Growth mindset:
How does a growth mindset influence psychological wellbeing?

Overview

Life rarely goes as planned. You have been struggling at the gym for a while now and you’ve finally decided you want to work out become stronger. One day, you struggle to lift your goal weight, looking around you, you find others lifting heavier with ease. Suddenly a normal gym session turned into a comparison “I can’t do this. I am not good at this.” You leave the gym feeling deflated and decide you are simply not strong enough for the gym.

Alternatively, you might see others lifting heavier and you become inspired, thinking, “if I keep training and stay discipline, I will become stronger.” You are still disappointed you could not get your goal weight but it only fuels you for the next time, understanding it’s a reflection of your ability not your potential. The situation is the same, however the reaction is different. Why can the same challenge have one person feeling defeated and the other feeling motivated? Why do some people see failure as evidence, while others see it as an opportunity to learn?

OVERVIEW

The concept of a growth mindset developed from Carol Dweck’s research into how children respond to difficulty, and it refers to the belief that abilities can be developed through effort, learning, and experience (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). At the other end of the spectrum, a fixed mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, and skills cannot be changed much. These beliefs are known as implicit theories. An entity theory corresponds to a fixed mindset, and an incremental theory to a growth mindset. Someone with a fixed mindset is more likely to read a struggle as proof they lack ability. Someone with a growth mindset is more likely to read the same struggle as a sign of what to work on next. Over time, these readings can become habits that shape how a person acts and feels when the next challenge arrives.

Mindset carries importance, as beliefs influence how individuals respond to challenges; this affects what they do (motivation) and how they feel (emotion). Mindset is linked to effort, perseverance, and goals people pursue. People may be more likely to keep trying when they see effort as a way to improve. Mindset itself is also closely linked to how people view failure, how it feels and their response to it afterwards. A growth mindset does not abolish negative emotion; instead, it changes how the individual deals with it. Let's link this back to our earlier gym scenario: failing at a set of weights can impact confidence and future view of training. After failing, based on your mindset, you can either feel fuelled to try again in the future and keep working hard, or you can be deflated and unable to train again afterwards. Motivational and emotional patterns can add up to differences in psychological wellbeing; however, the relationship between the two is not simple, and other factors are involved.

The chapter starts by defining mindset and tracing its origins. From there, it examines how mindset connects to motivation, then to emotional responses when things go wrong, and finally to psychological wellbeing. The last section asks how much of this the research actually supports.

Focus questions

[Use bullet points as shown in Tutorial 2]

How does a growth mindset shape the way people respond to challenges and failure?

To what extent one can a growth mindset, contribute to motivation and psychological well-being?

What does psychological level research reveal and future and what are the benefits and limitations.

Mindset research explores why people with similar abilities can respond differently when a task becomes difficult. Dweck and Leggett (1988) proposed that people's beliefs about whether intelligence can change influence the goals they pursue and how they respond to challenges. They distinguished between an entity theory, in which intelligence is viewed as relatively fixed, and an incremental theory, in which intelligence is viewed as capable of development. These ideas underpin what are now commonly described as fixed and growth mindsets.

These beliefs can shape how people interpret success and failure. Someone who views ability as fixed may be more concerned with proving their competence and avoiding situations that could expose their weaknesses. When they encounter difficulty, they may interpret it as evidence that they lack the ability to succeed. In contrast, someone who believes ability can develop may be more willing to approach challenging tasks because these provide opportunities to learn. This does not mean that people with a growth mindset always persist or that people with a fixed mindset always give up. Rather, their beliefs may influence how they interpret challenges and which responses they consider worthwhile.

Dweck and Leggett (1988) linked these differences to performance goals, which emphasise demonstrating competence, and learning goals, which emphasise developing competence. A person pursuing a performance goal may focus on achieving a successful outcome or avoiding mistakes, whereas someone pursuing a learning goal may place greater value on gaining skills, even when the task is difficult. However, performance goals are not necessarily harmful. When individuals feel confident in their abilities, wanting to demonstrate competence can encourage effort and achievement. Mindset is therefore better understood as influencing how people approach goals than as determining whether a particular goal is good or bad.

These ideas also highlight that mindsets are not necessarily consistent across every area of life. A person may believe that academic ability can improve through study but feel that physical strength is largely determined by natural ability. This distinction matters when applying mindset theory to exercise, because beliefs about intelligence cannot automatically be assumed to reflect beliefs about fitness. A person may need to develop a growth-oriented view of physical ability specifically before interpreting gym setbacks as opportunities to learn.

The gym scenario illustrates how these beliefs might influence behaviour. Someone who struggles to lift a particular weight might interpret the experience as proof that they are not strong enough, whereas another person might see it as information about what they need to practise. The second person may be more willing to adjust their technique, seek feedback or set a more achievable short-term goal. Nevertheless, mindset does not determine behaviour on its own. Confidence, previous experience, social comparison and the training environment can also influence a person's response. Growth mindset theory therefore provides a useful framework for understanding reactions to difficulty, rather than a rule that predicts how every individual will behave.

