by David Damon, a Doxa counselor
Over the last decade in the realm of performance-based research, one concept continues to rise to the top as one of the most influential factors for positive performance. This concept is referred to as Growth and Fixed Mindset, and describes the difference in perspectives that performers take when considering themselves and their environment.
Fixed mindset has been shown to have meaningful negative consequences on an individual’s ability to perform a task. An individual in this mindset may find themselves having heightened awareness around other’s perception of them, fixating on obstacles or failures, and experiencing thoughts such as “why can’t I do this?”, “I should be able to do this”, “why am I struggling?”, or “I’m supposed to be able to do this”.
A fixed mindset views the individual and the environment as obstacles that need to be overcome, and when it encounters difficultly, it begins to panic. Within a fixed mindset the brain devotes resources towards identifying and avoiding threats as opposed to using those resources to be creative and adapt to new situations.
Individuals often develop a fixed mindset for two reasons: we are coached in it, or we learn it through experience. More traditional styles of coaching and teaching put an emphasis on minor details and repetitive practice of such details. Value is placed on precise skill execution, and individuals often receive copious feedback on any minor deviations. These factors together promote a learning experience that is sterile, static, and focused on failure.
The second and most common way an individual learns to work in a fixed mindset is through personal experience. These experiences are ones in which the individual was shocked and emotionally harmed, snapping them out of a growth mindset and into a fixed one. For example, a young athlete plays in their first organized soccer game. Excited by the opportunity to play the game they love with their friends; they play their first half trying to do all the cool and exciting things they saw professionals do online. Suddenly they are taken off the field by the coach and are strongly reprimanded. They don’t fully understand why but are too scared to ask any questions. Instead, they play the rest of the game looking at their teammates and trying to understand what they did wrong. In this moment they learned experientially that, “if you are not worried about making someone upset while you’re playing, they will berate you when you least expect it”.
A fixed mindset often develops because it is trying to help us keep away from potential anger, distress, or rejection of others. And although it is trying to be helpful for us, it can often bring about unintended consequences such as low overall performance and transforming what was once fun for us into something that is distressing and burdensome.
In contrast, a growth mindset is one where the individual views themselves and their environment through the lens of curiosity, interest, confidence, and compassion. An individual with a growth mindset sees hardships, challenges, and setbacks as opportunities for change and creativity. A growth mindset is one that takes on the perspective that their performance and ability is part of a journey, and places priority on pursuing the goal of development over the goal of skill execution.
Mistakes are opportunities to self-reflect and to extend compassion towards oneself. It is within this act of compassion and curiosity that individuals grow in their ability, and just as importantly, their enjoyment of the task.
In our above example with the child playing soccer, they initially approached the game with a growth mindset. They were interested in developing and being creative within their task, and if the coach did not intervene in that way, they would have felt free to experiment and explore their potential and grow as an athlete.
However, while growth mindset is a natural one for children to exist in, the older we get the more we experience anger, distress, and rejection from those around us in relation to our performance. In order for those scared by experience to redevelop a growth mindset, they must become reconnected to the younger part of themselves that once felt free to explore and grow. Reconnecting in this way involves exploring factors that promoted the development of a fixed mindset, providing compassion for those experiences, and developing strategies to help that younger part once again feel safe to explore.
These new strategies involve you taking on the role as the curious and compassionate coach that encourages the journey of growth and views mistakes as new opportunities. It will take time to re-train your responses and thoughts that have become second nature, but it may be the most important step in finding joy in your journey as a performer.