The Fixed Mindset And It's Implications (Stop Being Defensive)

Most people have heard of the term “growth mindset”. It’s being thrown around all the time in certain internet circles, but rarely in a way that make the ideas behind it actionable.

“Gotta have a growth mindset bro”.

Now if you actually want to understand the ideas and know how to use them, this one’s for you. Let’s dive in.

The Fixed Mindset

To understand the growth mindset, it’s best to start by getting to know it’s evil twin, the fixed mindset.

People with a fixed mindset believe that their intelligence, abilities, talents and skills are all fixed traits. Fixed in the sense that they are born with them and that they are impossible to change or improve. They simply are the way they are.

What behaviors does the fixed mindset incentivize?

This is where it gets interesting.

People with a fixed mindset will:

• Avoid challenges
  
  Instead of seeing a challenge as an opportunity to learn and develop, people with a fixed mindset will see any challenge as a threat to their social status. If they are to fail, they will expose their inherent lack of skill and intelligence.
  
• Give up in the face of adversity
  
  People with a fixed mindset fail to realize that their agency will develop over time. This makes them give up too easily, because they interpret any kind of adversity to mean that they are not good enough to deal with it.
  
• Get defensive
  
  When given feedback, people with a fixed mindset don’t receive feedback on the work that they have done. They receive feedback on the very quality of their soul and personal worth.
  
  Since they believe their skills and abilities to be fixed, any work they do is simply the very best that they can do. If the work’s not good enough, they’re not good enough.

A downward spiral

Think of the fixed mindset as the mental equivalent to the physical fight-or-flight system. A person with a fixed mindset is always in survival mode. Instead of looking for opportunity and development, they’re looking for safety and preservation.

When combined with a scarcity mindset, the world is a cut-throat place for a fixed mindset person. They are discouraged by other's successes.

This creates a negative feedback loop. When their peers take on risks and creative challenges, they grow in skill and influence, creating an even larger gap in the fixed mindset’s perceived lack of ability.

The fixed-mindset person will feel increasingly threatened by other’s skills and accomplishments. Like a wounded animal, they will either look to assert themselves to an extreme extent, or they will flee from any situation where their abilities might be questioned.

From there on, every single challenge, setback and criticism will confirm their inadequacy.

Introducing the Growth Mindset

Now that you have a deep understanding of fixed mindset psychology, let's look at it's opposite. The Growth Mindset.

The Growth Mindset believes that skills, intelligence and abilities are developed through time, dedication and hard work. They know that a future version of themselves will have even more skill and influence.

This knowledge makes them crave new and exciting challenges, because they know that it will help them level up, regardless if they fail or succeed.

People with a growth mindset see everything as a learning opportunity and they never take failure personally. This allows them to maintain confidence and self-respect when working with others. Since they're not defensive, they are easier to work with and enjoy effortless respect from their peers and leaders alike.

Think of the Growth Mindset as the mental equivalent to the physical rest-and-digest system. A person with a Growth Mindset is relaxed, allowing them to be creative, think long-term and grow from their experiences.

How to use these concepts

If you're reading this, I assume that you embody the Growth Mindset and have the self-awareness to realize when you don't.

While the main use of this concept is to help you identify unresourceful behaviors in yourself, it's wise to learn how to spot the fixed mindset in others.

Don't let yourself assume that fixed-mindset people can't be successful. They can be found in all kinds positions, often fueled by their lacking sense of self-worth.

If you're in a complex social structure like the corporate world, learning to identify the fixed mindset will help you navigate confidently.

It will stop you from giving career-ending criticism to a boss or hire a saboteur that looks good on paper.

The Key Takeaway

The growth mindset is the superior way because it enables you to learn, try, fail and succeed without bringing your ego into the process unnecessarily. It requires vulnerability and courage, but it rewards you with wisdom, respect and results.