Mindset Orientation and Coping Behaviors in Adults

Mindset orientation refers to the beliefs that underlie the causes of one’s abilities and skills. Carol Dweck (2006) suggests that some individuals exhibit a fixed mindset, believing their abilities are innate and immutable, while others exhibit a growth mindset, believing their abilities can be learned, trained, and developed through practice. Growth mindset is correlated with motivation, resilience, and academic success (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012; Blackwell et al., 2007). It is also linked to more positive coping strategies and fewer negative coping strategies (Janssen & van Atteveldt, 2023; Henshaw et al., 2023). Furthermore, possessing a growth mindset may improve anxiety and depression for high-risk adolescents (Schleider & Weisz, 2016). While previous research has mainly examined children and adolescents, individuals of all age groups have to cope with daily stressors. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the associations between mindset orientation and coping strategies in a sample of American adults. Participants completed surveys assessing mindset orientation and coping behaviors. A series of bivariate correlation analyses revealed that a growth mindset is associated with lower denial, disengagement, and venting. It is interesting to note that the growth mindset is associated with fewer negative coping behaviors (which is aligned with Henshaw et al. 2023) as opposed to more positive coping behaviors. However, findings also show trending effects (i.e., with p-values