Having a fixed mindset while listening to someone's evaluative feedback must be one painful place to be. It makes me think of the response that Dweck describes as the "tyranny of now" wherein the individual with the fixed mindset might opt for a partner whom s/he believes will do worse or running away, which in this case the individual would be closed off to any negative feedback that's given.
I Googled the definition of feedback: "information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for improvement". The whole point of feedback is for the information to be used for improvement. How can one with a fixed mindset authentically participate in an activity whereby they are to take the information given and use it for improvement? They can't. That is exactly why our students who suffer from a fixed mindset need to be taught how to be open to feedback and change the way they hear and metabolize it.
Having a growth mindset enables one to accept feedback and take it for what it is meant, for improvement. The fact that the feedback is given for improvement implies that the task is not yet done and can be changed through effort and strategic practice. Having a growth mindset helps people open themselves up to constructive criticism and in turn use that criticism to grow, strengthen their abilities, and ultimately become smarter in the area being assessed.
Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books.
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