Growth Mindset Vs. Fixed Mindset
Fixed Mindset is the belief that abilities are innate, and failure is interpreted as a lack of those abilities, where Growth Mindset is the belief that one can acquire abilities provided appropriate effort.
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Origin
Developed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, based on decades of research on motivation, and popularized in her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dweck found that students who believed intelligence was malleable persisted through challenges, while those who saw ability as fixed gave up more quickly. The framework has been widely adopted in education, though recent replication studies suggest smaller effect sizes.
Updated February 22, 2026