Mindset Systems
Our mindset refers to the orientation of our attention, our thoughts, our behaviors, and even how we perceive many aspects of our reality.
Our mental orientations shape our explanations of our experiences, which then shapes our actions, which then in turn shapes the environment around us, impacting our experiences which must then be explained, thus beginning the cycle again- forever in a perpetual system.
There are many different mindsets which all interact together in complex ways. The infographic above represents many of the most vital mindsets regarding our health and wellbeing, however, it is by no means an exhaustive or complete list.
Our mindsets are molded and shaped by three distinct sources at all times. Firstly, our mindsets are intricately woven into our genes, our DNA, and our bodies. Our physical bodies contribute to myriad aspects of our personality and our behavior.
Secondly, our mindsets are deeply influenced by our culture and society which helps to guide our attention, encourage specific behaviors, and reinforce certain thought patterns.
Finally, (and maybe most importantly) our mindsets are shaped by our own intentional activity. Personal projects, effortful work, and concentrated awareness serve as catalysts for new ways of experiencing and interpreting the world around us, which in turn encourages new modes of behavior and new impacts on our environment.
Awareness Mindsets
A Temporal Mindset refers to where your mind is oriented in terms of time. A temporal mindset focusses on conceptions of past and future events which include speculation, planning, and remembering. At its best it can help organize our behavior, however at its worst it can lead to rumination, worrying and uncomfortable anticipation to the point of anxiety.
A Present-Focussed Mindset is oriented towards the experiences that are currently in the field of awareness right now. Also called a “concrete mindset” there is a focus on sensations, emotions, and even thoughts as they are currently unfolding. The benefits of this mindset include reduced anxiety, deeper understanding of body and mind, and a deeper connection with people and the universe at large. At its extreme it may neglect long term career strategy or mundane societal responsibilities.
A Uniperspectival Mindset is oriented toward a single way of interpreting and understanding life and the world around us. Its benefits include loyalty, strong devotion, a sense of control, and feelings of certainty or coherence. Its drawbacks may lead to intense division of people from differing perspectives often resulting in an “argue-to-win” stance in discussions, demonization of groups or ideas, and a siloed understanding of the world.
A Multiperspectival Mindset involves an interest in taking multiple different perspectives and points of view into consideration. It can allow for compassionate discourse across different ideologies, cultures, and worldviews leading to a wider and more informed understanding of the world and one’s place in it. This mindset involves psychological flexibility and intellectual humility which generally leads to an “argue-to-understand” stance in discussions. At its extreme there may be a lack of a philosophical “homebase” in which a sense of meaning, direction, and clarity becomes difficult to maintain.
Explanatory Mindsets
A Pessimistic Mindset places a focus on negative aspects or outcomes of a situation. Pessimism is deeply tied into the way we explain the world around ourselves, also known as our “explanatory style”. A pessimistic explanatory style will often explain these negative events as something permanent or enduring, claiming specific problems will likely never cease. They also tend to make problems personal by taking blame for negative situations. Finally, a pessimistic explanatory style will often consider problems to be pervasive wherein they persist across different contexts and situations.
An Optimistic Mindset is also built upon our explanatory style and the way we interpret the situations we’re in. Rather than a foolishly blind optimism that assumes all things are always good (known as “Pollyanna Optimism”) Positive Psychologists have found immense benefit in a “Realistic Optimism” in which there is little to no self deception or ignorance involved. When negative or difficult things happen an optimistic mindset is less likely to see the problem as permanent. They are less likely to see problems as personal failings. Problems are also less pervasive and are instead localized to specific situations.
A Fragile Mindset refers to how we explain our own strengths and our own abilities to endure difficulty, struggle, and challenge. A fragile mindset leads us to focus on the potential damage, pain, and weakness that can ensue from any given challenging situation. Seeing oneself as frail or easily harmed can often lead to avoidance of things that involve risk or difficulty. A fragile mindset is especially attuned to situations that cause stress with the strong belief that stress in itself is something negative to be avoided. This mindset may help to ensure a certain amount of safety and security but usually at the cost of robust learning and growth.
