Selbstbild: Wie unser Denken Erfolge oder Niederlagen bewirkt

by Carol S. Dweck, Jürgen Neubauer (Translator)

This book sheds light on how people work-why sometimes they function well and sometimes they behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. Toward this end, Carol Dweck presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns, showing: how these patterns originate in people's self-theories; their consequences for the person-for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being; their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations; the experiences that create them.

Throughout, Dweck shows how examining people's self-theories illuminates basic issues of human motivation, social cognition, personality, the self, mental health, and development.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Education, Personal Development, Business, Science

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation and is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Her research has focused on why people succeed and how to foster success. She has held professorships at Columbia and Harvard Universities, has lectured all over the world, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her scholarly book Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development was named Book of the Year by the World Education Federation. Her work has been featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe, and she has appeared on Today and 20/20.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not a self-help book. It is tedious to read, repetitive, repetitive, repetitive...BUT

It argues something of great importance - that the self-theories each of us has constructed (consciously or unconsciously) regarding our intelligence, social savviness, personality etc. initiate and control the thought patterns that can either go into fortitude or learned helplessness along the way of personal development and maturing.

To illustrate this, the author is slowly approaching (starting on the intelligence domain and expanding upon the findings there onto the other ones) the distinction between two theories: entity and incremental theory (similar to the nature vs. nurture debate)

People employing the former regard their intelligence(social savviness, personality traits) as fixed. "You either have it or you don't." or "I am just not good at this". It's easy to operate in this theory - things are just as they are. Except when they are not :) Facing a conflict - thinking highly of yourself until a setback which clearly shows you don't have it, can trigger a lot of negative emotions which can grow into a life-long tendency of challenges avoidance for the sake of saving face,(you cannot be smart and fail, right?). So why bother trying...you have nothing to gain: You are either reaffirming something you already believe to be true or you are putting your self-worth at risk. No upside, therefore please no challenges, no learning, no growth. It is sad but true for so many people. Just think a sec about it, I am pretty convinced you can come up with at least a handful of friends who fall into this category.

On the other hand, in the incremental theory framework it's all about growth. Looking dumb is not the end of the world. Learning new things, developing new abilities is what it is all about. Setbacks are just feedback that help you better cope on the way and does not undermine you as an individual, just your current performance. Having much less to lose, it is natural that people operating in this framework are more willing to take risks, face new challenges, and cope with adversity (which is not a label of inadequacy here) much more effectively.

[Jamey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent argument of great social value, proven in exhausting detail and repeated ad nauseam.

[Shifting Phases]

Ahah -- this is what I was looking for and didn't find in _Mindset_. Concise, lots of pointers to other interesting research.

TOC:
What promotes adaptive motivation? Four beliefs and four truths about ability, success, praise, and confidence
When failure undermines and when failure motivates: Helpless and Mastery-oriented responses
Achievement Goals: Looking smart versus learning
Is intelligence fixed or changeable? Students' theories about their intelligence foster their achievement goals
Theories of intelligence predict (and create) differences in achievement
Theories of intelligence create high and low effort
Implicit theories and goals predict self-esteem loss and depressive reactions to negative events
why confidence and success are not enough
What is IQ and does it matter?
Believing in fixed social traits: impact on social coping
Judging and labelling others: Another effect of implicit theories
Belief in the potential to change
Holding and Forming Stereotypes
How does it all begin? Young children's theories about goodness and badness
Kinds of praise and criticsm: the origins of vulnerability
Praising intelligence: more praise that backfires
Misconceptions about self-esteem and about how to foster it
Personality, motivation, development, and the self: theoretical reflections
Final thoughts on controversial issues.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to Dweck's book Mindset. This the academic version that really lays out the research that is behind Mindset. I preferred it over Mindset.

[anastasia ♥ hiraeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF after 86 pages

Let me start off by saying this: There‘s a difference between wisdom and intelligence. Something Carol Dweck still has to learn.

Wisdom can be learned, yes, intelligence can‘t. You‘re born with certain genes, with a certain „pre-programmed“ capacity and ability to instinctively understand matters. This you CANNOT change. Wisdom can be learned. Wisdom can be achieved. But it‘s not the same thing as intelligence.

Here‘s ONE example from her book:

Dweck talks about tests. School tests. According to her, there‘s two personality types, the dynamic and the static people. Static people will fail a test and immediately think I‘m not smart enough, I have no talent for XY. Dynamics will fail the same test but see not as a reflection of their own (in)capabilities but a chance to grow and learn. Dynamics will love puzzles and riddles, the more difficult the better.

