This innovative text sheds light on how people work - why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. Dweck presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows: *How these patterns originate in people's self-theories *Their consequences for the person - for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being *Their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations *The experiences that create them. This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas. The book is central to basic issues in social, personality, and developmental psychology. Indeed, it is like a guided tour through the scenic terrain of Carol's fascinating program of research. The writing is lively and engaging and the organization is unusually clear. The examples are well-chosen and intuitively compelling; they are easy to relate to our own lives and to the people that we know -- Diane N. Ruble, New York University [This book] is simply among the best book in psychology I've read during the past year or two. It's superb. . . I could hardly put [it] down -- Robert J. Sternberg, Yale University [This book] describes path breaking research in a style that is accessible to many audiences. It calls into question some of the most widely-held beliefs . . . about effective practices for maximizing children's self-confidence and learning -- Deborah Stipek, UCLA