Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck cover

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

by Carol S. Dweck

$9.25 on AmazonRead our full review

At a glance

Pages320
First published2006
AudienceAdult
Carol S. Dweck

About the Author

Carol S. Dweck

1 book reviewed

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LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Educators, parents, coaches, and professionals who want a research-grounded introduction to the fixed/growth mindset framework and practical guidance on applying it across school, sport, leadership, and relationships.

Worth it if

You want a credible, accessible entry point into mindset psychology — rooted in decades of original Stanford research — that moves from theory through real-world domains to actionable steps for change.

Skip if

Readers already well-versed in motivation and self-efficacy research who want a data-dense, academic treatment rather than an accessible binary framework supported by anecdote and illustrative case study.

What readers & critics say

Publishers Weekly, as quoted via Anna's Archive, welcomed Dweck's "overall assertion that rigid thinking benefits no one" as "a wonderfully elegant idea," while psychiatryresource.com describes it as "a fascinating and popular book" but notes that some critics have been unable to replicate her research findings in educational settings.

Dweck's overall assertion that rigid thinking benefits no one, and that a change of mind is always possible, is welcome.

Publishers Weekly, via Anna's Archive

Dweck illuminates how our beliefs about our capabilities exert tremendous influence on how we learn and which paths we take in life.

Bill Gates, GatesNotes, via Barnes & Noble

A fascinating and popular book — though some critics note they have not been able to replicate her research in educational studies.

PsychiatryResource.com
Sources: Anna's Archive (Publishers Weekly quote), PsychiatryResource.com, Barnes & Noble
4.6from 23,501 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck distills decades of Stanford research into a single, consequential argument: that whether people believe their abilities are fixed or capable of growth powerfully shapes their achievement across school, work, sports, relationships, and the arts. Grounded in Dweck's own peer-reviewed laboratory work and structured to move from theory through domain-specific application to actionable guidance, it is essential reading for educators, coaches, parents, and leaders — though readers already versed in motivation research may find the accessible fixed/growth binary a touch reductive.
Is it worth reading?
For most readers — especially educators, parents, coaches, and leaders — Mindset delivers genuine value: it pairs a credentialed researcher's own peer-reviewed findings with accessible prose and practical, domain-specific application in a way that is unusual among popular psychology titles. Dweck is not a journalist synthesizing others' studies; she is presenting findings from her own laboratory, which gives the central argument unusual authority. The key caveat is for readers already versed in the motivation and self-efficacy research literature, who may find the fixed/growth binary a simplification, and for those seeking a data-dense academic treatment, who may be better served by the underlying journal literature. As a million-copy bestseller endorsed by Bill Gates for its clarity and insight, the book's broad cultural impact is itself well documented.
Similar books
Readers drawn to Mindset's blend of psychology research and practical self-improvement will find a natural companion in Angela Duckworth's Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, which extends the conversation about effort and achievement into the concept of sustained passion. Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow (in catalogue) similarly pairs rigorous research credentials with accessible prose to reframe how people understand their own cognition. Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson's The Whole-Brain Child (in catalogue) applies brain science to parenting in a way that complements Dweck's chapters on raising children with a growth mindset. For readers interested in the psychological dimensions of wellbeing more broadly, David D. Burns's Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (in catalogue) and Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now (in catalogue) each address the relationship between belief, thought, and lived experience from different but complementary angles.
Who should read this?
Mindset is written for a general adult audience and is particularly well suited to educators, parents, coaches, and organizational leaders who want both the intellectual foundation and practical, applicable guidance on fostering growth-oriented thinking. Dona Matthews's peer-reviewed endorsement in Gifted Children specifically highlights its value for practitioners in gifted education. Readers who are already deeply familiar with the academic literature on motivation and self-efficacy may find the accessible binary framework less revelatory, and those seeking a purely data-forward treatment are better served by the underlying journal literature.
About Carol S. Dweck
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is an American psychologist and author best known for her research on mindset, motivation, and success. She coined the term "growth mindset" and brought it mainstream with her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She has held professorships at Columbia and Harvard Universities, has lectured worldwide, and is married to David Goldman, a national theatre director.
What are the main themes?
The book's central themes are the malleability of human ability, the power of effort and perspective over innate talent, and the long-term consequences of how ability is framed — whether by individuals themselves or by parents, teachers, and coaches. A recurring thread is the corrosive effect that fixed-mindset framing of ability can have on learning and resilience, contrasted with the mastery-oriented perspective that Dweck's research associates with lasting achievement. The theme of institutional culture also runs through the leadership and organizational chapters, arguing that fixed-mindset environments stifle the very talent they seek to reward.
Is this a good book club pick?
Mindset is a strong book club choice for groups interested in psychology, education, parenting, or leadership, because the fixed/growth framework generates immediate personal reflection — most readers will quickly identify their own fixed-mindset triggers — and its domain-specific chapters (sport, relationships, parenting, leadership) give groups a wide range of entry points for discussion. The book's accessible binary, sometimes critiqued as a simplification by specialists, actually works in a group setting by giving everyone a shared vocabulary. The closing workshop section on changing mindsets can serve as a practical discussion anchor.
Summarize this book

Summarize this book

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success makes the case that two fundamentally different beliefs about intelligence and talent — a fixed mindset (abilities are innate and unchangeable) and a growth mindset (abilities can be developed through effort, strategy, and feedback) — determine how people learn, lead, and live. Carol S. Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist with deep credentials in personality, social, and developmental psychology, spent decades building the empirical case for this framework. The book moves readers through the theory, explores how mindsets operate across athletic performance, leadership, romantic relationships, and the roles of parents, teachers, and coaches, and closes with a workshop-style section on changing one's mindset. It has sold over a million copies and introduced the concept of the growth mindset into the mainstream vocabulary of education, business, and sports coaching.

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Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Adult

Reading level

Adult

Skip if you're looking for a data-dense academic treatment of motivation and self-efficacy research rather than a popular-science synthesis.

Editorial Review

A scientifically grounded exploration of how beliefs about ability influence achievement, offering valuable insights for personal and professional development despite some oversimplification of complex motivational dynamics.

Read the Full Review

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