THIS. IS. NOT. INTELLIGENCE!!! IT‘S WISDOM!!!!!

Jesus Christ.

And if that wasn‘t enough Dweck goes on to tell stories of people that are supposed to give examples of what she means when she says „The way you think is affecting your successes and failures“. But I hate non-fiction books where authors rely on stories and experiences of most likely made up people you don‘t know and will never know because it ALWAYS shows that the author simply didn‘t have enough material to back up their theory but needed to fill the pages.

Prime example? Jordan B. Peterson. I think in both his books he has ten stories combined. The rest is all theory. Facts. Now, THAT‘s a non-fiction author that‘s worth reading and learning from.

This book was a disaster. IS a disaster. And the worst part is gullible people or people who really want to educate themselves on that matter will read this and think it‘s the real deal. And learn wrong things along the way.

Jesus Christ, where‘s my anti-stress golden retriever puppy …

[Rafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that I see the world as an 'entity theorist'. That means that I think that intelligence is fixed and cannot change no matter how hard you work. The authors explain that raising children to be 'entity theorists' by praising their intelligence and other qualities they have no control over is a great disservice to them. They'll try to hide their inadequacies rather than work harder to master problems. It also has good arguments to make you change your mind about the limits of your own intelligence.

[Frani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich würde fast sagen es ist ein lebensveränderndes Buch. Carol Dweck erklärt aufschlussreich und präzise was ein statisches und dynamisches Selbstbild ausmacht und ermutigt zur Veränderung.
Ich glaube ich habe selten so viel über mein Verhalten nachgedacht, wann es mich unterstützt, wann es mir schadet und wie ich Dinge ändern kann.

Schwierig dieses Buch zusammenzufassen. Daher: Lest es! Dringende Empfehlung! Es lohnt sich. Jede Seite.

[Sofia | kirjakuu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has changed my life.

[Nora Krauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Konzept von fixed mindset & growth mindset beschäftigt mich seit einigen Monaten. In allen Büchern wurde immer auf dieses Buch vermittelt, denn die Autorin hat vieles erforscht. Somit war mir das Konzept zwar bewusst und dennoch war es hilfreich vertiefende Gedanken zu hören!

[Jess Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found Dweck's theories very interesting, I felt as if the book was very repetitive and biased. I understand that Dweck believes in incrementalist theory and a growth mindset, but I found some of her views on the entity theorists to be a bit harsh and judgmental. I would have preferred a more unbiased, empirical approach.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six stars. Once in a great while I'll read a book that's just...right. This is one of them.

[Muldian David · Rating 5 out of 5]

memberikan banyak pengetahuan baru secara teoritis tentang penelitian terbaru bidang psikologi

[Florian Lorenzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keine Frage, die wichtige Erkenntnis, dass uns ein statisches Selbstbild mit limitierenden Glaubenssätzen bei der Persönlichkeitsentwicklung im Wege steht und wir stattdessen ein "Growth Mindset" anstreben sollten, bei der davon ausgegangen wird, dass Übung und nicht Talent entscheidend ist, hat ein eigenes Buch verdient. Jedoch hätten hierfür die ersten 100 Seiten vollkommen gereicht.

Vollständige Review hier: https://www.instagram.com/p/CckV3SDKNJU

[Mephistopheles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicht schlecht, interessante neue Sichtweise. Evtl. etwas viele Beispiele. Ziemlich "amerikanisch", inbes. die Beispiele. Viele Beispielmails von Lesern des Buches oder Besuchern des Workshops haben keinen wirklichen Informationswert, wirken eher wie Selbstbeweihräucherung a la "Sie haben mein Leben verändert!". Dennoch war das Buch insgesamt in Ordnung.

[Michael Jura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch hätte ich schon vor Jahren lesen sollen bzw. ich wünschte mir, dass es Menschen mit dynamischen Selbstbild in meinem Leben gab, als ich Schüler war.
So ein Gamechanger!
Jetzt weiß ich was ich in vielerlei Hinsicht künftig anders machen will.
Danke Carol Dweck für diese wichtige Arbeit!

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did more research into Carol Dweck’s work, and even though I already knew the data… It was fun to revise it. Ok…I sometimes still praise my students’ intelligence, hm…bad move…Reading is not enough I must also apply…wink…wink… I loved this book because it told me why I remained behind in my science courses during middle school. Hm…

“Girls' traditional lag in achievement has most often been attributed to other factors. One, as I mentioned, is society's stereotype of females as less competent, and another is society's prohibition against high achievement for women, which is seen as unfeminine. There is no denying that these societal beliefs have been problematic for women. However, what is extremely interesting to me is that girls vulnerability is seen as early as grade school, where achievement is, if anything, a girl thing, not a boy thing; where teachers are often less imbued with expectations about girls' limitations; and where girls are actually outachieving boys very consistently. Although I would not deny the impact of stereotypes on achievement, these findings of early vulnerability despite early achievement lend credibility to our motivational analysis as an important underpinning of girls' vulnerability.