GROWTH MINDSET AND MOTIVATION

Mueller and Swrck (1998) investigated how different types of praise influenced children’s motivation and responses to failure. Their findings suggested that praising intelligence encouraged a stronger focus on demonstrating ability, while praising effort encouraged a greater focus on learning. Following a setback, children praised for intelligence showed less persistence and enjoyment than those praised for effort. These results suggest that feedback can influence how children interpret their performance and whether they view failure as a reflection of their ability or as an opportunity to improve. However, because the study involved children completing puzzle tasks, its findings cannot automatically be generalised to adults exercising in a gym.

Blackwell et al. (2007) examined the relationship between beliefs about intelligence and academic achievement in adolescents. Their research included an intervention designed to teach students that intelligence can develop, providing a useful comparison with laboratory studies of praise and feedback. Together, these studies suggest that beliefs about ability may be relevant to motivation and learning, although the outcomes of an intervention depend on the population and setting in which it was delivered.

GROWTH MINDSET AND ACHIEVEMENT

Although growth mindset theory offers a useful explanation of motivation, the relationship btween mindset and achievement is not straightforward. Blackwell et al (2007) found that students who received an intervention promoting the idea that intelligence can develop showed improvements in classroom motivation, and their declining mathematics grades were reversed compared with the control group. This suggests that changing beliefs about ability may influence how students approach learning and respond to academic difficulties. However, the intervention involved a specific group of Year 7 students. So the finding should not automatically be generalised to every age group or setting.

Burnette et al. (2023) examined 113 studies involving more than 28,000 participants in a meta-analysis of mindsets and self-regulation. Their findings indicated that implicit beliefs about personal attributes were associated with processes such as goal setting and goal pursuit, which were in turn related to goal achievement. This supports the idea that mindset may influence achievement partly through the choices people make and the strategies they use, rather than directly determining whether they succeed.

This distinction is important because a growth mindset does not guarantee success. Improvement also depends on factors such as access to resources, the quality of feedback, opportunities to practise, and the strategies used. In the gym, believing that strengths can improve may encourage someone to continue training, but progress will still depend on appropriate programming, recovery, nutrition and consistent practice. A growth mindset may therefore be most useful when it encourages realistic action and learning, rather than when it is treated as a substitute for the practical conditions needed to improve.

GROWTH MINDSET AND EMOTIONAL RESPONSES

Mindset may also influence how people experience failure emotionally. When individuals interpret a setback as evidence that they lack ability, they may experience embarrassment, frustration, or helplessness; these emotions can make it harder to approach a similar challenge again. In contrast, interpreting failure as information about what needs to improve may help an individual respond with curiosity and renewed effort, This does not mean that people with a growth mindset do not experience disappointment; rather, their beliefs may influence what they do with that disappointment.

Mueller and Dweck (1998) provided evidence for this distinction. In their studies, children praised for intelligence responded less positively to failure than children praised for effort. They showed lower task persistence and enjoyment and were more likely to attribute poor performance to low ability. These findings suggest that when success becomes a test of whether someone is intelligent, failure can threaten their view of themselves. When feedback instead emphasises effort, children may be more likely to understand performance as something that can change.

However, effort alone is not always enough, and telling someone simply to try harder can be unhelpful when their current approach is ineffective. A more useful response combines encouragement with specific feedback and practical strategies. For example, after struggling with a lift, a person might feel disappointed but use the experience to adjust their technique, reduce the weight, or seek guidance. The setback remains unpleasant, but it can also provide information for future training.

The gym example illustrates how the interpretation of failure can affect emotional responses. Someone who compares their current strength with that of a more experienced gym-goer may feel inadequate, whereas someone who compares their current performance with their own previous efforts may be better able to recognise progress. Nevertheless, their responses are not determined by mindset alone. Social comparison, previous experience, confidence, and the environment can also influence how a person feels after a setback.

GROWTH MINDSET AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING

The effects of mindset may extend beyond performance to psychological wellbeing. If people believe that their abilities can develop, they will be less likely to interpret a single setback as a permanent judgement of their worth or potential. This could help them respond to difficulties with greater flexibility and maintain a sense that improvement is possible. However, psychological wellbeing is influenced by many factors, and mindset should not be viewed as a complete explanation for how someone feels or copes with stress.

Research by Schleider and Weisz (2017) provides some evidence that mindset-based intervention may have benefits beyond achievement. They tested a brief intervention teaching adolescents that personality can change, examining symptoms of anxiety and depression over a nine-month period. Compared with a supportive-therapy control condition, the intervention group showed greater improvements in some parent-reported and youth-reported depression outcomes, as well as perceived behaviour control. However, the results were not significant across every measure, including youth-reported anxiety. The study therefore offers promising evidence, but it does not establish that growth mindset interventions will improve wellbeing for everyone.

An important limitation is that Schleider and Weisz (2018) examined beliefs about personality rather than intelligence of physical fitness. Although these ideas are related, they are not identical. Their findings cannot be directly applied to assume that a growth mindset about strength or exercise will reduce anxiety or improve mental health. Further research would be needed to determine whether similar effects occur in other areas of life.

