MALCOLM:
Malcolm is obsessed with “Outliers.” Those are people who stand out of the norm of something. He talks about Asian math students and some computer whizzes as being outliers. He thinks that these people who are very successful are not naturals, but rather hard workers who take advantages of extraordinary opportunities. For example, he tells the story of Marita, a girl who escaped the life of poverty and applied for the prestigious KIPP School. According to Malcolm, there could be several “Maritas” out there, but not all of them took advantages of good opportunities.
DWECK:
Dweck is all about Mindsets. Are you a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? While I read that book, I asked myself that question several times. Anyways, the growth mindset is someone who can build off success or failure. On the other hand, the fixed mindset is someone who just gives up per se, or gives little effort after success; they think that intelligence is something permanent. She uses the example of someone getting a bad grade on a paper, then being blown off by a friend, etc. She then asks the reader how they would handle it. The growth mindset would just say I can do a lot better and realize that maybe their friend was busy, while the fixed mindset would say,” I’m so dumb,” or something along those lines.
THE CONNECTION and MY OPINION:
Honestly, I don’t see much of a connection between the two authors’ opinions. It seems like Malcolm was just trying to get a book on the NY Times Best-Seller List. I think that Dweck is pretty logical and reasonable. The two mindsets are very relevant to society today. I also think that Malcolm was just trying to make one of those “feel good” books, whereas Dweck gives the good and the bad. Also, I think that part of the reason I think that I like Mindset more is because I can relate to it. I am definitely not an “outlier,” however, I have had my growth and fixed mindset moments. Don’t get me wrong, Malcolm’s points sound logical, but overall, Dweck wins this battle.
This is a really interesting post. I never thought about it, but Gladwell hardly ever addresses the bad. He mainly just discusses how different people became successful. And you're right. This doesn't really apply to us because we aren't outliers (no offense to anyone). We are just normal kids in college. But Dweck's book is different. I can also relate to it, and I also continuously question what mindset I have. Dweck addresses how to be a better person, but she also explains where some people go wrong; something Gladwell does not do.
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ReplyDeleteSorry after I posted that first one I realized I had several grammatical errors, but anyway...
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job at comparing the two. Your comment about Gladwell just trying to make the Best Seller List is right on target too. He seemed to say what people wanted to hear and left out the bad. Dweck on the other hand, seemed to want to truly give her information to help her readers. She showed both the good and bad that can occur in a person's life and that as long as you're willing to put forth the effort you can still turn a bad situation around and succeed.