Carol Dweck PhD

“True self-confidence is the courage to be open—to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source.”

Influence on SDC Framework Focus

Mindset forms the foundation for how people approach challenges, solve problems, and relate to the process of change. In the Self-Directed Change® (SDC) Frameworks, mindset is the starting point. Before strategies are introduced or goals are refined, SDC begins with a mindset tune-up—because change is much easier when the mind is open, practical, and ready to engage.

The mindset emphasized within SDC can be summed up as: had enough, determined, and ready-to-learn. It’s grounded in a growth-oriented, action-ready attitude; an attitude that’s curious, willing to practice, and focused on what’s possible.

Carol Dweck’s work on growth versus fixed mindsets provides a crucial foundation for this approach. Her research distinguishes between incremental learners, who believe abilities can grow with effort, and entity theorists, who view intelligence and ability as fixed traits. The SDC Frameworks draw from Dweck’s insights to foster flexibility, perseverance, and a practical readiness to learn—traits that are vital for self-directed change to take root.

By helping clients shift from “Can I?” to “How can I?”, Dweck’s contributions continue to shape how change is approached within SDC—encouraging a mindset that sees effort as worthwhile and setbacks as part of the learning process.

For a closer look, add Dr. Dwecks’ Mindset: “The New Psychology of Success” to your library today. Find it here in the ChangeWorks Bookstore.

Bookstore

Key Contributions and Concepts

Carol Dweck’s research has significantly advanced our understanding of motivation, learning, and personal development. Her work emphasizes how beliefs about intelligence and ability shape behavior, resilience, and achievement. The following sections outline her most influential contributions, which continue to impact education, psychology, and personal growth.

Fixed and growth Mindsets

Dweck is best known for the concept of fixed and growth mindsets that she developed to explain how mindsets influence motivation and success. She posited that, on a spectrum, people have either a growth mindset or a fixed mindset and that one’s mindset affects their intelligence.

Her work demonstrates that those with more of a growth mindset believe they can develop with perseverance and see setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning. By contrast, Dr Dweck demonstrates that people with fixed mindsets tend to believe that their intelligence and future results cannot and will not change.

Impact of Praise

Dweck's research on praise has been particularly influential. She found that praising children for intelligence can have negative effects, leading them to avoid challenges and become less resilient in the face of failure. In contrast, praising effort and strategies encourages children to embrace challenges and persist. For example, in one study, children praised for intelligence chose easier tasks to maintain their "smart" image, while those praised for effort sought more challenging tasks to learn from.

Implicit Theories of Intelligence

Dweck proposed that individuals have implicit beliefs about their intelligence - they think they are either “smart” or “not so smart”, she found these beliefs significantly influence learning behaviors and academic outcomes.

Malleability of Intelligence

Her work challenges fixed notions of intelligence, demonstrating that cognitive abilities can be developed through effort and effective strategies.

Resilience and Perseverance

Dweck's work highlights the importance of converting setbacks into future successes, thus fostering resilience in learners.

Her work demonstrates that those with more of a growth mindset believe they can develop with perseverance and see setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.

Motivation and Achievement

Dweck's research shows that people's beliefs about their abilities, or mindsets, play a crucial role in their motivation and achievement. Those with a growth mindset, who believe their abilities can be developed, tend to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and achieve more than those with a fixed mindset. Her work demonstrates that teaching a growth mindset can transform students' motivation, raise their grades, and improve test scores.

Self-Theories

Dweck's work on self-theories explores how people's beliefs about themselves shape their motivation, personality, and development. She identified two main self-theories: entity theory (fixed mindset) and incremental theory (growth mindset). These theories influence how people approach challenges, respond to failure, and view effort. Self-theories affect not only academic achievement but also social relationships, emotional well-being, and even moral behavior.

Unified Theory of Motivation

In recent years, Dweck has worked on developing a unified theory that integrates motivation, personality, and development. This theory begins with basic needs and shows how people build mental representations of their experiences as they pursue goals. These needs, goals, and representations form the basis of both motivation and personality, providing a new perspective on development and the roles of nature and nurture.

Dweck's ideas have had a significant impact on education, psychology, and personal development.

Biography

Carol Dweck grew up in Brooklyn, New York and was the second born of three and thus a “middle child.” While in sixth grade at P.S. 153 in New York City the students in Dweck’s class were ranked by IQ, which sparked her early interest in the psychology of learning and intelligence.

Dweck continued her education in New York, graduating from Barnard College in 1967.

In 1972 she earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University. After completing her doctorate, Dweck held faculty positions at several prestigious institutions. From the University of Illinois Dweck went to Harvard University, then returned to Illinois before joining Columbia University.

In 2004, she joined Stanford University, where she is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology. She is a pioneer in the study of motivation and personal success and has won many awards from prestigious organizations including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Psychological Association.

Dweck’s husband, David Goldman, is the founder and director of the National Center for New Plays at Stanford University as well as a theater director and critic. While Dweck has no biological children David has two, and grandchildren who consider Dweck their grandmother. They live in Stanford, California.

Book Store

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006; Random House).

This influential book explores how people's beliefs about their abilities and potential, whether fixed or growth-oriented, can profoundly affect their success in various aspects of life.

Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation (1999; Psychology Press).

This book examines how people's beliefs about the nature of their abilities and intelligence shape their motivation, behavior, and achievement in various domains.

Personal Politics: The Psychology of Making It (1973; Prentice Hall).

This work investigates the psychological factors and interpersonal strategies involved in achieving personal and professional success in social and organizational contexts.