Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is a 2006 psychology and business book written by an expert in her field. Through this book, psychologist Carol S. Dweck introduced the world to the idea of a growth mindset. In itself, it’s a simple concept. A growth mindset essentially means believing that abilities can be developed, that people can change, that we are constantly evolving for the better. But as Dweck outlines in this book, this very simple mindset change can have wide-ranging consequences.
Who is Carol S. Dweck, the Author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success?
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Stanford University. She has been conducting research on the psychology of motivation for many years, with a particular focus on how we can raise children to achieve their best. Mindset is her most famous work.
The Style of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Dweck’s book is a nice mix of psychological discussions and case studies. After explaining her basic theory of mindset in the introduction, she goes on to illustrate it through dozens of practical historical examples. In that sense, you get a good mix of styles in this book: more serious and theoretical nonfiction, as well as a pleasant element of narration.
The Content of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – What Is It All About?
Part of what makes Mindset so popular is that this book essentially contains one idea. Having a growth mindset leads to success while having a fixed mindset leads to failure. Throughout the book, Dweck really drives the point home by looking at dozens of case studies that examine this theory.
Although the book discusses just one idea, it does show how it applies to a lot of different concepts. This book will teach you how adopting a growth mindset can make a big difference when raising children, building romantic relationships, creating businesses, learning new skills, and much more.
Don’t expect the book to focus solely on business examples. Although it’s sometimes classified as a business book, it’s actually more of a psychology book that can be very useful to business people.
Is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success for Me?
If the idea of developing a “growth mindset” is intriguing to you, it’s definitely a book that’s worth checking out. But as I’ve mentioned before, the book only really explores one idea. So while it could be worth reading the whole book if you have the time, you could also learn a lot by reading a shorter article on the topic or listening to a business podcast on mindset.
Final Thoughts on Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Carol S. Dweck’s book is the perfect example of nonfiction works that only do one thing, but do it really well. Throughout the book’s 276 pages, Dweck takes the time to dive really deep into the idea of a growth mindset. As a result, the reader will finish the book with a very clear and vivid sense of how adopting the right mindset can lead to success.
Business Books Similar To Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
If you’re interested in the idea of molding your personality to attract more success into your life, Grit by Angela Duckworth is another book that’s well worth reading. And if you’re looking for another book that explores a popular buzzword of the past 10 years, Deep Work by Cal Newport is a must-read.
