Mindset

Lesson 1- The Mindsets

As long as history can be traced, it is a known fact that people think differently, act differently, and have lived their lives differently from each other. Experts have always conducted studies to understand why people behave the way they do, and what makes them so distinct from one another despite being of the same kind. Some claimed that there was a strong physical basis for these differences, making them unavoidable and unalterable. Through the ages, these physical differences have been developed into separate disciplines like phrenology, the study of bumps on the skull, craniology, the study of the size and shape of the skull, and even genes. 

Others pointed to the strong differences in people’s backgrounds, experiences, training, or ways of learning. Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test, was a supporter of this view. He designed this test to identify children who were not profiting from the Paris public schools so that new educational programs could be designed to get them back on track. Without denying individual differences in children's intellects, he believed that education and practice could bring about fundamental changes in intelligence.

Most children are trained in the mindset from an early age, and these qualities are fixed. It creates an urgency to prove oneself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character, it becomes imperative that you prove that you have a healthy dose of them. This is one reason why IQ scores are often regarded as the standard for the measurement of human intelligence. 

There’s another mindset, called the growth mindset, in which all bestowed qualities are a starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. The idea is that although people may differ in their initial talents and aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Our “intelligence mindset” comes into play when situations involve mental ability. Our “personality mindset” comes into play in situations that involve our personal qualities. 

Lesson 2- Is the Mindset a Myth?

Mindsets are just beliefs. They are powerful beliefs, but they are just something in your mind, and you can change your mind. Everyone is born with an intense drive to learn. Infants learn at an exceptional rate, learning how to talk and walk within one and half years to two years. The point to note here is that they do not think that talking and walking are difficult tasks. It almost comes to them naturally. The