Carol Dweck, a senior psychologist now at Stanford, wrote a book
Mindset about 3 years ago. It's been mentioned here a few times (cf.
{1},
{2}, and
{3}). Quoting from Michael Chui's succinct characterisation in {3}:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Chui  Your problem isn't introversion, as noted, but what is called the "fixed mindset", by Carol Dweck. You're more interested in proving yourself, showing your own brilliance, and when you can't you close down and turn inward to avoid having to allow yourself to be seen as ignorant or uncertain.
The reverse is the growth mindset, which is based on the assumption that it is always possible to get better at anything, and as a result, it's okay to make mistakes and look stupid, because then you have opportunities to learn.
Learn how to say, "I don't understand," and "Could you explain that?" Learn how to say stuff that sounds stupid to you: it takes some impulsiveness, but it can be done. If you're dead wrong, you'll find out. If you're right, you'll look good. If neither of you have any idea, hey it's more to talk about. |
There's more at a Stanford Magazine summary,
The Effort Effect.
This seems like powerful stuff to me, leading to big impacts on (i) how we should handle our inner monologues, and (ii) how we should interact with children. I've decided to order the book; I'd like to hear more from what Pavlinists make of it.