3 ms·

A little OT, but personally I'm tired of hearing the term "growth mindset". It's a business buzzword that has become as meaningless as the inspirational poster

A little OT, but personally I'm tired of hearing the term "growth mindset". It's a business buzzword that has become as meaningless as the inspirational posters of the 80's and the "hang in there" cat of the 70's. I have children and I try to praise their effort and encourage them as much as possible. I do not ask them if they have a "growth mindset". (Apologies to parent - I'm just venting)

westoncb 9y ago
Actually it's a pretty specific thing from the work of Carol Dweck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindset#Fixed_and_growth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindset#Fixed_and_growth As with any popular technical concept, many users will drop some of the subtleties, and I think 'growth mindset' has gotten big enough that you start seeing people using it loosely to justify various things—but there is something specific and maybe quite useful at the core.
- lmm 9y ago
  It's a specific thing but the evidence is questionable. IIRC most of Dweck's studies and findings have failed to replicate.
quadrangle 9y ago
I'm not certain that the "growth mindset" research is solid, lots of psychological science isn't that certain actually. But I think it's supported more than not. The key point here: saying "you have a fixed mindset" and "you have a growth mindset" are THEMSELVES statements of a fixed mindset in this perspective! It's not strict in that it doesn't imply that you can't change. but my favorite part of the perspective is the broader thing that can be divorced from "growth mindset": that we should focus on the actions and intentions rather than on personal judgments. There are reasons outside of "growth mindset" (such as plain improved interpersonal communication) to avoid focusing on personal judgment. If you say, "I don't like that 'growth mindset' stuff", consider how much better it sounds for me to say "That's doesn't seem like an open-minded view of the idea" instead of saying, "You don't seem like an open-minded person." The "growth mindset" is just one framing. I'm asserting that we really do need to get away from things that encourage kids (and everyone) from taking everything so personally. We can all respond better to both positive and negative feedback when it isn't seen as a personal judgment. We need to go away from the entire emphasis that personal judgments are something to focus on.

westoncb 9y ago

Actually it's a pretty specific thing from the work of Carol Dweck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindset#Fixed_and_growth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindset#Fixed_and_growth As with any popular technical concept, many users will drop some of the subtleties, and I think 'growth mindset' has gotten big enough that you start seeing people using it loosely to justify various things—but there is something specific and maybe quite useful at the core.

lmm 9y ago
It's a specific thing but the evidence is questionable. IIRC most of Dweck's studies and findings have failed to replicate.

quadrangle 9y ago

I'm not certain that the "growth mindset" research is solid, lots of psychological science isn't that certain actually. But I think it's supported more than not. The key point here: saying "you have a fixed mindset" and "you have a growth mindset" are THEMSELVES statements of a fixed mindset in this perspective! It's not strict in that it doesn't imply that you can't change. but my favorite part of the perspective is the broader thing that can be divorced from "growth mindset": that we should focus on the actions and intentions rather than on personal judgments. There are reasons outside of "growth mindset" (such as plain improved interpersonal communication) to avoid focusing on personal judgment. If you say, "I don't like that 'growth mindset' stuff", consider how much better it sounds for me to say "That's doesn't seem like an open-minded view of the idea" instead of saying, "You don't seem like an open-minded person." The "growth mindset" is just one framing. I'm asserting that we really do need to get away from things that encourage kids (and everyone) from taking everything so personally. We can all respond better to both positive and negative feedback when it isn't seen as a personal judgment. We need to go away from the entire emphasis that personal judgments are something to focus on.