The Growth Mindset

[Cassie]

I started reading this book called 'Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.' I didn't set out to read it, I just randomly saw it at the library and was compelled to check it out.

 

One section talks about the fixed mindset vs. the growth mindset. Basically, the fixed mindset is believing that intelligence and aptitudes are innate characteristics. The growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and aptitudes can be developed and always grow. Psychologist Carol Dweck coined these terms.

 

If you've ever worked in education like I have, you're probably heard these terms before. Kids that have been repeatedly told they're smart are less likely to take risks (because failing will prove they're not smart), while kids that are praised for their effort are more likely to take risks and persevere when they fail. This is the fixed mindset vs. the growth mindset. Again, if you've been in teaching, this is nothing new.

 

In this book, they apply this to business examples, and it really made me connect how this also applies so obviously to addiction recovery. An example they use is this design company working on projects. Here are some quotes, from p. 169:

 

"When a team embarks on a new project, team members are filled with hope and optimism...they find that new ideas spring forth effortlessly...Then comes the difficult task of integrating all those fresh ideas into a coherent new design...at this stage it's easy to get depressed, because insight doesn't always strike immediately. The project often feels like a failure in the middle."

 

The CEO makes a 'project mood chart' that predicts how people will feel at different stages of the project, and it looks like a U-shaped curve. Excited and motivated in the beginning and end, negative and frustrated in the middle. They go on to say that with this peaks and valleys visual of a project, "they are creating the expectation of failure. They are telling team members not to trust that initial flush of good feeling at the beginning of the project, because what comes next is hardship and toil and frustration. That's the paradox of the growth mindset. Although it seems to draw attention to failure, and it fact encourages us to seek out failure, it is unflaggingly optimistic. We will struggle, we will fail, we will be knocked down--but throughout, we'll get better, and we'll succeed in the end."

 

"The growth mindset then, is a buffer against defeatism. It reframes failure as a natural part of the change process. And that's critical, because people will persevere only if they perceive falling down as learning rather than as failing."
 

When I read this I couldn't help but think of quit once's post about the three stages of recovery, early recovery (months 0-3), middle recovery (months 3-9) and late recovery (after 9 months). At what stages was I the most optimistic? Early and late. When was I the most miserable? Middle recovery (which for me was more like months 3-11), because I felt defeated and like no significant progress was happening. Exactly like the project bell curve described in this book.

 

Sorry this is so long - I just had such a eureka moment reading this and connecting it to the experience of quitting Adderall. I just wanted to share! This is a great book by the way - not your typical douchey business/management book, but really insightful in many ways.

 

[zhenka11230]

Excellent insight xD (don't need no adderall for insights)

 

Keep em coming.

 

Also we can use the idea to think about productivity in terms of learned skill as opposed to innate problem to be fixed by adderall.  A good book on that is Willpower Instinct.

[Zerokewl]

 

This is from Seth Godin's book " The Dip" .  I think provides a good visual to what you are describing. 

[Jon]

Z,

 

Nice job of posting the graphical representation similar to what Cassie was talking about. Thank you for doing the research.

 

Thank you Cassie for your contribution. I hope I learn how to overcome defeatism by reframing failure as a natural part of the change process. The critical point being that I must look at falling down as learning rather than failing.

 

I thought it might stick if I typed it out.

[Greg]

Great post Cassie and great visual tool ZeroKewl

 

its unfortunate that the bulk of the quitting adderall process is in a state of "hardship and toil and frustration" (i will add suffering) but that is the ultimate reality to  --------------> success