I have voiced concern that efforts to combat harmful stereotypes and to encourage girls' achievement may have led people to escalate their praise of girls' intelligence. Our analysis implies instead that an emphasis on challenge, effort, and strategy is absolutely essential for girls. Their successes should indeed be praised, but for the effort and the strategies that went into them. They should be taught that challenges are exciting and should be praised for taking on challenges and sticking with them. They must learn that the hallmark of intelligence is not immediate perfection, but rather the habit of embracing new tasks that stretch your skills and build your knowledge.

Why aren't bright boys subject to the same vulnerabilities? Some may well be, but on the whole bright boys seem as a group to be quite mastery-oriented (Licht & Dweck, 1984a; Licht & Shapiro, 1982; Licht et at, 1984). Part of the reason, paradoxically, is that boys do not seem to take to grade school as well as girls do. Boys misbehave a great deal more, and they are often less diligent and attentive. This leads teachers, and perhaps parents as well, to place more emphasis on effort for boys (Dweck et al., 1978). For example, teachers will exhort boys to pay attention and will tell them repeatedly that they'd do better if they put in more effort. Although all the criticism and exhortations boys receive may make grade school a less pleasant place for them, they are learning a valuable lesson about effort that will serve them well later.”

I concluded that it’s nice to think that about myself, but I was not a bright girl, so it’s time to face the fact that I was and am just … … not suited for science….let’s just put it that way.

I loved these two controversial questions…I realized I am evil because I think genes are the answer to everything…HIHI… evil bitch… but really….I’ve lost all faith in humanity…

“Isn't a Lot of Behavior Caused by Our Genes?

Aren't we all different genetically, and isn't that a lot of the reason we act differently? Doesn't this mean that we are who we are and that's that?
I discussed this issue in the previous chapter, but it is so important that I will more or less repeat what I wrote there: Yes, people come with different genes, and yes, genes can certainly influence our behavior and development. But if we care about how people lead their lives—whether they lead constructive lives, how effectively they can cope when it matters, whether they can attain their goals, how they treat others—genes don't give us the answers. If we care about whether people can sustain successful relationships, succeed in school, and hold meaningful jobs, then environment matters greatly. These depend on things we are taught. It may be that genes make it easier for some to learn adaptive skills, but under the right circumstances virtually everyone can. It is our responsibility to understand those circumstances.
In this book I have shown that the beliefs people hold are a large part of their personality and play an important role in their adaptive functioning. Our research has demonstrated that these beliefs can be taught.”

Carol Dweck taught me hard lessons.

And at the end I cried…

“Some years ago, as I reached one of the landmark ages, I asked myself what I would like to be able to say at the end of my life, and it was this: I want to be able to say that I kept my eyes open, faced my issues, and made wholehearted commitments to things I valued. I did not want to be haunted by a litany of regrets or left with a bundle of potentialities that were never realized.
As adults in this society our mission is to equip the next generations with the tools they need to live a life of growth and contribution. Can we make the commitment to help them become smarter than we were?”
I am sorry...I cannot make this commitment. I cannot promise you this. I am sorry...

[Brian Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important subjects we can ever explore.

“I have always been deeply moved by outstanding achievement, especially in the face of adversity, and saddened by wasted potential. I have devoted my career to understanding both. For almost 30 years, I have done research on motivation and achievement. This book presents the findings from my research, and, as you will see, many of these findings challenge conventional wisdom. …

My work is built around the idea that people develop beliefs that organize their world and give meaning to their experiences. These beliefs may be called ‘meaning systems,’ and different people create different meaning systems. In this book I spell out how people’s beliefs about themselves (their self-theories) can create different psychological worlds, leading them to think, feel, and act differently in identical situations.”

~ Carol Dweck from Self-theories

Carol Dweck is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of motivation.

This book is a collection of brief essays on various aspects of “self-theories.” It’s essentially a bridge between her extensive academic research studies and her popular book Mindset .

It reminds me of Abraham Maslow’s Motivation and Personality in that we get a peek into the mind of a brilliant, progressive scientist exploring the intellectual edges of their life’s work.

