2008/12/01 by Carol S. Dweck · 4 citations
Psychology · #Personality Traits and Psychology #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Behavioral Health and Interventions
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00612.x
Using recent research, I argue that beliefs lie at the heart of personality and adaptive functioning and that they give us unique insight into how personality and functioning can be changed. I focus on two classes of beliefs—beliefs about the malleability of self-attributes and expectations of social acceptance versus rejection—and show how modest interventions have brought about important real-world changes. I conclude by suggesting that beliefs are central to the way in which people package their experiences and carry them forward, and that beliefs should play a more central role in the study of personality.