A research dialogue on mindsets

How individuals understand and make sense of their world underlies many of the questions and much of the theory that has guided the field of consumer psychology. Carol Dweck and her colleagues have conducted extensive research that explores the role of mindsets in how individuals understand andmake sense of their world. This research has revealed that human characteristics (such as personality and ability) can be understood as being either relatively fixed or changeable. Those with “fixed” mindsets believe that whatever characteristics a person possesses are unlikely to change: One is born with and continues to possess a certain set of traits. In contrast, those with “growth” mindsets believe that the characteristics that a person possesses are changeable: One's traits evolve and change over time. This Research Dialogue explores the implications of mindsets for consumer psychology. In their target article,MaryMurphy and Carol Dweck outline the conceptual framework of mindsets and explore the implications for consumer psychology. The points of intersection betweenmindsets and consumer psychology that they find and explicate are many and important, ranging from goals to brands to advertising effectiveness and beyond. For example, the goals underlying similar consumer behavior (such as purchasing a cookbook) may significantly differ depending upon a consumer's mindset; brandmeanings can be cultivated to reflect either fixed or growth mindsets, and the resulting differences in brand perception may be differentially attractive to consumers who possess either a fixed or growth mindset; and the effectiveness of ads and the success of brand extensionsmay bemoderated bymindsets. These are but a subset of the connections that the authors provide.