Fixed versus Growth Mindset

In the September/October issue of Psychotherapy Networker, I read a review of a book entitled MINDSET: THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS by Stanford University developmental psychologist Carol Dweck which explains how our self-view can be changed to spur us on to success by shifting our mindsets. It’s really quite simple. The article (about bullying) explains Dweck’s concept of fixed versus growth mindsets. People with a fixed mindset see themselves and their attributes or inadequacies as more or less permanent—they’re good at some things and bad at others, outgoing or shy, lovable or unlovable. Fixed-mindset thinkers view their successes as a “reflection of their more or less immutable gifts or talents” and view their failures as a “reflection of unchangeable deficits and weaknesses.” So many disregulated eaters have this kind of fixed mindset: they’re either this or that and mostly don’t feel good enough about themselves. Desperate to succeed, they’re thrilled and relieved when they do and feel awful when they don’t, as if failure confirms what they knew all along—there’s something permanently defective about them.  “People with a growth mindset explain their successes entirely differently, as the result of conscious, actively chosen behaviors and strategies.” They attribute their success to things such as having practiced a lot, made healthy choices, or to having thought more rationally. “When growth-mindset thinkers ...
Source: Normal Eating - Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Source Type: blogs