First, please take a few moments to complete the following experiment. Using the first finger of your dominant hand, trace the capital letter “Q” on your forehead. There are only two ways of doing this experiment. You can trace the letter “Q” on your forehead with the tail of Q toward your right eye or you draw it with the tail toward your left eye.
Performance-Oriented
People who draw the letter Q with the tail slanting toward their left so that someone facing them can read it tend to focus outwardly. Their primary concern is “looking good” and “looking smart.” They are concerned with how other people see them, are highly responsive to social cues and their situational context. Psychologist Carol Dweck describes such people as having a “fixed” mindset.
Some of the characteristics of people with a fixed mindset are: Having a fixed mindset about their abilities and the abilities of others. E.g. All talent is innate and static. You are either born intelligent or you are not. They do not believe people can change and grow. They enjoy being the center of attention and adapt their actions to suit the situation. Ability is something inherent that needs to be demonstrated.
They are performance-oriented and will only perform tasks that they are good at. For them, each task is a challenge to their self-image, and each setback becomes a personal threat. So they pursue only activities at which they’re sure to shine—and avoid the sorts of experiences necessary to grow and flourish in any endeavor.
Growth
People who draw the letter Q with the tail slanting toward the right so they can read it tend to focus inwardly. They come across as being the “same person” in different situations. Their behavior is guided more by their inner feelings and values, and they are less aware of their impact on those around them. Carol Dweck would describe such people as having a “growth” mindset.
Among the characteristics of people with a growth mindset are: They are often less observant of social context and consider expressing a self-presentation dissimilar from their internal states as a falsehood and undesirable. They are generally oblivious to how others see them and march to their own different drums.
They believe the brain is dynamic and develops over time by taking advantage of learning opportunities. They take the necessary risks and don’t worry about failure because each mistake becomes a chance to learn.
The growth mindset is associated with greater confidence, risk-taking, and higher academic and career success over time. Ability can be developed.
High achievement comes from hard work, dedication, and persistence to meet a goal.
“If you want to demonstrate something over and over, it feels like something static that lives inside of you—whereas if you want to increase your ability, it feels dynamic and malleable,” Carol Dweck explains.
People with fixed mindsets think intelligence is fixed from birth. People with learning goals have a growth mindset about intelligence, believing it can be developed.
So, what Q are you?
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