Dina Aucella
Human Development
Mindset Book Report
Professor Siebert
December 12, 2014

Human development refers to the overall growth and changes that occur over a person’s life span, from conception to death. Developmental psychologists study the physical, mental or cognitive, and social changes that occur, as well as why or why not and how these changes take place. The study of human development and developmental theories provides a way for psychologists to examine societal and cultural norms and deviances through each developmental stage. There a different developmental stages over the course of a lifespan. Through these different stages, individuals learn about themselves and how to define themselves. An individual's mindset is based on the way they perceive themselves and the world. These different mindsets come from early years; the way an individual is raised. The learning theory, we discussed in class focused on how a child can learn and change certain negative behaviors. As individuals grow and mature, the way they view the world can either change or stay the same. The way a child is raised does affect the way they will be as an adult. Human development is complex at any age because there are so many factors involved. As you start going through changes that are inevitable, it is easy to see how your perceptions and attitude can change along with them. That must be why they say attitude is so important no matter what stage of life you are in. There are two different mindsets an individual can have as they go through the stages of development: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. In a fixed mindset, people believe their talents are fixed traits. People with this type of mindset believe “they are the way they are,” but that doesn’t mean that they have less of a desire for a positive self-image than anyone else. The fixed mindset logically leads you to believe that any criticism of your capabilities is criticism of you. Individuals with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed, that the brain is like a muscle that can be trained. This leads to the desire to improve. People with this mindset embrace challenge and setbacks do not discourage the individual. A growth mindset says “you are a developing person and I am interested in your development.” I have learned that whether an individual realizes it or not, all people keep in mind what has happened to them, what it means, and what they should do about it. I’ve also learned that people can have both mindsets based on a situation. Our minds are constantly interpreting different situations. It is a way of keeping us on track, and the severity of situations puts more interpretation on what the overall view of life an individual has. After reading this book, I would like to believe that I have a growth mindset. I am constantly monitoring what is going on in my personal life. I am always aware of the positives and negatives in certain situations, and I would like the believe I process every situation as a learning experience. I am constantly working on different ways to better myself. Both of my parents never went to college. I will be graduating at the end of this semester, and that proves to me that having a fixed mindset is not the thought process I have developed in my years of life. I have learned that I cannot judge someone based on their abilities. It’s not always the people who start out the smartest who end up the smartest. I’ve learned that having either mindset is not “right” or “wrong.” The mindsets we develop do not depend on nature or nurture, genes or environment. From conception on, there’s a constant give and take between the two. “If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to over come challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.” I have learned from this book that I have a lifelong journey to build and repair my confidence. I have