What It Means
A fixed mindset is the belief that abilities such as intelligence and talent are set traits: you have a certain amount and that's that. Someone thinking this way may avoid challenges that could reveal a limit and read mistakes as proof they aren't good at something. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck named it alongside its opposite, the growth mindsetGrowth mindsetThe belief that abilities like intelligence and talent can grow with effort, good strategies and help, a term from psychologist Carol Dweck. See more.
Try It: Sort Fixed and Growth Mindset Thoughts
Sort each thought. Tap Fixed or Growth.
"I'm just bad at drawing."
"This is hard, so I'm learning something."
"If I have to try hard, I must not be smart."
"I'll pick the easy one so I don't look dumb."
"My coach showed me a better way to practice."
All five right. Fixed thoughts treat ability as set; growth thoughts treat it as something effort and strategy can build.
A few to recheck. Ask of each: does it treat ability as set, or as something that can grow?
How Parents Say It
- "I'm just not a math person."
- "Why try? I'll never be good at it."
- "She's a natural, so it's easy for her."
The Breakdown
Signs by age, from Dweck's research and Stanford's guidance
| Age | What a fixed mindset can look like | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten and fifth grade | After praise for being smartSave More TomorrowA savings plan by Richard Thaler and Shlomo Benartzi in which you agree now to raise your retirement contribution each time you get a pay raise. See more, choosing easier problems, losing enjoyment when work gets hard, and in some cases misreporting scores | Stanford, Bing Nursery School |
| School age | Praise such as "You got an A without even studying," which the Clayman Institute says reinforces fixed beliefs and discourages effort | Stanford, Clayman Institute |
| Older students | Believing intelligence can't change, which Stanford's guide advises meeting with process feedback rather than labels like "giftedGifted and talentedStudents who show high ability in an intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership or academic area and need services beyond the regular classroom to develop it. See more" or "smart" | Stanford Teaching Commons |
What helps
- Praise the processProcess praisePraise for how a child worked, such as effort, strategy, focus or persistence, rather than for a trait like being smart or talented. See more: effort, strategies and sticking with it.
- Avoid trait labels, even kind ones like "smart" or "a natural."
- Treat mistakes as information about what to try next.
- Give honest feedback along with encouragement.
A quick check of our own. Listen for "just" and "never" in your child's talk about a subject, as in "I'm just bad at it." Those words may point to a fixed view of that one area.
When to talk to the school. If your child refuses challenges, is very distressed by mistakes, or has given up on a subject, talk with their teacher about what they're seeing in class.
Where It Comes From
The term comes from Carol Dweck's research on how people think about ability. Stanford's Clayman Institute quotes her describing people with a fixed mindset as believing they have only a certain amount of ability, and her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, set out the fixed and growth mindsets for a general audience.
Good to Know
Dweck has cautioned teachers against blaming a student's struggles on a fixed mindset, according to Stanford Teaching Commons; the job is to support the student toward a growth mindset. The same page notes critics who find the concept oversimplified, so use it as a way to talk about learning rather than as a label for your child.
FAQ
What is an example of a fixed mindset?
"I'm just not a math person" is a common one. It treats math ability as a trait you either have or don't, instead of something practice and new strategies can build.
Can praise cause a fixed mindset?
In Dweck's studies, children praised for being smart were more likely to avoid harder problems afterward, a fixed mindset pattern. Children praised for effort chose the harder ones.
Can a fixed mindset change?
Dweck's work treats mindsets as beliefs, and beliefs can shift. She also warns against oversimplifying, so expect gradual change in how your child talks about a subject.
Do It in Buhata
Notes
Write down the fixed-mindset phrases you hear at home and a process-praise reply for each in Notes (Premium) in Buhata, so you have the words ready.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Growth mindset
The belief that abilities like intelligence and talent can grow with effort, good strategies and help, a term from psychologist Carol Dweck.
- Process praise
Praise for how a child worked, such as effort, strategy, focus or persistence, rather than for a trait like being smart or talented.
- Praise vs encouragement
A distinction from Adlerian parenting: praise credits the child for a result, while encouragement credits effort, improvement and what the child did.
- Self-esteem
How a person feels about themselves and what they can do. In a child, healthy self-esteem shows as feeling liked, accepted and able to try again after a mistake.
- Resilience
The capacity to adapt and keep developing well in the face of hardship. In children it's built above all through a stable, supportive relationship with an adult.
- Perfectionism
Holding yourself or others to standards so high they can't be met, and judging yourself harshly when they aren't.
Sources
Stanford Teaching Commons, "Growth Mindset and Enhanced Learning"; Stanford University, The Clayman Institute for Gender Research, "Understanding a mindset for success"; Stanford University, Bing Nursery School, "Carol Dweck: Praising Intelligence: Costs to Children's Self-Esteem and Motivation"
- teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-guides/foundations-course-design/learning-activities/growth-mindset-and-enhanced-learning
- gender.stanford.edu/news/understanding-mindset-success
- bingschool.stanford.edu/news/carol-dweck-praising-intelligence-costs-childrens-self-esteem-and-motivation
Last updated .