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by Susan Meindl
Why is it that some people seem to create effortlessly and unselfconsciously while others struggle and suffer and seem to always hold themselves back even when their talent is evident to others? Some reasons may be found in the the understanding, attitudes or beliefs that they hold towards the sources, quality and sustainability of their creative efforts.
Social psychologists have determined that individuals vary in their assumptions about their abilities to perform or succeed in all domains of human experience. These differences are very evident in two particular domains, those of intelligence and talent. Beliefs about the origin and controllability of these qualities have been shown to have potent effects on behaviors since these beliefs can drive or impede effort. Social psychologists propose that individuals can hold what they call Incremental or Identity theories about their abilities and they suggest that the majority of people tend to hold one set of beliefs or the other.
Incremental vs Identity Theorists
85% of the population hold one position or the other. People of equal intelligence can hold either position.
Incremental theorists in the domain of art...
- Believe that talent is malleable.
- Believe that talent can be developed.
When people believe that talent is malleable:
- They see performance as reflective of effort not just talent.
- They focus on the effort and strategies that will lead to learning, skill development and long term achievement.
- They do better on challenging projects.
Identity theorists in the domain of art...
- Believe one is born with talent in a fixed amount.
- Performance becomes inordinately important as a gauge of the amount of talent and an indicator of self-worth.
When people become convinced that talent is fixed:
- They look to performance to tell them in what amount it exists.
- They begin to develop defensive but self-defeating strategies in regard to performance.
Four Stupid Things That Talented People May Do
(1) Sacrificing learning opportunities to avoid errors
- Not submit work for constructive criticism
- Prefer safe projects to challenging growth-producing ones
(2) Belief that effort is a sign of inability:
- Not learn skills
- Feel anxiety in the face of lack of skill
- Be in danger of self-handicapping
(3) Missing out on the pleasure of effort:
- Not make sustained commitment
- Not be willing to work hard and sacrifice to reach their goal
(4) Never really knowing what you might have done:
- This is the tragedy of never fulfilling one's potential.
Creativity researchers agree that motivation is a key ingredient in creative contribution and creative genius. By motivation they mean:
- Ability to commit to a valued goal
- Ability to sustain commitment over time--even in the face of obstacles.
- Ability to enjoy the effort and engagement.
For Art Educators... and Self-educators
Research evidence about Incremental and Identity theories in the domain of intelligence may have their parallel in attitudes towards talent...
In a 1998 study by Carol Dweck, the researchers gave children a challenging task under three conditions A; praise for intelligence, B. praise for effort, and C. praise for performance (control condition). When offered a subsequent challenging task, the intelligence praise group chose an easier task, but 90% of the effort praise group chose a challenging task. When the children were given a third set of problems which were much harder and they did not do so well, effort praise children showed enjoyment and willingness to take work home to practice. Intelligence praise children showed a steep decline in their enjoyment of the task and told researchers that they were not smart. Success told them they were smart, failure that they were stupid. They had learned to read intelligence from success in just one experience.
It is easy to see how one could simply replace the word "intelligence" with the word "talent" in an art classroom and get a similar effect.
Notes for therapeutic practice:
- Praising people's talent does not fortify them
- Focusing people on process ie: skills and strategies....motivates them in ways that allows them to withstand and thrive on setbacks
Cultivate a compassionate self-view... Talent is individual, talent is self-expressive, talent is infinitely precious to the one who holds it. Putting your work out into the world feels like putting a precious part of yourself out for inspection, comment or judgement. This is why living out your talent...whether it be for painting, writing, pottery or any other creative or academic pursuit is an act of courage.
Resilience is Key! The only way to develop confidence is to risk the experience of being seen and commented upon... and to survive it!
Develop an Incremental theory about your talent!
Too many genuinely creative individuals work far below their ultimate level of development because they never permit themselves to take the risk of failing in the short term in order to develop the skills and ideas that it takes to develop in the long term.
Developing an incremental theory towards your talent permits you to see your creative work as a developmental process rather than a mysterious gift... a process over which you have control through your effort and dedication.
References: Dweck, C. S. (2002). Beliefs That Make Smart People Dumb. In R.J. Sternberg (Ed.). Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid. New Haven : Yale University Press.
Mueller, C.M. & Dweck, C.S.(1998). Intelligence praise can undermine motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 75, 33-52.
Susan Meindl, MA, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Montreal Canada. She has a special interest in artistic practice and development and practices a Jungian approach to psychodynamic psychotherapy.
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/59983
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