Professor, PsyD Program Director, and Associate Dean Touro University New York, New York, United States
Abstract Text: Growth mindset is an individual’s belief that growth can be cultivated through both process- and outcome-oriented effort, perseverance, and feedback integration, and by viewing challenge as an opportunity rather than as a threat, whereas a fixed mindset refers to an individual’s belief that their abilities are largely static and unchangeable, regardless of effort or approach. Despite the growing popularity of the growth mindset construct, the field lacks a valid and reliable measurement scale. While various scales have been developed to assess growth mindset for an individual’s intelligence, mindsets for domains such as physical talent (such as athletics), and creative talent (such as musical ability and theatrical prowess) have gone unassessed. The present study developed the Mindset for Growth Scale (MGS), which measures growth mindset associated with intelligence, physical talent, and creative talent. Preliminary data were collected using an exploratory factor analysis on 115 participants (21.2% = male, 78.8% = female; 27.6% = 18 to 21, 33.1% = 22-25, 11% = 26-29, 28.3% = 30 or older; 65.4% = White, 8.7% = Hispanic/Latinx, 10.2% = Black/African American, 3.9% = Asian/Pacific Islander, and 11.8% = other). Principal axis factoring method was used with oblique rotation for an initial 38-item measure, which was reduced to 22 items after analysis (scored on a 5-point Likert scale). Results indicate that there are four factors contributing to an individual’s mindset, accounting for 50% of the variance, model fit: X2(2) = 1667.33, p = .001. These factors reflect: Growth Mindset (i.e., personal growth can be fostered through both process- and outcome-oriented effort, persistence, and feedback integration), Passive Mindset (i.e., a reluctance to take action, make decisions, or assert oneself in the growth process, effort will not lead to meaningful change), Insecure Mindset (i.e., over-personalization of failure to achieve goals), and Fixed Mindset (i.e., a belief that one’s abilities, intelligence, talents, and overall development are static and resistant to shifts in type and/or amount of effort). In addition to supporting the existence of growth mindset as a construct and promoting further investigation into its psychological properties, the present study preliminarily introduces a 22-item multifaceted measure of growth mindset. While further empirical study is required, this measure can be used both in basic scientific research, and to narrow down specific interventions that may target passive mindset (perhaps via behavioral activation), insecure mindset (perhaps via cognitive-based approaches), and fixed mindset (perhaps via acceptance-based approaches). The utilization of the 22-item Mindset for Growth Scale, and the subsequent development of targeted interventions for personal development, may prove useful in psychological interventions and within the areas of human development and performance psychology, broadly defined.
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