Growth Mindset Definition

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Have you ever wondered what motivates you? What about how you approach a new situation? Are you introverted or extroverted? Why do you live your life the way you do, and what influences you to live that way? In fact, there is an increasingly important psychological term for the influence underlying every action we take in our lives. Mindset describes beliefs regarding personal qualities such as talent or ability. The two mindsets are the fixed mindset and the growth mindset, and people with these mindsets have existentially different ways of living. Individuals with a fixed mindset desire to appear smart to others. Such people often give up prematurely when faced with challenges or avoid them altogether. They see mistakes as dangers, ignore feedback from others, don’t seek help when needed, and avoid activities that take effort. Most importantly, they feel threatened by the success of others. As a result, such individuals never achieve their full potential and may stop personal growth prematurely. Rather than desire to appear smart, individuals with a growth mindset desire to learn. Those with a growth mindset are excited by challenges, even if there is a probability they will fail. They are often persistent, and see setbacks, …show more content…

I have had many experiences with each mindset. During my college search, I was set on applying to three universities with highly-ranked Computer Science (CS) programs simply because I thought I would look smart by being admitted. I was devastated when I realized that I did not meet the admission requirements and thought that I had failed. I experienced a fixed mindset in this situation because I ignored two key factors: those universities aren’t the only universities where I am likely to obtain a fulfilling career, and that I had defaulted to those universities and the CS major because of others’ opinions of them, rather than my

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