Beliefs, Belonging and Brain Plasticity: Promoting “Growth Mindset” Through Creative Experiences

As life gets more complex and change impacts our lives at an ever-accelerating pace, the belief that we can learn new skills, think in new ways and relate to the world differently than we have in the past becomes increasingly essential. Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success argues that we can develop what she calls a “growth” mindset, which holds that our basic abilities can be enhanced through hard work and dedication, that we can expand our possibilities in life through active engagement. Research shows that even seemingly small social-psychological interventions that target limiting, self-negating thoughts and feelings can lead to deep, sustainable shifts in attitude and behavior.

The Fixed mindset holds that our intelligence, talent and ability to change are fixed, and there is nothing we can do to expand them. Because of this perspective that our potentials are predetermined, failure and mistakes are viewed as very discouraging signs that we are inadequate, unlucky or just not cut out for success.