J'ai arrêté de lire après 40 pages, me suis contenté des pages d'exercice et de réflexion à la fin de chaque chapitre, et je suis franchement déçu. Ce livre propose une vision binaire de l'état d'esprit. Soit fixe (et donc fondée sur le fait que tout est joué), soit de développement (et axée sur la notion d'évolution, d'apprentissage permanent).
Le concept est intéressant (ce qui me coûte déjà de le dire), mais trop pauvre, trop simple, pas détaillé dans son origine et présenté de façon beaucoup trop commerciale, trop « j'ai la solution ». Qui plus est, on est soit l'un soit l'autre (fixe ou de développement). Et les chapitres successifs ne sont jamais qu'une succession d'illustrations présentant tous la même conclusion. J'ai véritablement l'impression d'être pris pour un imbécile qui ne comprends pas…
Une simple brochure de 10 pages aurait eu le même apport. Je me répète mais je suis profondément déçu, véritablement. Et surpris que ce livre ait été vendu à 2 millions d'exemplaires (d'après sa couverture).
Commenter  J’apprécie         50
J'ai lu le livre intégralement, mais je n'en vois pas vraiment l'intérêt.
La structure est laborieuse, les exemples hors sol.
S'il y a une base scientifique à ce travail, je n'en connais pas la valeur.
Je ne le recommande pas.
Commenter  J’apprécie         30
Horriblement mal traduit ce qui rend la lecture fastidieuse mais l'idée principale développée durant tout le livre porte. J'ai passé bcp de page d'exemples américains qui ont peu d'intérêt. Les conseils d'applications du dernier chapitre sont précieux.
Commenter  J’apprécie         10
What if two people with different mindsets get together? A growth-mindset woman tells about her marriage to a fixed-mindset man: "I began to realize I made a big mistake. Every time I said something like “Why don’t we try to go out a little more?” or “I’d like it if you consulted me before making decisions,” he was devastated. Then instead of talking about the issue I raised, I’d have to spend literally an hour repairing the damage and making him feel good again. Plus he would then run to the phone to call his mother, who always showered him with the constant adoration he seemed to need. We were both young and new at marriage. I just wanted to communicate. So the husband’s idea of a successful relationship—total, uncritical acceptance—was not the wife’s. And the wife’s idea of a successful relationship—confronting problems—was not the husband’s. One person’s growth was the other person’s nightmare.
In the early 1970s, Irving Janis popularized the term groupthink. It’s when everyone in a group starts thinking alike. No one disagrees. No one takes a critical stance. It can lead to catastrophic decisions, and, as the Wood study suggests, it often can come right out of a fixed mindset. Groupthink can occur when people put unlimited faith in a talented leader, a genius. This is what led to the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, America’s half-baked secret plan to invade Cuba and topple Castro. President Kennedy’s normally astute advisers suspended their judgment. Why? Because they thought he was golden and everything he did was bound to succeed.
“Unfortunately, people often like the things that work against their growth. . . . People like to use their strengths . . . to achieve quick, dramatic results, even if . . . they aren’t developing the new skills they will need later on. People like to believe they are as good as everyone says . . . and not take their weaknesses as seriously as they might. People don’t like to hear bad news or get criticism. . . . There is tremendous risk . . . in leaving what one does well to attempt to master something new.” And the fixed mindset makes it seem all that much riskier.
People with a fixed mindset were only interested when the feedback reflected on their ability. Their brain waves showed them paying close attention when they were told whether their answers were right or wrong. But when they were presented with information that could help them learn, there was no sign of interest. Even when they’d gotten an answer wrong, they were not interested in learning what the right answer was. Only people with a growth mindset paid close attention to information that could stretch their knowledge. Only for them was learning a priority.
However, sometimes an even tougher question is: Who can you turn to when good things happen? When you find a wonderful partner. When you get a great job offer or promotion. When your child does well. Who would be glad to hear it? Your failures and misfortunes don’t threaten other people’s self-esteem. Ego-wise, it’s easy to be sympathetic to someone in need. It’s your assets and your successes that are problems for people who derive their self-esteem from being superior.