Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology)

Rating:
Summary: Scary title, great book!
Review: I was intimidated by the title of this book, and was afraid it was going to be highly academic. However, the book is completely accessible and fascinating. Dr. Dweck describes her remarkable studies on motivation and achievement, and shows that a fixed view of intelligence (meaning: either you're born smart or you're not) sells us short. Her work has enormous implications for both childrearing and teaching. This book should be required reading for all parents and teachers.

Rating:
Summary: A PENETRATING EXAMINATION OF THE SELF...RECOMMENDED.
Review: The author shows how people develop beliefs about themselves (self-theories) and how these create their psychological world, shaping how they think, feel, and act. Her focus is on motivation, personality, the self, and development. The text, describes original research findings and conclusions, It reveals why, at times, people work well, and at other times they are self-defeating. Dweck examines adaptive and maladaptive cognitive motivational patterns and shows: how these patterns originate in people's self-theories; their consequences for the person's achievement, social relationships and emotional well-being; and consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup reactions.

Dweck's conclusions explore the implications for the concept of self-esteem, suggesting a rethinking of its role in motivation, and the conditions that foster it. A penetrating analysis of complex subjects. Reviewed by Gerry Stern and Yvette Borcia, founders, Stern & Associates and HR Knowledge Network, authors of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits.

Rating:
Summary: Reader-friendly
Review: Yes I would definitely say it is reader friendly. Why? I sat and read through and what kept me reading it to end was that it is comprehensible. THere was nothing new in the sense that her subjects were everyday people - students, there were no those statistics that hardly made a sense to a layman like me, it was thought provoking - made me ponder over what really went wrong with my kid and myself, gave me some idea on how to tackle future problems concerning my kid's attitude towards schoolwork, and most of all it was presented in a captivating manner. It's like reading a storybook. I didn't have to put on a thinking cap to make myself intelligent to understand her message.I definitely would recommend to my friends who are housewives.