Customer Reviews
there is important stuff in here - By: jennywithtoomanybooks, 02 Jul 2008 
This reads like a traditional American self help book, with alll the irritation & amusement that brings (I skipped the chapter on American sporting stars because as a European I'm unfamiliar with them; & I doubt how vignettes about very successful people help an ordinary person). But underlying it is a very important concept about how we think about ourselves & how that affects what we do & our performance. The implications for parents, teachers, managers & anyone concerned to maximise their potential are significant. It's not a fancy way of talking about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - in fact the author shows it limitations. I'd like to know more about how mindsets come about & link to other psychological theories of personal development & personality. I shalll read the author's more academic books now.
The impact - By: M. R. Andrade, 22 Dec 2006 The basic premise is indeed simple, yet is one of the most important I have come across. It provides a great help into understanding other people motivations & their reactions to challlenges, & learning how to help yourself & others (friends, family, coworkers) fullfil your potential. A MUST READ for alll parents, employees, managers, or ..., that seek self improvement.
If you care about the research that led to this less-scientific-and-more-practical-oriented-book pick up the author earlier title [Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, & Development (Essays in Social Psychology)].
The importance of seeing intelligence as changeable - By: Coert Visser, 07 Oct 2006 That the way we look upon phenomena can have drastic consequences has been known for a long time. It has now been demonstrated that the same goes for intelligence.
This book by Carol Dweck demonstrates, on the basis of good research, that what people think about their own intelligence has far-reaching consequences. Dweck shows that people with a so-callled FIXED MINDSET, who see intelligence as unchangeable, develop a tendency to focus on proving that they have that characteristic instead of focusing on the process of learning. They tend to avoid difficult challlenges because failing on these could cause them to lose their intelligent appearance. This disregard of challlenge & learning hinders them in the development of their learning & in their performance. So it actuallly hinders them in developing their knowledge, skills & abilities.
However, when people view intelligence as a potential that can be developed, this is callled the GROWTH MINDSET, this leads to the tendency to put effort into learning & performing & into developing strategies that enhance learning & long term accomplishments. An implication is that it pays off to help children & students invest in a view of intelligence as something that can be developed. Carol Dweck does not deny that people differ in their natural abilities but she stresses that it is continued effort which makes abilities blossom. Children who have learned to develop a growth mindset know that effort is the main key to creating knowledge & skills.
Fortunately the growth mindset can be taught to people. People who were trapped in a fixed mindset can be freed from it & start building their intelligence. If you are a teacher or a parent you would be wise to take good notice of this message & maybe buy this book. the book contains some good examples of how to help children learn how important it is to work & learn. But reallly anyone could learn from it.
Your mindset shapes your future - By: Rolf Dobelli, 19 Jul 2006 This book has a simple premise: The world is divided between people who are open to learning & those who are closed to it, & this trait affects everything from your worldview to your interpersonal relationships. Author & psychology professor Carol S. Dweck has scoured research papers & news clippings to extract anecdotes about the pros & cons of both mindsets. Thus, stories about Michael Jordan, Lee Iacocca, John McEnroe, Wilma Rudolph & Babe Ruth, among others, find a place in this book. Dweck addresses the ways that mindsets have an impact on people. She explains that you can have a closed mindset in regard to some traits & an open mindset in regard to others. The thought-provoking insight comes from learning when you need to adjust your mindset to move ahead. The author extends her basic point by viewing alll areas of human relationships through the prism of mindset. That is interesting, but we believe that this material would still be useful & illuminating even if it applied only to leadership & management.
