Growth Mindset From a Polyvagal Perspective
Growth mindset is widely acknowledged to be the preferred perspective for development of skills and attributes. This outlook is enhanced through embodiment of polyvagal informed strategies.
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In the ongoing pursuit of sustainable high performance, we are continuously seeking to increase our abilities and develop our capacity. This process inevitably is associated with unsuccessful attempts and setbacks. The manner in which we experience, manage, and respond to these situations is an essential element in pursuing our fullest potential. Ultimately, when we encounter scenarios in which we are unable to perform to our expected level or are unsuccessful in whatever we are attempting to do, we can respond by using the experience as a learning opportunity from which we can grow or we can make the determination that our skills or abilities are limited and we are, therefore, unable to improve.
The former outlook is consistent with ongoing skill development, growth, and improvement over time. In fact, it is an essential perspective in order to pursue sustainable high performance due to the inevitable setbacks which will be encountered. This framework is termed a growth mindset. Another important aspect to this perspective is that the outcomes we may experience do not define who we are as people, as we are continuously able to grow and evolve over time. The second paradigm described in which the belief becomes that we are unable to change and improve due to a limit in our skills and capacity is self-limiting and is referred to as a fixed mindset. Associated with this perspective is that our attributes are static and not able to be changed or evolved over time. These terms were described in detail by Carol Dweck and are incorporated within the perspectives of performance psychology.
Based upon the nature of a growth mindset, professionals within the field of human performance advocate for development of a growth mindset. The rationale for this is clear given the beneficial outlook that is inherent within the growth mindset, particularly when setbacks are encountered or obstacles experienced. While it may be evident that such a mindset is highly desirable, what is less clear is how best to train and develop this perspective.
It is not merely a case of adopting the perspective and convincing ourselves of this mindset. It is also important to recognize that even though we may exhibit a growth mindset at some times and in certain domains of life, we may do so to a lesser degree at other times. These issues have not been adequately addressed within most performance psychology descriptions of the growth mindset.
The polyvagal informed perspective can provide insights as to how best to cultivate and expand the growth mindset, as well as explain why these attributes may fluctuate over time. When a polyvagal informed lens is utilized to analyze the attributes of the growth mindset in comparison to the fixed mindset, it becomes possible to align these outlooks with the biological states. The attributes of a growth mindset are strongly aligned with the psychological manifestations of ventral vagal stabilized states. The characteristics of the fixed mindset overlap considerably with the psychological traits of sympathetic and dorsal vagal states.
With the polyvagal informed recognition of the biological basis for growth and fixed mindsets, it becomes possible to better understand why these perspectives may shift over time and under different conditions. As they both emerge from their respective biological states, it is likely that the biological state at the time strongly influences whether or not a growth or fixed mindset will emerge and predominate. Furthermore, we can utilize the presence of features of either mindset as an indicator of our underlying biological state at the time. Thus, the presence of a growth or fixed mindset can both result from our biological state and simultaneously be an indicator of our underlying state.
In addition, the polyvagal informed understanding of growth and fixed mindsets provides a clear strategy for enhancing and sustaining a growth mindset. As this outlook emerges from ventral vagal stabilized states, we can utilize the tactics of the polyvagal informed toolbox to increase ventral vagal stability and shift into ventral vagal states in order to promote the attributes and features of the growth mindset. In essence, the extent to which we can increase ventral vagal tone, the stronger will be our growth mindset. Furthermore, when we shift into sympathetic and dorsal vagal states, thereby also shifting towards a fixed mindset, we can shift back towards ventral vagal stability, including emergence of ventral vagal stabilized states and a growth mindset, through implementation of strategies and tactics of the polyvagal informed toolbox.
The growth mindset is an important component to the pursuit of sustainable high performance. By embodying a polyvagal informed paradigm, we are better able to develop and sustain the growth mindset across all domains of life. To learn more, including about polyvagal informed coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, visit www.darindavidson.com.
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REFERENCE
Dweck, CS. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books; 2016.