Returning to the gym example, a person who struggles with a life may feel disappointed without concluding that they are incapable of becoming stronger. Viewing the experience as temporary and changeable may help them maintain perspective and return to training. However, wellbeing also depends on whether their goals are realistic, whether their training environment is supportive, and whether they can recognise progression without comparing themselves with others. A growth mindset may be one helpful resource for coping with setbacks, but it is not a guarantee of positive wellbeing.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Overall, growth mindset theory provides a useful framework for understanding why people can respond differently to similar challenges. Research suggests that beliefs about whether abilities can develop may influence goal setting, responses to feedback, and reactions to failure. However, the evidence does not establish that a growth mindset automatically produces better achievement or psychological well-being.

One limitation is that several studies discussed in this chapter involve children and adolescents in educational settings. Although these studies help explain the relationship between beliefs and behaviour, their findings cannot automatically be generalised to adults exercising in a gym. Research directly examining fitness-related mindsets is therefore important when considering whether these patterns also occur during physical activity.

It is also necessary to distinguish between believing that improvement is possible and assuming that effort alone guarantees success. Progress depends on effective strategies, feedback, opportunities to practice, and individual circumstances. Encouraging someone to persist without helping them identify what needs to change may not improve their performance. A growth mindset is therefore best understood as one potential influence on motivation and responses to difficulty, rather than a universal solution to failure.

CONCLUSION

A growth mindset offers one explanation for why people respond differently to similar challenges. Believing that abilities can develop may encourage individuals to approach setbacks as opportunities to learn rather than as proof of their limitations.

However, the research suggests that effects depend on the individual and the context. A growth mindset does not guarantee success, eliminate disappointment, or independently determine well-being. Effective strategies, appropriate support, and opportunities to practice remain important.

Returning to the gym scenario, struggling to lift a desired weight does not determine a person's future and strength. How they interpret the setback may influence whether they give up or use the experience to guide their next attempt. Ultimately, the value of a growth mindset lies in recognising that current performance does not necessarily define future potential, while understanding that improvement requires more than a positive attitude alone.

Figure

Figure 2. Visual comparison of how a growth mindset is compared to fixed mindset

Learning features

Carol Dweck when creating the concept of a growth mindset included set of 3 questions of which you answer on a 1 (strong agree) to 6 (strong disagree) to get you thinking which was your brain works. See the following:

1. You have a certain amount of intelligence, and you can't really do much to change it
2. Your intelligence is something about you that can't change very much

3. You can learn new things, but you can't really change your basic intelligence

1.0-3.0 - fixed mindset

3.1-3.9 - average

4.0-6.0 - growth mindset

How did you do?

References

Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x

Burnette, J. L., Billingsley, J., Banks, G. C., Knouse, L. E., Hoyt, C. L., Pollack, J. M., & Simon, S. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions: For whom, how, and why might such interventions work? Psychological Bulletin, 149(3–4), 174–205. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000368

Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science : A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 14(3), 481–496. PubMed Central. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166

Dwreck, C., & Leggett, E. (2025). Dweck & Leggett (1988) a social-cognitive approach. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/260120551/Dweck-Leggett-1988-a-Social-cognitive-Approach

Dybendal, B. H., Stokke, S. S., Haugan, J. A., Moen, F., & Stenseng, F. (2026). Development and validation of the mindset in fitness scale (MiFS): A domain-specific measure of implicit beliefs in physical activity engagement. Current Psychology, 45(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-026-09286-0

enter for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University. (2025). Growth mindset. Stanford University. Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.stanford.edu/students/growth-mindset

Furnham, A. (2014). Increasing your intelligence: Entity and incremental beliefs about the multiple “intelligences”. Learning and Individual Differences, 32, 163–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.03.001

Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children’s motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.1.33

Orvidas, K., Burnette, J. L., & Russell, V. M. (2018). Mindsets applied to fitness: Growth beliefs predict exercise efficacy, value and frequency. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36(36), 156–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.02.006

Schleider, J., & Weisz, J. (2017). A single‐session growth mindset intervention for adolescent anxiety and depression: 9‐Month outcomes of a randomized trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(2), 160–170. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12811

Sik, K., Cummins, J., & Job, V. (2024). An implicit measure of growth mindset uniquely predicts post-failure learning behavior. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 3761. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52916-5

Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704

Tao, W., Zhao, D., Yue, H., Horton, I., Tian, X., Xu, Z., & Sun, H.-J. (2022). The influence of growth mindset on the mental health and life events of college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.821206

University, S., Stanford, & California 94305. (n.d.). Growth mindset scale | SPARQtools. Sparqtools.Org. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://sparqtools.org/mobility-measure/growth-mindset-scale/#all-survey-questions

(2026). Istockphoto.Com. https://media.istockphoto.com/id/2163114235/vector/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset-vector-for-slide-presentation-or-web-banner-infographic-of.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=O7uMSHSfE7qoSfDGG_agGEhx-KjkXspgX5KbnUXrfiA=

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