This innovative text sheds light on how people work — why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. The author presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows:
* 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
This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas.
Scary title, great book! I was intimidated by the title of this book, and was afraid it was going to be highly academic. However, the book is completely accessible and fascinating. Dr. Dweck describes her remarkable studies on motivation and achievement, and shows that a fixed view of intelligence (meaning: either you’re born smart or you’re not) sells us short. Her work has enormous implications for both childrearing and teaching. This book should be required reading for all parents and teachers.
Review of Self-Theories: Prof. Dweck’s Three Key Distinctions Carol Dweck’s SELF-THEORIES is a work in the tradition of cognitive psychology. It is the academic counterpart to MINDSETS — a later work intended for a more general readership, in which she applies her conceptual innovations to a broader range of domains: business, interpersonal relationships, etc. I’ve read both. In Self-Theories Dweck’s target are academic or educational contexts in which she argues that the difference in academic performance can plausibly be explained by distinguishing…
Absolutely a Fascinating Read – a review of “Self-theories” This is a fascinating book. And while I’m just a mom with no particular background in psychological research, I found I had no difficulty either understanding the procedures of the research, or finding `everyday’ applications for the profound information that Carol Dweck and associates provide.In fact I wish I had read this book earlier because it has a great deal to teach about how children devise concepts of themselves (self image) and how we might avoid the pitfalls of rearing a…