The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Hope and Resilience

1. The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Hope and Resilience in Ourselves and Otherswww.drrobertbrooks.comcontact@drrobertbrooks.comtwitter: @drrobertbrooks

2. A commencement speech at Stanford University Highlighting the importance of connecting the dots backwards: To appreciate the impact that past events have had on the direction of our professional and personal lives

3. Connecting the dots backwards An experience in my career that was a major catalyst for me to adopt a strength-based approach in my work with both children and adults

4. The power of mindsets Mindsets: The assumptions and expectations we have for ourselves and others that guide our behavior. Mindsets play a powerful role in impacting on our behaviors in all situations, including our interactions with others

5. The power of mindsets In the 1990s I began to use the concept of a “resilient mindset” that highlighted the importance of social-emotional and interpersonal factors in nurturing resilience

6. The power of mindsets Others, such as Julian Rotter (locus of control theory), Bernard Weiner (attribution theory), Carol Dweck (fixed and growth mindsets), Albert Bandura (self-efficacy), Martin Seligman (learned helplessness and learned optimism), and Angela Duckworth (grit), have also proposed different theories that would fall under the label of mindsets

7. The power of mindsets Many of these theories place heavy emphasis on achievement; based on my experiences I felt that equal emphasis should be given to the significance of interpersonal relationships and social-emotional variables when we describe the impact of mindsets on our behaviors

8. The power of mindsets For example, a prominent theory has been advanced by Angela Duckworth about the concept of “grit” Duckworth notes, “Having a great coach or teacher matters tremendously, but my theory doesn’t address these outside forces.”

9. The power of mindsets In her book Grit Duckworth emphasizes in describing the concept of grit, “It’s about the psychology of achievement, but because psychology isn’t all that matters, it’s incomplete.” However, I would argue that having a great teacher, coach, or mentor is all about psychology

10. The power of mindsets A theory of mindsets that includes social-emotional factors has been proposed by Shawn Achor as described in his book The Happiness Advantage Achor: happiness precedes success rather than happiness being the outcome of success

11. The power of mindsets How is happiness defined? “As the experience of positive emotions—pleasure combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. Happiness implies a positive mood in the present and a positive outlook for the future.”

12. The power of mindsets Achor emphasizes that positive emotions—which I believe are housed in a positive relationship—enchance brain development and “enable us to think more quickly and creatively, become more skilled at complex analysis and problem solving, and see and invent new ways of doing things.”

13. The power of mindsets Achor’s work parallels that of Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the book Positivity Fredrickson has proposed the “broaden and build theory” of positive emotions, a theory that I believe has major implications for the kind of climate we create in any environment

14. The power of mindsets Fredrickson contends that negative emotions narrow one’s thinking and behavior while positive emotions such as “joy, contentment, and interest” broaden the “range of cognitions and behaviors”; positive emotions help us to experience seemingly stressful tasks as less threatening and also, to cope more effectively with stress

15. The power of mindsets Richard Davidson, founder for the Center of Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has also shown that positive emotions lead to greater activity in those parts of the brain associated with psychological well-being and there are lower levels of cortisol (a stress hormone)

16. The power of mindsets The studies cited by Achor, Fredrickson, and Davidson have major implications for therapy and teaching, including the following belief: The reinforcement of positive emotions in clinical, educational, and health care interventions plays a significant role in how effective these interventions will be

17. A key question What are the characteristics of the mindset and accompanying strategies of clinicians, health care and other service providers, first responders, and educators who nurture positive emotions, motivation, hope, and resilience in clients and students?

18. The mindset and strategies of charismatic adults To appreciate the lifelong impact that one person can have on another person: The presence of what Julius Segal called a “charismatic adult”--an adult from whom one “gathers strength”

19. The mindset and strategies of charismatic adults “The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult.” Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

20. The mindset and strategies of charismatic adults Sometimes we don’t even know when we have served as a charismatic adult in the lives of others—the impact of seemingly “small gestures” “I want to be a charismatic adult. What do I say and do to become one?”

21. The mindset and strategies of charismatic adults To understand the main characteristics of the mindset of resilient individuals so that we can have guideposts for reinforcing this mindset with its accompanying behaviors in all of our interactions with others as well as within ourselves

22. The mindset of resilient individuals To feel comfortable with and appreciate that others can be of support and help—we must create a welcoming climate and a sense of connectedness; feelings of loneliness minimize our physical and emotional well-being

23. The mindset of resilient individuals To believe that one can solve problems and make decisions, which promotes a sense of personal control, self-determination, and ownership—to reinforce the notion that “we are the authors of our own lives”; to view difficult situations as challenges to confront rather than as stress to avoid

24. The mindset of resilient individuals To define and reinforce one’s strengths or “islands of competence” without denying or running from problematic areas

25. The mindset of resilient individuals Trauma-informed care moves from a focus on “What is wrong with this student?” to “What has this student been through?” to a question rooted in a strength-based model, “What does this student need to reach their potential?” Lea Waters and Tom Brunzell in the Greater Good newsletter, University of California at Berkeley

26. The mindset of resilient individuals To believe that mistakes are experiences from which to learn rather than feel humiliated—how do we prepare youngsters and their families, and ourselves for obstacles and setbacks? The importance of the work of Gabriele Oettingen and her concept of “mental contrasting”

27. The mindset of resilient individuals To believe that one can contribute to and make a positive difference in the world: this belief truly represents Achor’s notion of positive emotions and a sense of purpose and Davidson’s research that indicate that acts of altruism activate parts of the brain associated with well-being

28. The mindset of resilient individuals Health psychologist Dr. Kelly McGonigal, citing research findings, has written, “Caring creates resilience. How you can think and how you can act can transform your experience of stress.”