My book is nearly completely underlined and marked up and “wow”ed. The book is *densely* packed with wisdom. It’s a great, important read but it is certainly *not* a quick read. Dweck wastes no words as she offers a thoughtful, precise look at decades of research. I highly recommend it if, as a parent, leader and optimizer you’re looking to get a deeper understanding of one of the most important subjects we can ever explore. (Get a copy here.)

Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:

1. Two Frameworks - Entity vs. incremental theories.
2. Two Goals - Performance vs. learning.
3. Attributional Retraining - How do you respond to failure?
4. Contingent Self-Worth - Pay attention to your praise.
5. Wholehearted Self-Esteem - A brilliant definition.
6. Strong Commitments - And earnest efforts.

I’ve summarized those Big Ideas in a video review that you can watch here.

I’ve also added Self-theories by Carol Dweck to my collection of Philosopher’s Notes--distilling the Big Ideas into 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at heroic.us.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent collection of briefs on Carol Dweck's lifetime of research. It is a bit more of a difficult read than Mindset but is for a more specific audience. The book does an excellent job of answering some of the deeper questions about growth and fixed mindsets and teases out many of the "yeah buts". The book does an excellent job of supporting arguments with extensive citations of additional research and even has a section which puts Mindsets within the context of psychological history and theory. If you are looking to implement Mindsets with students or children, this book is a must have and a must read. If you are more interested in its application with adults, this book is useful, but less necessary.

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Buch mit vielen sehr guten und hilfreichen Denkanstößen. Allerdings hätten die 300 Seiten auch locker auf 100 gekürzt werden können, da sich die zentralen Punkte sehr oft wiederholen und sie durch so viele Beispiele angereichert werden, dass man die Lust am Lesen verliert. Neben dieser Redundanz fehlt dem Buch auch eine sinnvolle und übersichtliche Struktur. Vieles wiederholt sich und nicht selten habe ich den Überblick verloren, was inhaltlich jetzt eigentlich neu oder anders an dem jeweiligen Kapitel ist.

Ein eigentlich sehr wichtiges und spannendes Thema im Gewand eines nicht enden wollenden Ted Talks.

[Phil D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book within a few days. Lot`s of theory but relevant and well explained. The book explains how beliefs about the self influence behaviour over time. Not the first book I`ve read from Carol Dweck and certainly not the last.

Some sections are a bit technical, but overall the writing is accessible and clear. I found the chapters on helpless vs. mastery-oriented patterns particularly insightful, especially in relation to how early experiences shape long-term patterns of resilience or avoidance.

A thought-provoking and concise read — highly recommended.

[Justin Souter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unassuming books is fantastic. Already a fan through reading Prof Carol's book 'Mindset', this is a more detailed enquiry into all of Carol's research, and a synthesis of what the results of these experiments mean in terms of individuals, their learning experiences, parenting, and society as a whole. Powerful medicine, ideally more would know about these ways of thinking that can free us from self-limiting beliefs!

[Jakob Buchallik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Der Grundgedanke, das Flexibilität und Lernfähigkeit einen im Leben weiter bringt und man sich Wachstum/Veränderung zutrauen sollte, ist super. Die zweite Hälfte des Buchs sind dann Beispiele dafür in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen und kann man sich auch sparen, da sehr schematisch nach dem Muster Statistisches Selbstbild-> Grenze/Misserfolg ; Dynamisches Selbstbild -> Grenze wird überwunden gearbeitet wird.

[Tim Kordas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really a nice way to present a series of psychology experiments around how performance interacts with identity/expectations.

I originally picked this up as a "meatier version" of the trendy-last-year "mindsets."

I'm generally skeptical of popular neuroscience, and psychology books; this was well worth reading.

[Luigino Bottega · Rating 5 out of 5]

By reacting with positive energy, our character will guide us towards constructive thoughts, such as: “What have I learnt from this situation?”. It’s an attitude that leads us to ask introspective questions, an approach to change as a fundamental element in personal growth.
Inspiring book!

[Carlos Gameiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read so far this year. Even if a bit repetitive citing studies, it helps understand why children (and adults) behave, belive and think in a certain way, and how that can influence pretty your whole life.

[Sleepidur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku ini menurut saya terlalu banyak pengulangan terhadap formulasi dalam buku "Mindset", hanya dibedakan secara istilah literatur dan target penelitian yang dikerucutkan ke akademik, ketika baca sungguh sangat bosan,

[Yamaya Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short chapters of Dweck's research on Growth Mindset.

[Fahmi Habibie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything is open in my mind to develop my skill and personality. Best improvement, love it.

[KV Sembiring · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been read this book but i read Bahasa version 😲

[Carlene Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this well researched books I realise how watered down it had become by the time it reaches classrooms.