What is the Incremental Theory?

At its core, Incremental Theory—widely recognized today as the Growth Mindset—is a specific belief system regarding the nature of human attributes. While its counterpart, Entity Theory (Fixed Mindset), views personal qualities like intelligence, personality, or moral character as fixed traits carved in stone, Incremental Theory posits that these attributes are malleable qualities that can be cultivated and developed.

The “Meaning System” of Growth

To understand incremental theory, it helps to step back and look at how psychologists view human belief structures. Researchers, such as George Kelly, have long proposed that people create “meaning systems” to organize their world and predict events (3). These meaning systems provide a framework for interpreting the dizzying flow of constant information.

Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, professor emerita of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explains that “humans have hyper-globalized world schemas that influence how ambiguity is interpreted across domains” (4; 5). It is your beliefs that give personalized meaning to ambiguous data. The incoming data may be an empty bank account, lack of energy, or a failed relationship. You can interpret each of these occurrences in a variety of ways. Your individual pattern for interpreting data is what Dweck refers to as “a mindset.”

All of us order the daily events of our lives by constructions that are somewhat elastic. Under these constructions our anticipations of daily events, while not scientifically precise, nevertheless surround our lives with an aura of meaning.

~George Kelly (1955)

Dweck’s research identifies several characteristics that she grouped together and identified as an incremental mindset. This is in contrast to characteristics of the entity (or fixed) mindset. The incremental construction creates a powerful meaning systems that contributes to continued growth.

When you adopt an incremental theory, you enter a psychological world where the primary goal is learning rather than validation. This shifts to learning motivates and sustains effort, while softening the fear of failure:

• Effort is no longer a sign that you lack talent; instead, it is viewed as the tool that activates and increases ability (6).

• Failure is not a condemnation of your intellect; it is simply information—a signal that your current strategies are insufficient and need to be revised (7; 8).

Your Brain: A Statue or a Muscle?

A helpful analogy used in psychological interventions distinguishes between viewing the brain as a “statue” or a “muscle.”

• The Statue (Entity): Intelligence is a finished work. It might be beautiful, but it cannot grow, and any mistake feels like a permanent chip in the stone (9).

• The Muscle (Incremental): The brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use (10). Just as weightlifting builds physical fiber, struggling with challenging intellectual tasks forms new connections between neurons, literally making the brain smarter (11; 12).

Beyond Just “Trying Hard”

It is a common misconception that incremental theory is simply about having a positive attitude or “trying hard.” However, the theory emphasizes that growth comes through a combination of effort, good strategies, and input from others (13).

This connects to broader motivational concepts in psychology, such as Attribution Theory. Attribution theory explores how people explain the causes of events—for example, do we attribute a poor test score to a lack of ability (stable, uncontrollable factors) or a lack of effort (an unstable, controllable factor)? (14).

Incremental theory creates a framework where individuals naturally attribute setbacks to controllable factors like effort and strategy, rather than fixed internal traits (15). This buffers them against helplessness, allowing them to remain “mastery-oriented” even when things get tough (16).

Certainly, we want children to appreciate the fruits of hard work. But we also want them to understand the importance of trying new strategies when the one they’re using isn’t working. (We don’t want them to just try harder with the same ineffective strategy.) And we want them to ask for help or input from others when it’s needed. 

~Carol Dweck (2006)

Key Principles for Application of the Incremental Theory

Effort Leads to Improvement

In the world of the growth mindset, effort is far more than just a consolation prize for those lacking natural talent; it is the very engine that creates ability (17). Unlike the fixed mindset, which views the need for exertion as a sign that you aren’t naturally smart or talented, incremental theory posits that effort activates your potential and allows you to utilize your intelligence to the fullest (18; 19).

Angela Duckworth’s research on “grit” takes this a step further, proposing that effort actually counts twice: it first turns talent into skill, and then turns that skill into achievement (20). This process is rooted in biology, as the brain acts somewhat like a muscle; when we push ourselves to master difficult challenges, our neurons form new connections, literally making us smarter over time (21).

Complexity of Change and Growth Mindset

However, simply “trying harder” isn’t always the answer; sustainable improvement requires understanding the dynamics of how we change. Kurt Lewin’s force field theory suggests that to improve, we must “unfreeze” our current behaviors by increasing the driving forces toward our goal while simultaneously decreasing the restraining forces—such as old habits or fear—that hold us back (22). This requires self-regulation, a feedback loop where we monitor the discrepancy between where we are and where we want to be, adjusting our effort to close that gap (23; 24).

While this process requires energy, the late Wayne Dyer suggests we can avoid burnout by shifting our focus from a rigid attachment to the outcome to an appreciation of the present moment, allowing us to move in harmony with our goals rather than struggling anxiously against them (25). By viewing effort as a tool for growth rather than a judgment of our character, we can persist through obstacles and turn setbacks into cues for finding better strategies (26; 27).

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From my decades of research, it is clear that change is difficult. Research on change is in agreement, change requires battling against forces that prefer sameness, going with the current trajectory. Since our desires for better often conflict with natural inclinations for sameness, we must deal with the dissonance. We either grit our teeth, employ self-regulation, and charge against the trajectories; or we find explanations why we are giving up on our dreams. The former requires the incremental mindset. The former can draw excuse from a fixed mindset.

Failures Are Stepping Stones

In the incremental framework, a setback is not a verdict on your potential, but rather what writer Maria Popova describes as a “heartening springboard for growth” (28). Instead of internalizing a mistake as an identity—thinking “I am a failure”—this mindset allows you to view it simply as an event—”I failed today”—which serves as informative feedback rather than a permanent label. This distinction is crucial for resilience; it transforms the experience into what psychologist Art Markman calls “good failure,” where errors help you learn the necessary trade-offs between effort and accuracy, as opposed to “bad failure” where you repeatedly crash without learning (29).

