Teaching Resources
What is a
Fixed Mindset
A fixed mindset, proposed by Stanford professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset, describes people who see their qualities as fixed traits that cannot change. With a fixed mindset, talent is enough to lead to success and effort to improve these talents isn’t required. Those with a fixed mindset believe they are born with a certain amount of skill and intelligence that can’t be improved upon. Students with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges and even small obstacles to continue to appear ‘smart’ and to avoid failure. Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset examples include feeling threatened by others’ success as opposed to feeling inspired by others’ accomplishments. Similarly, those with a fixed mindset often want to prove their intelligence as opposed to improving their knowledge of a specific topic.
Fixed mindset examples can manifest in various instances, without students realizing. We list out fixed mindset examples below.
Avoiding advanced courses: Students may shy away from taking challenging or higher-level courses, fearing that they might not perform well and that this will reflect poorly on their intelligence.
Limited participation in discussions: In seminars or group discussions, students with a fixed mindset might hesitate to share their ideas or ask questions, worried that they might appear ignorant or uninformed.
Choosing “easier” majors: Selecting a major perceived as less demanding to avoid potential failure, rather than pursuing their genuine interests and passions.
Reluctance to seek help: Not attending office hours or seeking tutoring because they believe needing help is a sign of weakness or lack of ability.
Dismissal of feedback: Ignoring or resenting constructive criticism from professors or peers, viewing it as an indictment of their abilities rather than a tool for improvement.
Fear of research projects: Avoiding independent research projects or thesis work due to fear of failure or not being “smart enough” to handle the complexity of such tasks.
Avoidance of interdisciplinary learning: Sticking strictly to their field of study and avoiding courses outside their comfort zone, missing out on the broad learning experiences that higher education offers.
Blaming external factors: Attributing poor performance to external factors like the difficulty of the exam or the unfairness of the professor, rather than recognizing areas where they can improve.
Fixed view of aptitude: Believing that they are inherently “bad” at subjects like math or writing, and therefore not putting in the effort to develop these skills.
Competitive attitude: Viewing peers as rivals to be outperformed rather than collaborators to learn from, leading to a toxic academic environment.
Those who hold a fixed mindset believe that they are either good or bad at something based on their inherent nature. A fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset example would be stating “I’m just no good at soccer,” as opposed to “I’m a natural born soccer player,” with the belief that their athletic skills can’t be developed. Those with fixed mindsets may avoid challenges, give up easily and ignore useful negative feedback. The opposite of this fixed mindset is the growth mindset.
Further Reading
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