(2022) Second Place: Growth and Fixed Mindsets: A Survey About Mindsets and Thei
(2022) Second Place: Growth and Fixed Mindsets: A Survey About Mindsets and Their Relationship to Symptoms of Mental Illness, the Internalization of Problems, and Emotion Regulation Strategies
by Kennedy Cole
Abstract
Mindsets, whether fixed or growth, are extremely powerful frameworks that influence nearly every aspect of individuals and their lives. Consistent with prior research, to determine the impact of these mindsets on college students, we considered the relationship between mindsets and mental health symptoms, the internalization of problems, and emotion regulation strategies. Findings indicate individuals with fixed mindsets experienced less severe symptoms of depression; however, an individual’s mindset does not influence the internalization of their problems or the emotion regulation strategies they use. Because this study resulted in insights contrary to previous research on this topic, and that the data upon which this study is based was self-reported, there is a possibility that it might be biased and/or inaccurate. Additionally, other aspects, such as background, culture, and life experiences, were not considered or examined. Furthermore, because of the small sample sizes (22 participants per mindset) Type I and II errors could have been made. This study allowed for a deeper understanding of this area and hopefully will provoke more in-depth research of this topic. To improve internal validity, we suggest an experiment be conducted. If mindsets influence and impact the variables investigated, it is important to determine this to help ensure that individuals have and maintain positive mental well-being.
Keywords: growth mindset, fixed mindset, symptoms of mental illness, reappraisal coping strategy, suppression coping strategy, emotion regulation strategies
Strategies
Within the past few decades, research began on growth and fixed mindsets’ impact on individuals’ academic and psychological functioning. Mindsets create psychological worlds or meaning systems that are extremely powerful and shape how people process information, their reactions to events, and influence many important aspects of their life, including self-regulation, self-esteem, and social perception (Schleider & Weisz 2018; Sun et al., 2020). Furthermore, these mindsets can affect an individual’s academic success by influencing the mastery of goals, perception of intrinsic and extraneous loads, retention of the learned information, and transfer performance (Xu et al., 2021). Individuals with growth mindsets believe their traits, such as intelligence, are malleable through effort; whereas individuals with fixed mindsets believe their traits are innate. Maladaptive belief systems, such as fixed mindsets, can have negative consequences, including causing individuals to question their abilities, use unhealthy coping mechanisms, and experience more intense feelings of helplessness (Schleider et al., 2016). These negative consequences of maladaptive belief systems can lead