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The Power of Belief

This week I watched a presentation by Eduardo Briceno hosted by TEDx Manhattan Beach.

Eduardo compared outcomes in experiments done with youths based on praise from authority figures. Praise matching Fixed Mindset patterns and Growth Mindset patterns produced different outcomes for the tested groups. According to the studies Eduardo referenced, children praised with Growth Mindset phrases were more honest and more willing to challenge themselves. Generally people taught to think with Growth Mindsets saw better academic outcomes over the test period.

While I’m tempted to say I’ve always had a Growth Mindset, that certainly isn’t the case, and certainly not in all domains. As recently as last semester (even now!) I was stressing over how I would be perceived by my tutors, how my grades reflect on my “quality”, and my heart sank any time I got a grade lower than a HD. I had a number of conversations with friends where I lamented getting what I called a “low HD” despite the fact that it all flattens out in the end.

But I don’t think it’s always a simple matter of Fixed and Growth. I think we place ourselves in a variety of “domains” and assume we’re good at some and have space to grow in others. For example in my language-learning journey I’ve never felt compelled by numbers or feedback beyond my experience of growing into and navigating Japanese. I think the difference here is a matter of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations. Learning language is largely a personal journey whereas scholarly success, while personal, involves passing through a variety of checkpoints. The awareness that I’m under scrutiny causes my desire to appear impervious, expertly knowledgeable about subjects, and as though my goal is merely to show how worldly I already am compared to others.

I think we have a desire to reject Growth Mindsets because of our fear of failure — our fear of discomfort. Even while attempting to adopt a Growth Mindset I found myself creating exceptions and excuses. “Well maybe I need to grow and develop, but Hideki Anno… that guy’s just talented. He didn’t have to work hard at all.” It’s a myth I think we all tell ourselves, and if you think you don’t consider great thinkers like Albert Einstein or Mark Twain. I think most of us subconsciously want to prevent the uncomfortable feeling of “not enough” by aggrandising those who have already made it. Failure isn’t so bad if you can convince yourself that your goal wasn’t realistic in the first place.

In Fujimoto Tatsuki’s one-shot, Look Back, the lead protagonist (Fujino) embodies a Fixed Mindset while her partner-in-crime (Kyoumoto) expresses a Growth Mindset. Fujino grew up being praised by family and friends for her art. Her entire life she was told that art is her talent and she was fated to be a storyteller and artist.

Fujino plays down her belief in her own talents because she’s afraid of failure. She feels the weight of her parents, her teachers, and her peers to present an image of perfection and competence. Her mindset forces her to come up with reasons not to care quite so much: “I only spent a couple of minutes on it…”, “I dunno if I’m that interested in art anyway…”, “I give up.” Never, “I have a long way to go.” Never, “I learned a lot when I drew that.”

Without any reference for growth, Fujino sees herself as unparalleled — she internalises her successes as an expected outcome and is not prepared to cope with the idea of anyone surpassing her. Enter Kyoumoto.

Kyoumoto is Fujino’s opposite. Where Fujino is outgoing, Kyoumoto is a shut-in. Where Fujino sees fate, Kyoumoto sees the result of hard work. The difference in their works is reflected through several comparisons made in the story. Fujino is undoubtedly a good storyteller. The Fixed Mindset hasn’t barred her from learning altogether, but her artistic talent is constantly eclipsed by Kyoumoto. Kyoumoto focuses on fine arts with a single-minded dedication to improvement, always looking for ways to refine herself, even in areas people might not notice.

As the pair sees success, Kyoumoto never stops pursuing growth. With the help of Fujino she is able to improve at her interpersonal skills. She’s not perfectly adept at socialising and the outside world causes her discomfort, yet she expresses her desire to go to University, to socialise, and to meet new people. Her Growth Mindset extends to all aspects of her life.

In the end both characters pursues their goals, and in the end both improve in their own ways (although tragedy ends Kyoumoto’s life before her time) but Kyoumoto is always depicted as the artist with the correct approach to self-improvement. Even with her Fixed Mindset, Fujino emulates Kyoumoto by drawing with all of her free time, secretly hoping to improve in a context where no observers will judge her until she’s “good enough.” Fujino secretly recognises that without practice, without failure, and without a goal to aim for, our fate isn’t greatness, it’s stagnation.

The final line in Look Back is a question to Fujino from Kyoumoto. Out of frame, Kyoumoto asks, “Hey, Fujino, why do you draw?”

Perhaps Fujino draws because she can’t draw yet.

I think there’s a Fujino and a Kyoumoto within us all. The confidence of our Fujino can help draw our Kyoumoto into the open, and our Kyoumoto can ask “what else is there to learn?”

Perhaps I can’t do it yet. Imperfection still hurts, and it won’t be an overnight process, but I’ll continue to work towards fostering my Kyoumoto. I believe I can if I keep trying.