The distinction between the fixed and growth mindset has a massive impact on how people perceive relationships, especially in their patterns. A person with a growth mindset perceives strong relationships as the result of effort and persistence – an ongoing process where both parties work on how they interact with each other and their own faults, working to make them more compatible.
On the flip side a person with a fixed mindset will perceive the traits and behaviour in other people as fixed, which translates to a black and white outlook; either you are compatible with someone, or you are not. There is little room for change, give or take or working through problems.
As a result, a person with a fixed mindset tends to be incredibly selective about their friends and partners, due to a perceive ‘incompatibility’ with the people around them, but they may find themselves isolated and lonely due to this screening process.
Of course, it’s important to point out that no one has belongs entirely in the fixed or growth mindset. Instead most people will have a tendency to think one way or another, but in regards to certain beliefs, display the opposite mindset. For example, even someone who regularly displays a growth mindset might hold a fixed mindset belief such as, “I’m not a musical person”.
