In Maria Popva’s article, Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets that Shape Our Lives, she discusses the differences between the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. Popva presents the findings from Carol Dweck and her colleagues’ research of children and adults, distinguishing between the two types of mindsets. The passages that were most compelling to me from Popva’s article were the ones that described the children’s behaviors and decisions; specifically about the behaviors and decisions of the children when the researchers praised them with two separate forms of compliments. I found it really interesting how the children that were praised for ability had different opinions about failure vs. the children praised for effort. The children praised for ability thought of themselves as less intelligent as a result of doing poorly, whereas the children praised for effort thought of failure as a challenge; not necessarily an indication that they are less intelligent than other individuals. As a result of these findings, I think this article clearly shows just how influential other human beings can be on one another; especially children who look up to adults to learn what is right and wrong. The way a person/child is spoken to can influence the way they think, impacting their behavior, and it may also affect them for the rest of their lives, depending how impactful it is.
Based on what I have read from Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets that Shape Our Lives, I believe that I switch between the two types of mindsets depending on the situation, topic, and circumstance. For example if I was to fail a math test, I would try to improve upon it to learn my mistakes and if possibly retake the test. Another circumstance would be if my friend and I got into an argument and failed to understand each other, even after explaining our stances to one another, I would give up. If someone doesn’t understand you and they choose not to, there is no use in trying to stay in a negative relationship. Thus, I believe I change between the two mindsets. My understanding of the fixed versus growth mindset directly relates to passive versus active learning and intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. I think all three are related because they connect like stages in a cycle. I think the growth mindset is a necessary to formulate and advance my own agenda for my education and ultimately achieve happiness for myself. This is due to the fact that I think happiness depends on perspective. From the reading about the fixed mindset and growth mindset, I think the growth mindset has a more positive perspective; especially in terms of failure. According to the article, people with a growth mindset look at failure or doing poorly as challenges and ways to improve themselves, whereas people with fixed mindset are more likely to give up. Giving up is defined as quitting and holds a negative value most of the time in my opinion. I do not want to give up or quit, specifically in terms of education; we are always learning new things; we have to, it’s part of being human; it’s evolution.