mindset

mind +‎ set

Noun

mindset (plural mindsets)

1. A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. [ quotations ▼]

   Earth Day is a way of propagating and celebrating the environmentalist mindset.

Synonyms

• mentality

A mindset is an established set of attitudes of a person or group concerning culture, values, philosophy, frame of mind, outlook, and disposition. It may also arise from a person's worldview or beliefs about the meaning of life.

Some scholars claim that people can have multiple types of mindsets. Some of these types include a growth mindset, fixed mindset, poverty mindset, wealth mindset, abundance mindset, and positive mindset among others that form the make up of a person's overall mindset.

More broadly, scholars have found mindset is associated with a range of functional effects in different areas of people’s lives. This includes influencing a person’s capacity for perception by functioning like a filter, a frame of reference, a meaning-making system, and a pattern of perception. Mindset is described as shaping a person’s capacity for development by being associated with passive or conditional learning, incremental or horizontal learning, and transformative or vertical learning. Mindset is also believed to influence a person’s behavior, having deliberative or implemental action phases, as well as being associated with technical or adaptive approaches to leadership.

A mindset could create an incentive to adopt (or accept) previous behaviors, choices, or tools, sometimes known as cognitive inertia or groupthink. When a prevailing mindset is limiting or inappropriate, it may be difficult to counteract the grip of mindset on analysis and decision-making.

In cognitive psychology, a mindset is the cognitive process activated in a task.