He had to struggle with ADHD and depression for a long time. He even had the thoughts of ending his life. But he chose not to give up; all this was possible because he had a growth mindset.

5. How does the brain play into the mindset?

The human brain is made up of millions of cells called neurons. These neurons are connected and receive information or stimulus from the rest of the body. These neurons affect how the brain works by strength, number, and location. Whenever we gain some new experiences, the link or connections in the neurons change. As a result, new connections are formed by altering the neurons. This helps the brain grow smarter and develop a new mindset, and in this way, a new mindset is developed.

6. How do students with a growth mindset see their mistakes?

Students having a growth mindset take the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. As a result, they do not give up at all when they fail. Instead, they repeatedly practice to make things better and learn different ways in the process. 

Those who do not have a growth mindset take everything negatively whenever they face any failure. They lose hope every time there is an obstacle in front of them. But those with a growth mindset take up new challenges when they fail. They learn from their mistakes and try to overcome obstacles. They see mistakes as opportunities to do something better. 

7. What are the growth mindset principles in the new psychology of success?

According to researchers, some of the growth mindset principles are – 

  • Acknowledge your mistakes: We must embrace our imperfections and learn from our mistakes.
  • Take advantage of your challenges: Whenever you face any challenge, take the opportunity to learn new things to get over your problems.
  • Different learning methods: Find all the possible solutions to your problem and try to apply the solutions in different ways. 
  • Don’t get discouraged: Your learning will always be different from others. So do not get discouraged easily if someone says you are learning it incorrectly. 
  • Do not emphasize the result: Give more importance to what you learn. The result can be a one-time thing, but what you learn will stay forever.
  • Never give up: No matter how hard it is to reach your goal, never lose hope. Just keep on working on your goals.

 8. Ingrained vs. engrained

Ingrained and engrained are almost the same in meaning. Here, Ingrained means impressed by something more profoundly or permanently. A point of view or perception might be ingrained according to personal thinking. For example, as he has Parana thinking, we may make a few ingrained pieces of evidence to help him know the real matters.

Engrained is an alternative spelling of ingrained, which is rarely used and recognized. So, it is better to use ingrained rather than engrained.

9. Growth vs. development

Growth is a physical change that occurs in the individual body. On the other hand, development is the total growth of humans that happens throughout the whole life span. The development includes social, physical, emotional, intellectual, and other essential aspects of human life.

A growth mindset indicates: People believe their basic abilities can be increased through dedication and hard work. Therefore, the brain and intelligence are the critical starting point of a growth mindset- (Dweck, 2015).

A development mindset indicates: This is a way of thinking and searching the world, spreading the facilities for ongoing personal and social transformations- (Dweck, 2015).

10. How does the brain play into the mindset?

The brain is an integral part of the human mindset. Various paths in our brains change at different times. The brain is continually creating and destroying neural pathways. These neural paths help to choose decisions or help to make actions. Sometimes these pathways create a blog that causes various emotional and cognitive imbalances. We can ensure our well-being by creating a positive mindset with proper caring for our minds.

11. Mindset vs. mentality

My mindset defines what I am going to do. It can also be termed a cognitive map or preoperational mentality of performing any task. The mentality is a whole process of mindset. Our negative mentality can make hindrance in our mindset. At the same time, a positive mentality can create the right mindset. 

12. How to change mindset and behavior?

Mindset and behavior occur one after another. As we mentioned before, mindset is a preoperational period of doing any action. Behavior can be an action or response to mindset. For example, we are going to make a company. So first, we will make a perfect plan for our next program to succeed. The ideal plan is a mindset, and all other activities are behavior.

Our following behavior/actions will depend on our ways of mindset. Our behavior will change fruitfully if we can make an appropriate mindset through proper research such as problem-solving strategies, SWOT analysis, etc. Successful behavior depends on a successful mindset. “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” is a practical book for everyone who wants to continue their lifetime success.

You may also like:

Last update on 2024-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.