Hmm. I'm with Bostonian.
I like the idea of a "mindset" in which you believe that if you work hard at something, you maximize your chances of learning how to do it competently. Personally, I developed this type of thinking with respect to mathematics at some point, and it serves me well because I added a step to a process (now generalized in my mind) that goes like this:
1. Hmm. New thing to learn.
2. Whoa, this is really hard to understand.
Old step 3: I can't do this. I'll do something else.
New step 3: I can do this if I focus and maybe find a couple other sources of information about this topic.
New step 4. Now that I get this, it's not so hard.
Alternative pathway (learning-related): I understand my strengths and my limitations. I can see that [insert task] requires ability where I have weakness. I'll never really be competent at this, so I should play to my strengths and focus on something where I have ability.
Alternative pathway (work- or project-related): I get this idea yo, but it's wrong and I have to stop trying to make it work. (People call this pathway
learning from your failures).
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IMO, the new step 3 results from an internal process. It's fine to tell people that they should have a "growth mindset," but IMO, honest growth mindset is simply a synonym for
confidence that comes with accomplishing something that was difficult for you. You can't just hand something like that to a person by wishing it so.
As an aside, this is where schools fail gifted students (because so much in school is too easy) as well as low-IQ students (because the age-grade level pace is too fast for them). Gifted students are at risk for not learning how to fail, and low IQ kids are at risk for not learning how to succeed.
Overall, I think people like Dweck and Malcolm Gladwell peddle a (lucrative) fantasy that lies to people about being able to achieve things if they just
belieeeve and
try haaaaaard. Like Bostonian said, this just sets people up for failure. It also conveniently places blame on the guy who failed when the outcome may have been beyond his control (because he didn't believe and he didn't try hard enough).
So, I guess my question for Dweck would be this:
How does lack of ability figure into your philosophy?
If she denies that lack of ability is a limiting factor, you'll probably have a good idea about her ideology.
She's mentioned that people can get smarter if they try hard enough (there's a link in a message I wrote in that thread Bostonian mentioned). Can an adult grow taller by trying hard? Can they people flap their arms and fly if they try hard enough (no external devices allowed)?
