The Hierarchy of Mindset Development Starts with Four Mindset Types
There is a hierarchy to the process of changing your mindset. If you start by trying to change the wrong mindset first, it will cause you frustration. Most mindsets build upon another mindset. So, without the right mindset foundation trying to change other mindsets will only work temporarily at best, and permeant change will be impossible.
1) The Mindset of Mindset
With this in mind, the first mindset you must change is your mindset about mindset. Most people have come to believe that there are only two primary mindsets: the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. These two mindsets almost exclusively dominate all discussions on the topic of mindset. In her preeminent book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. focuses exclusively on the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset.
Dweck’s book is by far the most popular book on the topic of mindset. If you type “mindset book” in Google search, the entire first page of results is nearly 100% about Dweck’s book. This is partly because the book is that good. I reference Dweck’s book all the time, and she deserves all the credit for popularizing the growth and fixed mindset framework. Unfortunately, the result of her success is that most other mindset types are ignored.
Intuitively, anyone who enjoys studying how people think knows other mindsets exist. However, there isn’t a huge body of research or a famous book covering these other mindset types. As a result, people either forget or overlook that there are other mindset types they must manage. Some of the other mindsets I like to focus on include:
- task vs. ego mindset
- shortcut vs. patience mindset
- threat vs. challenge mindset
- why vs. what mindset
- building strengths vs. fixing weaknesses mindset
- impulsive vs. strategic mindset
2) Task Mindset vs. Ego Mindset
Once you change your mindset about mindsets, the next mindset you must address is your task vs. ego mindset. This mindset dictates your locus of control. Locus of control is a term to describe whether you focus on things you have control over or focus on things you don’t have control over. Those with a task-oriented mindset have an internal locus of control because they focus on their effort and compete only with themselves. On the other hand, those with an ego mindset have an external locus of control because they focus on comparing themselves to others. Since they can’t control how others perform, they allow external factors to dictate their effort and performance.
If you have an ego mindset, you will struggle trying to change any of the other mindsets unless you have external validation because of your external locus of control. But if you can orient your mindset with the task mindset your internal locus of control will help you utilize the growth mindset to change through your own volition. Thus, the third mindset to address is the growth vs. fixed mindset.
3) Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset
The growth mindset is one in which you believe that self-improvement is a product of hard work. Moreover, the innate talents you are born with are just the starting point and you can improve upon them with your hard work. The fixed mindset is a belief that your talent is carved in stone at birth. Furthermore, with a fixed mindset you believe you’re either good at something or you’re not. If you’re good at something it will be easy, if you’re not it will be hard.
As long as you have a fixed mindset, you won’t be willing to work hard on anything that doesn’t come easy i.e., changing your mindset. By definition, changing your mindset is a form of growth. Therefore, the growth mindset must be adopted early on in your mindset evolution.
4) Strategic Mindset vs. Impulsive Mindset
Last but not least in the hierarchy is the impulsive vs. strategic mindset. This mindset type is the final piece to the mindset foundation. Those with an impulsive mindset can’t resist the temptation to choose the first behavior that comes to mind. What’s more, an impulsive mindset will cause one to choose past behaviors even when better new behaviors are available. Unquestionably, this mindset makes change difficult.
On the other hand, with the strategic mindset you learn to use metacognition techniques to think about how you think and make better choices because of this process. Therefore, the strategic mindset is a catalyst for change. Moreover, that catalyst stems from the type of self-awareness that helps you identify that you need to change your mindset to reach a goal.
The Mindset Foundation
To conclude, the hierarchy for developing one’s mindset starts with your mindset on mindset, then the task vs. ego mindset, then the growth vs. fixed mindset, and finally ends with the impulsive vs. strategic mindset. With this mindset foundation, changing any other mindset you are struggling with is much easier.