An Anti-Fragile Mindset also takes stress into account as an important consideration, however, stress is seen as a necessary ingredient to growth. Challenges are actively sought out in order to become more powerful, more skilled, and more knowledgeable. Like the optimistic mindset there are times when an extreme version of the mindset may be less than ideal (The stress of a falling bowling ball to your head probably won’t make you stronger), but as a whole people with an Anti-Fragile mindset are more likely to put themselves in situations that demand high effort and as a result they are more likely to achieve ambitious goals and build important skills over a lifetime.
An Ego-Centered Mindset is one in which the center of gravity for all considerations is the self. Questions like “how will this benefit me?” “How might this harm me?” “How am I involved in this?” are constantly center stage. Usually associated with fear and anger on the negative side, or achievement and success on the positive side, this mindset strongly prioritizes the “separate” individual self in all matters.
An Eco-Centered Mindset explores the ramifications of any situation for things outside the self. This includes the other people immediately involved in a situation as well as any people outside a situation that may also be affected. An eco-centered mindset may even have their considerations span outside human concern towards that of plants, animals, and other parts of the natural environment. One’s concern may even move toward more abstract concerns such as the evolution of culture or the perpetuation of a species or even all life on earth— potentially at the expense of one’s own health or wellbeing.
Action Mindsets
A Fixed-Oriented Mindset sees one’s own abilities as immutable and unchanging. This is often in reference to a particular skill or domain (e.g. “I’m not a math person” or “I could never carry a tune like that”). Often people will vary on how fixed they feel they are across different domains, for example someone may feel they have great opportunity for growth at their job, but not in their relationship skills. This mindset often leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy wherein someone doesn’t think they can change, so they don’t try to change, which leads to stagnation, which is then taken as evidence of an inability to change.
A Growth Mindset opens up an insight into the possibility of marked improvement in any given domain or set of skills, which is often paired with an emphasis on effort and investment of time and energy. Someone with this mindset often sees their poor performance as a reflection of a lack of time and practice rather than as a reflection of an immutable self (e.g. “I’m not that good at tennis yet— just wait until I get a few more games under my belt.”). This mindset often leads to an upward spiral because it encourages approach behavior and honest attempts at learning which tend to produce results of growth and improvement, which then reinforces the idea that one can indeed grow and learn.
A Maximizing Mindset involves an effortful attempt to make any plan, project, or decision the absolute best it could possibly be. There are indeed situations in which a sizable amount of time and consideration may be appropriate (e.g. buying a home or choosing a university program) but this mindset may lead to an untenable state of perfectionism in which all decisions and tasks, big and small, must be maximized for as close to ideal as possible. This creates a sense of stress during decisions and projects, as well as an enduring sense of gloom afterward due to an emphasis on what could have been and whether or not the outcome is actually the best.
A Satisficing Mindset works to create a sense of satisfaction with outcomes that are “Good enough”. There are times when this mindset may not be ideal as in the situations mentioned above, however, satisficing helps to ease the stress of making the millions of decisions in our lives (e.g. I’ll grab this loaf of bread from the bakery and it’ll be good enough for me). Not only does this mindset reduce the stress and expectations or perfection during decisions and tasks, but it leaves us with an enduring sense of contentment and satisfaction with the outcomes we have afterward.
An Outcome-Oriented Mindset is preoccupied with how events, plans, and processes will turn out. The focus is on the end product or goal with little to no attention paid to the experiences and details involved in getting to that goal. This mindset is empowered by planning and forethought which at it’s best may lead to detailed strategies, and at its worst may lead to a lack of appreciation for the joy inherent in the process, as well as “analysis paralysis” in which the depth of strategizing severely impedes the process itself.