The current caretakers of the Harvard Longitude Study, Robert J. Waldinger and Marc Schulz explain:

“The good life is joyful… and challenging. Full of love, but also pain. And it never strictly happens; instead, the good life unfolds, through time. It is a process. It includes turmoil, calm, lightness, burdens, struggles, achievements, setbacks, leaps forward, and terrible falls. And of course, the good life always ends in death” (30).

Failure and setbacks are unavoidable. they are part of our human existence. Excessive effort dedicated to avoiding failure is a surefire recipe for stagnation. The incremental mindset welcomes the inevitability of occasional failure because it is tightly bound to effort.

By treating life stumbling blocks with self-compassion rather than harsh judgment, you can shift your focus from a helpless lack of ability to a controllable lack of effort or strategy, turning the “roots of knowledge,” bitter though they may be, into the sweet fruit of mastery (31).

“As you begin to understand where these failures occur, think about the tools you can use to help you get beyond those failures. Self-compassion means accepting that failure is a signal you need to do some more work. So trust in the process. In the end, you can change your behavior. The old adage says that change involves two steps forward and one step back. On the days when you feel as if you have taken a step back, remember these little failures are not telling you that change is impossible.“

~Art Markman, 2015

Learning Never Stops

Adopting an incremental theory means accepting that the “finished product” never really arrives; instead, we are constantly in a state of becoming. Dan McAdams, in his research on personality development, describes this evolution by characterizing the human being as a “motivated agent” who constructs a “motivational agenda”—a set of personalized goals and values that matures and changes across the lifespan (32). This perspective aligns with the Japanese concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement, which Angela Duckworth highlights as a key component of grit; it is the refusal to be complacent and the persistent desire to do better than yesterday (33).

In the realm of organizational psychology, researchers have supported this by distinguishing between performance goals and specific “learning goals,” finding that when tasks are complex or novel, focusing on the process of acquiring necessary strategies—rather than just the final outcome—actually leads to higher performance (34). Thus, the growth mindset extends far beyond the classroom; it is a lifelong trajectory where, as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith suggests, we shift from measuring static results to asking ourselves active questions like, “Did I do my best to make progress today?” (35).

Focus on Process Over Outcome

In the world of the growth mindset, the “prize” isn’t just the final score, but the way you played the game. While it’s natural to fixate on a specific result—like getting an ‘A’ or losing twenty pounds—cognitive scientist Art Markman suggests in Smart Change that relying solely on these “outcome goals” can actually backfire, as they often fail to engage the brain’s habit-forming systems and leave you without a plan once the target is hit (or missed) (36). Instead, shifting to “process goals”—the specific, repeatable actions you take every day—builds the sustainable habits necessary for long-term growth.

By releasing our white-knuckled grip on the uncontrollable outcome, as Gregg Krech advises in The Art of Taking Action, we reduce the stress that leads to paralysis and free ourselves to fully engage with the work right in front of us (37).

Challenges and Misconceptions

Despite its transformative potential, the incremental theory is not without challenges. Critics argue that focusing on effort and growth may overlook systemic factors affecting success, like access to resources, supportive environments, and mentorship (38). There’s also a risk that the theory could be misinterpreted as implying that effort alone guarantees success, disregarding the importance of strategy and targeted interventions.

Real-World Examples of Incremental Theory in Action

Real-life examples of the incremental theory can be found in many fields. Athletes like Michael Jordan and Serena Williams credit their success to relentless dedication and practice rather than innate talent (39). In technology, innovators such as Elon Musk and Steve Jobs exemplify the power of perseverance and adaptability.

Educational initiatives worldwide highlight the theory’s practical application. Programs teaching students about the growth mindset have led to notable improvements in academic performance and mental well-being (40).

A Few Words by Psychology Fanatic

In exploring the Incremental Theory, or Growth Mindset, we uncover a powerful framework for personal and academic development rooted in the belief that our abilities are not fixed but can be cultivated through effort and effective strategies. This mindset is a habit of thought, requiring us to face some of our fears of inferiority and imperfection.

Life complexity allows for varied interpretations of experience and the assigning of causes. In reality, there are both fixed elements and unstable elements involved in almost every consequence. When our focus is almost entirely on fixed elements, we, like Martin Seligman’s dogs, learn helplessness. We cower in the corner of our box, enduring the painful shocks of life.

The exciting news is that we can change. Mindsets are not set in stone. We can, through effort and practice, adapt a healthier mindset that encourages growth and resilience.

By embracing this mindset, we shift our focus from seeking validation to prioritizing learning, transforming failures into invaluable lessons rather than permanent setbacks. This perspective aligns with the understanding that intelligence is much like a muscle—through consistent practice and perseverance, we unlock greater potential within ourselves. This journey of growth is continuous; it invites us to engage with challenges actively, recognizing that each experience contributes to our evolving and complex identity.

Ultimately, adopting an incremental theory fosters resilience transforming us into lifelong learners. As highlighted at the beginning of this article, the implications of this style of thinking extends beyond individual achievement, resonating throughout various aspects of our lives including education, relationships, and professional endeavors. By championing effort over innate talent and viewing setbacks as stepping stones rather than roadblocks, we cultivate environments where personal growth thrives. Embracing this philosophy allows us to navigate life’s complexities with curiosity and determination—a reminder that every individual’s path toward mastery is unique yet universally attainable through commitment to progress.

Last Edited: February 16, 2026

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