A Process-Oriented Mindset is the thinking style behind the mantra “It’s about the journey, not the destination”. Although planning and future consideration may be involved, this mindset is more concerned with the experiences and details involved within a plan, project, or process. With the minutiae of a process in mind it often becomes clear just how much is unknown until the process begins, and as such people with this thinking style also tend to have a “bias to action” in which they jump into the process quickly to learn more instead of guessing or forecasting.
An Entitled Mindset sees much of the world as a deserved reward for certain behaviors or personal aspects of character. Goodwill, gifts, and opportunities should appear, whether as an unalienable right or as a matter-of-fact. This often leads to very strong expectations and anticipation for positive experiences which, when violated, can lead to powerful negative emotions. These negative emotions may help to reinforce healthy boundaries, but they may also push people away and lead to an arrogant or pretentious attitude.
A Grateful Mindset can recognize the transient, fickle, and impersonal nature of the universe, and as such has very few expectations about how it is supposed to unfold. Any positive experiences or opportunities are seen as gifts to be cherished instead of something inevitable and necessary. This style of thinking leads to deeper positive emotions and appreciation when positive things arise, as well as more acceptance and mental clarity when they don’t.
Bonus Mindsets
A Fear-Based Mindset is one that operates from a place of survival, scarcity, and defensiveness. It is governed by an “avoidance motivation” which actively moves away from threatening things in the world. It is the seat of emotions such as disgust, hatred, and fear. This mindset is often deeply concerned with self-preservation, even at the cost of others. This mindset can lead to being closed off to new experiences because they contain risks of new threats. All of the mindsets on the left side of the silhouette in the model above may be considered different aspects of a fear-based mindset.
A Love-Based Mindset is one that operates from a place of abundance and care. It is governed by an “approach motivation” which actively moves towards things of beauty and interest in the world. It is the seat of emotions such as curiosity, compassion, and love. This mindset is often deeply concerned with caring for others, be it other people or other species. This mindset can lead to actively embracing new and unique experiences in order to uncover and cherish the beauty they may hold. All of the mindsets on the right side of the silhouette in the model above may be considered different aspects of a love-based mindset.
A Critical Mindset approaches the world with a sense of righteousness and expectation. This style of thinking can easily hone in on aspects of situations or people that are not perfect or ideal. There is no room for these violations because an urge to fix, correct, or improve them takes center stage. This mindset actively resists the world around it in an effort to bend it to its will.
A Compassionate Mindset approaches the world with a sense of care and acceptance. This style of thinking is comfortable holding space for people and situations without urging them to be something different than they are. There is a sense of nurturing for anything and everything, regardless of how toxic or repulsive they might seem at first glance. This mindset actively embraces the world around it in an effort to be deeply connected
An Inner-Critic Mindset is similar to the Critical Mindset described above, however the critique is directed inward through self-talk that is often harsh and degrading. Every potential mistake or inadequacy is magnified and pounced upon with an aggressive admonishment of one’s own character and behavior. It’s like having an angry boss in your head at all times.
An Inner-Mentor Mindset is similar to the compassionate mindset, however the kindness and care is directed inward through upliftng and supportive self-talk. A sense of acceptance and guidance comes through in the tone of how one explains and interprets one’s own character and behavior. It’s like having a kind older sibling in your head at all times.
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References & Further Reading
Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc..
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (Eds.). (2004). The psychology of gratitude. Oxford University Press.
Epley, N., Keysar, B., Van Boven, L., & Gilovich, T. (2004). Perspective taking as egocentric anchoring and adjustment. Journal of personality and social psychology, 87(3), 327
Ottiger, A. S., & Joseph, S. From ego-centred to eco-centred: An investigation of the association between authenticity and ecological sensitivity. Person-Centered & Experiential Psychotherapies.
Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. R. (2002). Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice. Journal of personality and social psychology, 83(5), 1178.
Smalley, S. L., & Winston, D. (2010). Fully present: The science, art, and practice of mindfulness. Da Capo Lifelong Books.
Seligman, M. E. (2006). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. Vintage.